How do you know if your child is too tall? Or too small? Although kids come in all shapes and sizes, a healthy child should continue to grow at a regular pace for her age from infancy on. To check that she is developing at a proper rate, your child's doctor will weigh and measure her periodically, then plot the results on a standard growth chart to keep in her medical file.

Growth charts are used to plot your child's individual rate of growth on a curve over a period of time. The curves are generated from weight and height information taken from data on thousands of children and are useful in comparing the growth of normal children.

Using these standards, your child's doctor can determine whether your child may be too thin or fat in relation to her height. For example, if your child's weight for her height corresponds to the 80th percentile, then she is heavier than 80% of the other children of the same height. Generally, a child may need special attention when her length or height is below the 5th percentile or if the child's rate of growth is too slow for her age.

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