Centile charts – What do they mean?
When your little one is born, a steady weight gain is one of the signs that your baby is healthy and feeding well.
Shortly before you give birth or in hospital if your baby arrives early, you will receive your little ones ‘red book’ or personal child health record. You will need to keep this book safe and take it with you every time you visit your midwife, GP or a baby clinic.
They will use this book to record all your child’s weight and height measurements and other important information like vaccinations. It also features pages dedicated to milestones and development, so you may want to use the red book as a record of all things related to your baby.
One feature of the red book is the percentile charts. These charts show the pattern of growth healthy children usually follow. You’ll notice that boy and girls have different charts because boys tend to be heavier and taller.
Percentile is a chart of 1 to 100. For example, if you're told your baby's weight is on the 75th percentile, it means that out of a 100-hypothetical people, your baby's weight would be 75th largest out of 100.
Babies growth is most rapid in the first 6-9 months and then this slows down as they become toddlers and move active.
Illness can play a huge part in a babies weight and it may slow down when they are feeling under the weather however it should return to normal within a few weeks once they have recovered.
If you ever have concerns about your child’s weight and charts then be sure to speak to your midwife, health visitor or GP.
