- Child, Youth & Family Health
- Before the Baby is Born
- Baby's First Year
- Preschool (1-3)
- School Age (4-9)
- Youth
- Child Health - General Topics
- Advisories, Warnings and Recalls
- Allergies to Food
- Bonding with Your Child
- Breastfeeding
- Bullying Prevention
- Child Care
- Child Immunization
- Children with Special Needs
- Discipline Your Child
- Family Visitor Program
- Formula Feeding
- Growth Charts
- Head Lice
- Healthy Children Info Line
- Mealtime Struggles and Prevention
- Oral Health
- Positive Parenting
- School Based Programs
- Weaning Baby or Toddler
- Healthy Living & Health Protection
- Advisories, Warnings and Recalls
- Air Quality
- Alcohol & Drug Use
- Alcohol Related Topics
- Drug Related Topics
- Drug Use, Drinking & Driving
- Effects of Alcohol & Drug Use
- Information for Parents & Youth
- Information for Professionals
- Prevention & Treatment Resources
- Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Substance Use
- Profile of Those Who Drink & Use Drugs
- Safe Party Planning
- Where to Get Help
- Bed Bugs
- Cancer Prevention
- Dental Health
- Domestic Violence
- Emergency Medical Services
- Environmental Health
- Food Safety & Inspection Results
- Infection Control in Institutions
- Infectious Diseases
- Lyme Disease
- Nutrition
- Older Adults
- Physical Activity
- Rabies
- Safety & Injury Prevention
- Sexual Health
- Smoking
- Sun Protection
- Travel Health
- Water Quality
- West Nile Virus
- Workplace Health
- Clinics, Classes & Events
- Clinics
- Classes & Education
- Building on Your Strengths (B.O.Y.S.)
- CAN-BIKE
- Families & Schools Together (FAST)
- Food Safety Certificate
- Girl Time
- Growing Bodies Open Minds
- Growing Healthy Two-gether
- Me? Breastfeed?
- Nobody's Perfect
- Prenatal Classes for Youth
- Preparing for Parenthood
- Puberty Education Workshops for Teachers
- Routine Universal Comprehensive Screening
- Events & Health Fairs
- Research, Resources & Publications
- Partners & Professionals
Growth Charts
From birth, your child's weight and length/height should be measured regularly by your health care provider at all well-child visits.
Putting a child's growth measurements on a growth chart is a good way to see how a child is growing. A number of measurements taken over time may be used to check a child's growth pattern.
It is your child's growth pattern over time that shows if your child is growing properly.
NOTE: It is more important that your child follows a normal growth pattern for them than to be at a certain place on the growth chart compared to other children.
For more information about monitoring your child's growth using growth charts, visit the Canadian Paediatric Society, Caring for Kids website.What Growth Chart Should My Healthcare Provider Use?
Dietitians of Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and Community Health Nurses of Canada recommend the use of the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards for 0-5 year olds and growth reference charts for children 5-19 years to monitor the growth of children and adolescents.
The WHO growth charts have been adapted for use in Canada and are available at: http://www.dietitians.ca/growthcharts
For more information about their recomendations for monitoring the growth of children, click here.
NOTE: The growth standards for children 0-5 years are based on information collected from children who were breastfed, so these growth charts give a better indication of the expected growth of breastfed infants.
You can find more information about the WHO Child Growth Standards (2006) and the Child and Adolescent Growth Reference Charts (2007) on the WHO website, www.who.int/growthref/en/.
Special Considerations When Using Growth Charts
In the case of premature babies and babies with special needs, such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc. talk to your healh care provider about the growth chart that should be used to monitor your child's growth.
If you have any concerns about your child's growth, contact your healthcare provider.
...
