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Use and Choice of Growth Charts

The growth of all term infants, both breastfed and non-breastfed, and pre-schoolers should be evaluated and plotted using the 2014 WHO Canadian Growth Charts based on the WHO Child Growth Standards (birth to 5 years).

  • For birth to 2 years, evaluation includes measurement of recumbent length, weight-for-length assessments, and head circumference.
  • For ages > 2 years, use standing height, weight, and calculation of BMI.

WHO Growth Charts Adapted for Canada with BMI tables and BMI Calculator.

BMI calculators

BMI calculator | BMI Table: Metric | BMI Table: Imperial

There are 2 sets:

  • Set 1 uses the percentiles that represent whole standard deviations away from the growth chart median and include the percentile cut-points that the WHO recommends using, that is for infants: the 3rd, 97th and the 85th.
  • Set 2 uses the percentiles that the US Center for Disease Control uses, which health professionals may be used to seeing, as Canada used their charts prior to 2010. They include the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th, and do not include the 85th.

The RBR website uses Set 1:

WHO Canadian Growth Charts

Boys:
birth to 24 months
  - length for age - weight-for-age
  - head circumference - weight for length

2 to 19 years
   - height for age - weight for age
   - body mass index (BMI)-for-age

Girls:
birth to 24 months
- length for age - weight-for-age
- head circumference - weight for length

2 to 19 years
- height for age - weight for age
- body mass index (BMI)-for-age