What is Percentile (Growth Curve)?

One of the most curious issues of mothers while raising their children is whether their children have grown enough. When it comes to tracking growth, the percentile, that is, the growth curve, comes into play.

Our aim in this article is to explain the percentile issue to you and all mothers like you in the simplest way possible!

Let’s see what is this percentile, how is the percentile table followed and why is it so important?

What is percentile?

With the birth of your baby, the word percentile means growth curve in its simplest terms. The growth curve shows the physical values ​​that your child should have over the years.

In other words, with the birth of your baby, you can understand whether the physical development of your baby is progressing in a healthy way, according to his age and gender, by following the percentile curve types. In this way, you can diagnose early whether your child has a developmental problem or disease. You will see this percentile curve in the tables based on Turkey’s average.

So what are these physical development values? The percentile table includes baby height, weight and head circumference values. Because these 3 features are among the most important elements of health criteria in infant development.

Parents are generally more curious about height and weight percentile values. However, especially in infancy, the percentile values ​​of head circumference are much more important. It is important to follow the percentile most frequently once a month, and at the latest once every 3 months.

How to read percentile table?

You will see various numbers in the baby percentile chart. Let’s explain how the percentile curve is evaluated.

– 0-10 percentile is the lowest value range. It means that the baby/child is far behind in development compared to other babies/children of the same age and gender. A pediatrician must be consulted for the diagnosis and treatment of growth retardation.

– 10-25 percentile is the low percentile value. It should be evaluated and followed up with the pediatrician.

– 25-75th percentile is the normal value. The development of the baby is considered normal compared to other babies of the same age and gender. With balanced and correct nutrition, percentile values ​​should be calculated and followed at 3-month intervals.

– 75-90th percentile is high value. More weight than it should mean, taller stature, larger head circumference. A more balanced nutrition program and a doctor’s examination should ensure that the normal range of values ​​is reached.

– 90-100 percentile is the highest value. In this case, the child’s development is much higher than normal. There may be problems such as obesity and gigantism. It should definitely be checked with a pediatrician.

When examining the development of the child, the 50th percentile, that is, the average value, is usually taken as a basis. Each month, age range and gender also have a unique percentile average. For this reason, percentile boys and girls tables have to be separated from each other.

How is the percentile calculated?

Let’s take an example for better understanding. In fact, percentile is the evaluation and comparison of children of the same age and gender in terms of weight, height and head circumference!

For example, let’s compare the heights of 50 boys going to the first grade in a school. Here, the shortest child constitutes the 3-10% percentile, and the tallest child constitutes the 90-97% percentile. If the child is at the 10% percentile for age, this means that he is taller than 10 and shorter than 90 of the children in his class.

In this case, if the child’s height, weight or head circumference is below the 10% mark in the percentile table, it is absolutely necessary to consult his doctor. The cause of this problem may be nutritional deficiency, which usually affects physical development and causes growth retardation, or a genetic problem!

How to track percentile? What should be the percentile value?

With the birth of your baby, you will already be constantly tracking your height and weight. However, the important thing here is to know the correct values ​​and that all values ​​support each other. For example, the child is 5 years old, his height is in the 50th percentile, and he is in normal condition. Under these conditions, his weight is expected to be around the 50th percentile. Weight in the 10th percentile when height is in the 50th percentile indicates a problem.

You can track the percentile yourself through the tables below. However, you should also keep track of your child’s height and weight to get accurate data. You can get free measurements at the pharmacy or family health center every month. In addition, it will be useful to do this follow-up until the child reaches school age.

Girl child percentile chart

Below you can see the girls’ percentile charts up to the age of 3 by month. You can check your child’s height, weight and head circumference percentile values ​​from these tables.

Girl height percentile chart (cm)

| Is | 10p | 50p | 97p | | ——– | ——– | ——– | ——– | | 1 is | 51.7 | 53.7 | 57.4 | | 2 is | 55.0 | 57.1 | 60.9 | | 3 is | 57.6 | 59.8 | 63.8 | | 4 is | 59.8| 62.1 | 66.2 | | 5 is | 61.7 | 64.0 | 68.2 | | 6 is | 63.4 | 65.7 | 70.0 | | 7 is | 64.9 | 67.3 | 71.6 | | 8 is | 66.3 | 67.7 | 73.2 | | 9 is | 67.6 | 70.1 | 74.7 | | 10 is | 68.9 | 71.5 | 76.1 | | 11 is | 70.2 | 72.8 | 77.5 | | 12 is | 71.3 | 74.0 | 78.9 | | 18 is | 77.7 | 80.7 | 86.2 | | 24 is | 83.1 | 86.4 | 92.5 | | 30 is | 87.0 | 90.7 | 97.3 | | 36 is | 90.5 | 94.4 | 101.4 |

Girl child weight percentile chart (kg)

Oh	10p	50p	97p
1 is	3.6	4.2	5.4
2 is	4.5	5.1	6.5
3 is	5.1	5.8	7.4
4 is	5.6	6.4	8.1
5 is	6.1	6.9	8.4
6 is	6.4	7.3	9.2
7 is	6.7	7.6	9.6
8 is	7.0	7.9	10.0
9 is	7.3	8.2	10.4
10 is	7.5	8.5	10.7
11 is	7.7	8.7	11.0
12 is	7.9	8.9	11.3
18 is	9.0	10.2	13.0
24 is	10.1	11.5	14.6
30 is	11.2	12.7	16.2
36 is	12.0	13.7	17.6

Girl child head circumference percentile table (cm)

Oh	10p	50p	97p
1 is	35.3	36.5	38.8
2 is	37.0	38.3	40.5
3 is	38.2	39.5	41.9
4 is	39.3	40.6	43.0
5 is	40.1	41.5	43.9
6 is	40.8	42.2	44.6
7 is	41.5	42.8	45.3
8 is	42.0	43.4	45.9
9 is	42.4	43.8	46.3
10 is	42.8	44.2	46.8
11 is	43.2	44.6	47.1
12 is	43.5	44.9	47.5
18 is	44.8	46.2	48.8
24 is	45.7	47.2	49.8
30 is	46.5	47.9	50.6
36 is	47.0	48.5	51.2

Boy percentile chart

Below you can see the male percentile chart for up to 3 years of age by month. In this table, you can examine whether your child’s height, weight and head circumference percentile values ​​are appropriate for his age. If your values ​​are below the 10% percentile or above the 97% for your age, you can consult a pediatrician for more information on progress. 

Boy height percentile chart

| Is | 10p | 50p | 97p | | ——– | ——– | ——– | | 1 is | 50.2| 54.7|58.4| | 2 is | 56.4| 58.4| 62.2| | 3 is | 59.3 |61.4| 65.3| | 4 is | 61.7 | 63.9| 67.8| | 5 is | 63.7| 65.9| 69.9| | 6 is | 65.4| 67.6| 71.6| | 7 is | 66.9| 69.2| 73.2| | 8 is | 68.3| 70.6| 74.7| | 9 is | 69.6 | 72.0 | 76.2| | 10 is | 70.9| 73.3| 77.6| | 11 is | 72.1| 74.5| 78.9| | 12 is | 73.3| 75.7| 80.2| | 18 is | 79.5| 82.3| 87.3| | 24 is | 84.6| 87.8| 93.6| | 30 is | 88.4| 91.9| 98.3 | | 36 is | 91.6 | 95.4 | 102.3 |

 

Boy weight percentile chart

Oh	10p	50p	97p
1 is	3.9	4.5	5.7
2 is	4.9	5.6	7.0
3 is	5.6	6.4	7.9
4 is	6.2	7.0	8.6
5 is	6.7	7.5	9.2
6 is	7.1	7.9	9.7
7 is	7.4	8.3	10.2
8 is	7.7	8.6	10.5
9 is	7.9	8.9	10.9
10 is	8.2	9.2	11.2
11 is	8.4	9.4	11.5
12 is	8.6	9.6	11.8
18 is	9.7	10.9	13.5
24 is	10.8	12.2	15.1
30 is	11.8	13.3	16.6
36 is	12.5	14.2	17.8

Boy head circumference percentile table (cm)

Oh	10p	50p	97p
1 is	36.1	37.3	39.5
2 is	37.9	39.1	41.3
3 is	39.3	40.5	42.7
4 is	40.4	41.6	43.9
5 is	41.3	42.6	44.8
6 is	42.1	43.3	45.6
7 is	42.7	44.0	46.3
8 is	43.2	44.5	46.9
9 is	43.7	45.0	47.4
10 is	44.1	45.4	47.8
11 is	44.4	45.8	48.2
12 is	44.7	46.1	48.5
18 is	46.0	48.3	49.9
24 is	46.8	47.2	50.8
30 is	47.5	48.9	51.6
36 is	48.0	49.5	52.8