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Understanding Your Child's Development and Growth: Age-by-Age Milestones
As your child progresses through various growth stages, they might encounter common physical or emotional challenges. Our team of pediatric experts at CHOC has developed guides by age and stage to help you understand what your little one is going through and recognize any issues along the way.
Understanding Your Child's Growth and Development
Growth and development encompass not only the physical changes from infancy to adolescence but also emotional, personality, behavioral, cognitive, and language advancements as children learn about their surroundings. Milestones like taking a first step or smiling for the first time are developmental milestones that your child will reach over time.
Developmental Milestones
Children develop skills in various areas such as playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving. All kids grow at their own pace, but these milestones offer you an idea of what changes to expect as your child grows.
Measuring Physical Child Development: Growth Charts
Growth is unique for every child; there's a wide range of healthy shapes and sizes among children due to genetics, ger, nutrition, physical activity, health conditions, environment, and hormones. Your child’s doctor considers growth charts along with their overall well-being, environment, genetic background, and factors like premature birth or early puberty.
In addition to checking weight and height percentiles on a chart, the doctor may also look at:
Whether your child is meeting other developmental milestones
Any signs that suggest they might not be healthy
The height and weight of their parents and siblings
Birth circumstances if born prematurely
Understanding Different Growth Charts
Growth charts are used for different age groups. One set applies to babies aged 0 to 36 months, while another is used for kids and teens ages 2–20 years old. Special charts can also be used for children with conditions like Down syndrome or those who were born prematurely.
Identifying Potential Growth Issues
Monitoring growth charts may help spot potential issues related to your child's growth pattern. Some patterns worth noting include:
If a child's weight or height percentile deviates from their usual growth path, such as when height and weight have been on the 60th percentile line until age 5 but then drop to the 30th percentile at age 6.
If there is an abnormally low or high Body Mass Index BMI.
It's important to that growth charts don't provide a complete picture of your child’s development and overall health. If you have any concerns about your child's growth, be sure to discuss them with their pediatrician.
Reviewed by Dr. Mary Choi, Seaview Pediatrics, CHOC Primary Care - June 2021
We prioritize the well-being of children at every stage. Visit our primary care locations for pediatric services near you.
What You Can Expect
CHOC's Age-by-Age Development Guides:
Newborn
Ages 1 to 3 Months
4 to 6 Months
7 to 9 Months
10 to 12 Months
Age 1 Year
Age 2 Years
Age 3 Years
4 to 5 Years Preschool
Ages 6 to 12 Years School Age
Ages 13 to 18 Years Adolescence
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Child Development Milestones by Age Understanding Your Childs Growth Chart Pediatric Expert Tips on Development Measuring Physical Child Progress Recognizing Potential Growth Issues Age Specific Health Monitoring Guidance