Using the WHO Growth Standard Charts

WHO Length-for-Age Chart Compared to the CDC Length-for-Age Chart

• In general, the WHO and the CDC length-for-age growth charts are somewhat similar.

WHO Weight-for-Age Chart Compared to the CDC Weight-for-Age Chart

• The WHO weight-for-age charts show a pattern of slower weight gain after about 3 months of age since they are based on the weights of breastfed infants.
• When changing from the WHO-weight-for-age chart to the CDC weight-for-age chart at 2 years of age, the weight-for-age percentiles may change downward to a lower percentile.

For example, a weight of 26 ¾ pounds for a 24-month old boy is at about the 50th percentile on the WHO weight-for-age chart. The same weight on the CDC weight-for-age chart is between the 25th and the 50th percentile. Both percentile classifications are within the healthy range.

8 of 10 in section 5