Child Percentile Charts

Many doctors and parents use growth charts to track a baby’s physical health and to ensure that he is growing and thriving. However, many doctors are still using outdated growth charts based on formula-fed babies. Even the 2000 Center for Disease Control (CDC) growth chart information includes formula-fed infants, creating a chart that does not accurately reflect the healthy growth of a breastfed baby. If you are breastfeeding your baby, the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts will give you a better indication of which percentile applies to your child.

Breastfed Baby Is Not Gaining

If you are tracking your breastfed baby’s growth on a chart based on formula-fed infants, your baby may seem to gain well at the beginning, then “fall off” the chart, or drop percentiles sometime after the third month. This can be alarming to mothers, who may wonder if their milk is “drying up”. They may hurry to wean, add formula supplement or to start solids early, none of which are recommended by the World Health Organization.