Trying to understand growth charts

[adarasmom]

Ok, who can help me figure this out?

My 5 week old is in 97th percentile for length, at 23 1/2" or about 59.5cm. She's 12 lbs, or 5.5 kg. Head is 39cm.

I can cope with that, she's massive after all. Dad is a tree trunk...

Now, I'm looking at the weight for length chart, specifically. On that chart she's in the 25th percentile. A 12lb baby in the 97th should be shorter than she is.. and accordingly a baby as long as she, should weigh 15lbs! Am I reading this thing wrong, or comparing it weirdly? She's 97% for the rest, but only 25% on weight-for-length?? The charts are here: http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clin...harts.htm#Set2

Anyone with more experience on these things? I am not actually concerned, more just aggravated that I'm missing something in the meaning, ya know?

Thanks!

[Llyra]

I think from what you're describing that you have a child who's longer and leaner than the average, right? All my kids have been that way. DD1 for example at that age was above the 97th for height and just below the 50th for weight, and my twins were about 75th for height and DS is 25th for weight and DD2 was at about the 5th for weight.

The charts don't tell you what's "normal" or "expected." They tell you what's average. That means plenty of kids will be taller or shorter or heavier or lighter, and still be absolutely normal.

As for height being "out of proportion" with weight-- nothing wrong with that, either. It just means your LO has a long-and-lean body type, at this stage in her life at least.

What you want to see is steady growth. A baby who's growing well will be at her own particular place on the chart for height and for weight, but will over time show a steady growth at that percentile. You may see jumps in percentiles either up or down sometimes, but for the most part over time the growth should follow a steady curve.

What is alarming-- kids who start losing weight for no explainable reason, kids who suddenly stop gaining weight or height with no discernible cause, kids who seem to slip further and further down the charts again with no discernible reason. Stuff like that. Keeping in mind that it's normal for growth to start to level out in the end of the first year, and for the rates of growth to slow remarkably in the toddler years.

[sunnygir1]

Yeah, I don't think it is all that common for children to be in the same percentile for length, weight, and head circumference. Mine never have been. Like the pp said, it's more about the growth rate than about the relationship between the numbers. My doctor says that he likes to see children in a higher percentile for height than length because he thinks that's a healthier weight-for-height number. Probably not the same for babies...they're supposed to be fat.