Understanding Growth in Children
What is it? Growth is one of the best indicators of your child’s overall health. At each check-up, your provider measures your child’s height, weight, and sometimes head size, then plots them on a growth chart.
These charts use percentiles to compare your child’s measurements with other children the same age and sex. For example, the 50th percentile means your child is right in the middle of the curve. What matters most isn’t the exact number, but whether your child is following their own steady growth pattern over time.
Common Types
- Normal Growth: Most kids grow along their own curve — some faster, some slower. That’s normal!
- Slower Growth: Sometimes children don’t gain weight or height as expected. This can be due to picky eating, feeding struggles, or (less commonly) a medical reason.
- Faster Growth: Some kids move up percentiles quickly. Often this is just part of their body’s pattern, but sometimes it can raise health concerns.
- Shorter or Taller Than Expected: Many times this runs in families. If your child’s height seems far off from what runs in your family, your doctor may look more closely.
When to Manage at Home
✅ You can manage your child's growth at home when:
- Your child is tracking steadily along their curve
- They have no new symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, fatigue, feeding struggles, etc.)
- Their pediatrician hasn’t raised concerns
How to Treat at Home
🏠 Supporting Healthy Growth at Home:
- Encourage balanced meals with fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains
- Limit sugary drinks and snacks
- Keep routines consistent (regular meals, sleep, activity)
- Stay active as a family—play, walk, dance, or bike together
When to Contact Poppins
📱 Contact us again when:
- A sudden drop or increase in growth percentile
- Ongoing feeding struggles, poor appetite, or frequent vomiting/diarrhea
- Concerns about rapid weight gain or loss
- Questions about growth chart results
When to Visit Your Pediatrician
🩺 Go to an in-person appointment when:
- Your child isn’t gaining weight or growing as expected, even with healthy eating and routines
- Your child’s weight is much higher than expected for their age (doctors may call this BMI above the 95th percentile)
- Your child’s height is much shorter than expected for their age, or very different from family patterns
- You notice other changes like tiredness, delayed puberty, or frequent illness
When to Go to the ER
🚨 Seek immediate emergency care if your child is:
- Ongoing vomiting and your child can’t keep fluids down
- Signs of severe dehydration (very little urine, dry mouth, or sunken eyes)
- Trouble breathing, extreme sleepiness, or another concerning symptom
Every child grows at their own pace. Growth charts are just one tool to make sure your child is healthy and thriving. If your gut tells you something is wrong, don't hesitate to reach out. Need help? Reconnect with our on-demand team of medical staff available 24/7.
