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Is your child a healthy weight?

Although growth charts can be useful, Body Mass Index (BMI) calculators are better for determining if your child is a healthy weight. Using a formula, you can calculate your child’s BMI

Assessing your child’s BMI

First calculate your child’s BMI using the BMI calculator. Look for that number along the left side of the boys’ or girls' chart, then find your child’s age along the bottom. Draw your finger along the lines from these two points. Where the lines intersect in the chart is your child’s weight category.

BMI calculator

BMI and what it means

This is a way of using height and weight measurements to estimate how much body fat a person has. After calculating your BMI on the BMI calculator, the resulting number can be plotted on the standard BMI chart below.
Most children fall into the healthy weight category, which takes in a wide range of height and weight measurements. But BMI charts also can help doctors identify children who are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. If spotted early, doctors and parents can work together to prevent a child from becoming overweight by helping the child make changes in exercise and eating habits.
The number of overweight children is increasing, so it is useful to calculate and plot BMI on a regular basis. As with height and weight percentiles, this allows you and your GP to track the child’s BMI over time.