Age-by-Age Guide to Your Kid's Height and Weight Growth

Curious about your kid's growth? Follow our age-by-age growth guide to learn about how kids grow over the baby, toddler, and preschool years.

Medically reviewed by Teja Dyamenahalli, MD, MPH, FAAP

Have you ever wondered how many inches kids grow in a year? It can be bewildering to watch your child grow out of their clothes seemingly overnight, only to stay at one size for a while before hitting another growth spurt. That's where growth charts come in.

Growth charts like the ones from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are important tools that health care providers use to track your child's growth and compare their growth to other kids of their age and sex. But for the average parent, they can be a little confusing to decipher.

To make it easier to interpret what these growth charts mean for your child's growth, we had experts break down the information you really want to know about how your child's height and weight stack up against their peers by age. Keep reading to learn more about kids' average height and weight growth from birth to age 5.

Related: What to Know About Infant Growth Charts

Infant Height and Weight Growth

The first 12 months of a baby's life are filled with marvel and wonder—and for many babies, that can mean lots of growth spurts. Still, it's always wise to remember that not all babies will grow at the same pace, and while growth charts are indeed helpful, they only show averages and your baby's place on the chart isn't a reflection of their overall health in and of itself. Talk to a health care provider if you have questions or concerns about your child's growth rate.

Birth to 4 days old

The average newborn is 19.5 inches long and weighs 7.25 pounds. Males have a head circumference of about 13.5 inches, and females measure 13.3 inches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Babies often drop 5 to 10% of their total body weight in their first few days of life because of the fluid they lose through urine and stool, says Ari Brown, M.D., author of Baby 411.

5 days to 3 months

Babies gain about an ounce a day (or half a pound per week) on average during this period, and most babies are back to their birth weight by their 2-week well-baby visit. Expect a growth surge around 3 weeks and then another one at 6 weeks.

3 months to 6 months

On average, babies gain about half a pound every two weeks between 3 and 6 months. By 6 months, the average baby will have doubled their birth weight. But remember, these are just averages, and some babies will grow faster or slower and still be a picture of health.

Related: When Do Babies Have Growth Spurts?

7 months to 12 months

At 7 months, most babies are still gaining about a pound a month. If you're nursing, however, your baby may not gain quite this much.

"At this point, babies may also burn more calories because they're starting to crawl or cruise," says Tanya Altmann, M.D., a Los Angeles pediatrician and author of Mommy Calls. Even so, by the time your baby reaches their first birthday, expect them to have grown about 10 inches in length and tripled their birthweight and their head circumference to have grown by about 4 inches.

Toddler Height and Weight Growth

Your child has outgrown their infancy—and all of their clothes! Toddlerhood will surely usher in some of the sweetest milestones, like first steps and words. But while you're watching for all those firsts, you might also be wondering where your child falls on the growth chart. Here is what you can expect at the growth chart's 1- and 2-year marks.

1 year

Once a baby hits the one-year mark, their growth typically slows. On average, 1-year-olds gain about half a pound a month and grow a total of about 4 or 5 inches in height before their second birthday.

2 years

Most toddlers will sprout about 3 more inches by the end of their third year and many will have quadrupled their birth weight by gaining about 4 more pounds. By now, your pediatrician will be able to make a fairly accurate prediction about your child's adult height, noting that a child's growth patterns often mirror or follow their parents' patterns of growth.

Related: All About Toddler Growth Spurts

Preschooler Height and Weight Growth

You wake up one day, look at your sweet little child, and wonder why they suddenly look different—maybe older? Bigger? Taller? The preschool years are typically an action-packed time of growth for kids with lots more changes to come. Here is what the growth charts say about kids ages 3 and 4.

3 to 4 years

A preschooler will grow about 3 inches and gain 4 pounds each year.

You may also find that your child starts to shed the baby fat from their face and look lankier since kids' limbs grow more by the time they are preschoolers, says Daniel Rauch, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Kids Height and Weight Growth

Your child has finally reached Big Kid status at age 5 and is likely starting to look the part as their face loses the last of those sweet toddler features. You might also notice that growth is more steady with fewer spurts.

Starting at 5 years old, kids will begin to grow about 2 inches and gain 4 pounds each year until puberty (usually between 8 and 13 for females and 10 and 14 for males). Females often reach their full height about two years after their first period. Usually, males hit their adult height around age 17.

Here is the average height and weight for 5-year-olds.

Key Takeaways

From birth through puberty, most children will steadily gain weight and grow in stature while also experiencing periodic growth spurts. Every child will start at a different place on the CDC growth chart (babies come in all sizes, after all!), but most kids' growth will follow that approximate growth curve throughout their childhood. Talk to a health care provider if you have questions or concerns about your child's growth and learn about ways to support your child's growing body and brain.

For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Parents.