children s health issues
Physical Growth of Infants and Children
Length and Height
Length is measured in infants. Height is measured in children who can stand. Infants are placed on their back on a suitable device, such as a measuring table (called a supine stadiometer), and children who can stand are measured using a vertical or standing stadiometer. In general, length in full-term infants increases about 30% by age 5 months and more than 50% by age 12 months. Infants typically grow about 10 inches (25 centimeters) during the first year, and height at 5 years is about double the birth length. Most boys reach half their adult height by about age 2 years. Most girls reach half their adult height at about age 19 months. (See alsogrowth charts for children birth to 2 years oldfrom the WHO andgrowth charts for children and adolescents 2 to 20 years oldfrom the CDC.) 