What Percentile Is Your Baby?
Check your baby weight and length against WHO/CDC growth charts. See percentile ranking by age and gender.
Understanding Growth Percentiles
Percentiles compare your baby to other babies of the same age and sex. 50th percentile means half of babies weigh more and half weigh less — this is average, not a goal. Any percentile from 5th to 95th is considered normal. What matters most is consistent growth along a curve, not the specific percentile. A baby consistently at the 25th percentile is healthy; a baby dropping from the 75th to the 25th needs evaluation.
When to Be Concerned
Red flags: crossing two or more percentile lines (e.g., dropping from 75th to 25th), weight below 3rd percentile or above 97th, or weight-for-length significantly mismatched (very heavy for length, or very thin). Your pediatrician tracks growth at every well-child visit and will flag any concerning patterns. Individual measurements are less important than the trend over time.
The WHO recommends using WHO growth charts for children 0-2 years (based on breastfed babies) and CDC charts for 2-20 years. Many US pediatricians still use CDC charts from birth, which can falsely flag breastfed babies as underweight after 4 months because the CDC charts were developed from a predominantly formula-fed population.
