How to Use the Growth Indicators to Monitor Growth in Children in India?

Growth Indicators to Track Growth in Children

Hello parents! I hope you all are doing good. In today’s post, I will be writing about the ‘Growth Indicators in Children in India.’ And how to use these growth indicators to determine your child’s growth.

Have you ever faced a situation when someone close in your family pointed out that you are not feeding your child well? Because according to them, your seemingly happy & healthy child looks so weak.

Or, has it ever happened when a random someone declared that your child is too skinny or too short for his age? And then blurted out that unsolicited advice that should help your child gain weight or height.

I have been through this phase. And I know how it feels when someone judges you or your child. I made several visits to the pediatrician just to cancel out these doubts even though I knew those claims were baseless.

If you, too, get easily stressed out in such situations. Or, you start doubting yourself that you are not doing good enough for your child’s proper growth & development. Then this post is for you.

I am thankful to my son’s pediatrician for suggesting use a growth chart to track our son’s growth. My child’s regular growth monitoring made me sure that there’s nothing to worry about his weight & height.

Are you always worried if your child is growing right or not? If yes, then you should know about the growth indicators in children in India.

PIN IT!

Thus, I feel it is important for every parent to know about the growth indicators, cognitive milestones, and developmental red flags; because this can save you from unnecessary stress. If there’s any deviation in growth (sharp incline or decline in growth line), you can intervene & take timely action. And once you know that your child is growing right, what others say won’t bother you anymore.

I have already talked about the ways to ensure that your child is growing right. Now, let’s talk about the growth indicators in children.

How to Use Growth Indicators to Monitor Growth in Children in India?

I started monitoring my son’s growth myself using the growth charts after he turned a year old. Keeping track of his growth at home not just helped to recognize that he’s growing well but in understanding his health & nutritional status.

Are you always worried if your child is growing right or not? If yes, then you should know about the growth indicators in children in India.

Nemit’s Growth Chart

It is recommended to measure height & weight monthly during the first year, every 2 months during the 2nd year, and every 3 months thereafter, up to the age of 5-6 years.ยน

I know that even if my boy is skinny, it’s not a matter of worry as his weight is in the expected range.

The following indicators are the three main growth indicators in children in India and are to be plotted on a line graph as x-axis & y-axis, as you can see in Nemit’s chart. The curved lines called percentile on the graph are used as the reference lines. In India, we use the new WHO Child Growth Standards (2006) for children.

1 – Weight for age

Low weight for age would mean that the child is not gaining the optimum weight as per his/her age. Similarly, overweight for age can point towards obesity, a common lifestyle problem in kids of this generation. Regular tracking & monitoring of weight can help the parents in determining the nutritional status of their child.

If your child is a fussy eater, their eating habits may lead to nutritional deficiency or growth deviation. I have shared 4 tips to develop good eating habits in kids.

2- Height for age

Like weight, measuring & monitoring height vs. age can help determine any underlying health condition that may be causing the delay in growth. Nutrition is an important factor influencing a child’s growth and health.

3- Proportional growth

This indicator reflects the body weight in proportion to attained height. This can help identify low weight for height (undernourished) and high weight for height (overweight) issues in children. Both of which are concerning situations for young children.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit)

Understanding the growth indicators in children is #FirstStepToGrowRight. Online tools nowadays are quite easy to understand and use. I found this to be true with PediaSure’s tracker. You can try it too. All you have to do is input your child’s details in the Grow Right tracker and find out for yourself how they’re doing. Now that I’ve begun using it, tracking has never been simpler. If I have any concerns, I can always download the report and show it to the doctor and clarify my doubts. You need not worry or get confused about growth charts when you have such a simple online tool. My biggest learning has been how tracking children’s growth gives so much insight on the further steps you can take for their development!


  1. https://www.indianpediatrics.net/mar2007/mar-187-197.htm

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any brand. Any omissions or errors at the author’s end does not assume any liability or responsibility on any party mentioned in the blog.

Spread the love

26 Comments

  1. blank
    Jhilmil Bhansali March 24, 2021 at 10:03 am - Reply

    Tracking the growth indicators, i.e. height, weight is important for children, more so till 6 years. We too use Pediasure growth tracker.

  2. blank
    Cindy Dsilva March 24, 2021 at 8:08 pm - Reply

    Yes this grow right tracker is great to track the growth and development of the children in India, especially the fussy ones.

  3. blank
    Kapila Rattan Bhowmik March 25, 2021 at 4:36 pm - Reply

    As a parent I used to get really annoyed by the jugdments however now I do not pay any heed to these comments.. I am tracking my girl’s growth through the growth tracker by Pediasure too.

  4. blank
    Preeti Chauhan March 25, 2021 at 8:53 pm - Reply

    The growth chart is such a great aid to statistically keep a track of the growth of your child. I think you have explained it quite well and many parents would find it quite helpful.

  5. blank
    Surbhi Prapanna March 26, 2021 at 4:01 am - Reply

    pediasure’s grow right tracker sounds really interesting to me, dear. indeed it is an easy way to track our little one’s growth as per their age and height. thank you so much Neha for sharing your experience. will explore it from my side too.

  6. blank
    Harjeet Kaur March 27, 2021 at 11:33 am - Reply

    Nemit has grown so much ๐Ÿ™‚ Seems like you are using the Growth tracker and keeping tabs on his height and weight. Am sure Nemit is reaching his milestones under your care and nutrition.

  7. blank
    Neha March 27, 2021 at 6:18 pm - Reply

    I remember going to doctor and asking anxiously if my child was well as she was very thin. The doctor had explained to me about the growth chart and how I should keep track of that than what people perceive.

  8. blank
    Judy March 27, 2021 at 6:24 pm - Reply

    I agree worrying about child growth without knowing or checking the growth parameters is mere wastage of time. ThankGod I got to know about this easy to use growth tacker.

  9. blank
    Alpana Deo March 27, 2021 at 10:24 pm - Reply

    Pediatrician usually keep a track of kid’s growth but having a growth tracker at home is a good idea. I am hearing a lot about PediaSure Growth Tracker.

  10. blank
    Varsh March 27, 2021 at 11:00 pm - Reply

    This growth tracker is such a big help in understanding the right growth of kids. I trust Pediasure too. My kids love it’s taste and I’m relieved that they’re getting balanced nutrition.

  11. blank
    Ruchi Verma March 27, 2021 at 11:22 pm - Reply

    Pediasure is really helping us also to track Viraj’s growth and I am happy that we have chosen this. This is the right choice and way to keep a track of kids’ growth cycle.

  12. blank
    Seema Bardeskar March 28, 2021 at 1:21 am - Reply

    The growth right tracker is so helpful when it comes to tracking and keeping records of our kids. Pediasure definitely helps in daily nutritional requirements.

  13. blank
    MeenalSonal Mathur March 28, 2021 at 9:09 am - Reply

    It is very important to parents to understand that each child is unique and growth patterns too and for that they need growth tracker. The tracker mentioned in the post looks easy to understand and Pediasure has surely best supplements that fill the gap of the nutrition.

  14. blank
    Rakhi Parsai March 28, 2021 at 9:35 am - Reply

    It really is helpful to keep a track of child proper growth using these growth inidcators. I was quite worried about my elder ones growth when she was young. Now she has come on track.

  15. blank
    Neha Jain March 28, 2021 at 10:47 am - Reply

    Kids growth is really important for all parents and tracking their growth would be really helpful. Thanks to pediasure growth tracker it’s really helpful for everyone

  16. blank
    Hansa Kajaria March 28, 2021 at 10:59 am - Reply

    I too use the grow right tracker to keep a tab on my kids growth and development and pediasure is an additional boost in their diet.

  17. blank
    Gunjan Upadhyay March 28, 2021 at 12:00 pm - Reply

    we too have the similar tracker shared by Tuggu/s paediatrician after his birth, it so important we understand that if the child is within range its good and not the society’s norm or fat or thin. Absolutely loving thee grow right tracker too

  18. blank
    The Champa Tree March 28, 2021 at 12:42 pm - Reply

    These days mothers are given half baked ideas about their child’s growth. A tracker is much needed to ensure their growth is in the right pace.

  19. blank
    Surbhi March 31, 2021 at 9:20 am - Reply

    I absolutely agree with you that it’s just not weight, height is also an important parameter when it comes to measuring growth in children.

  20. blank
    Dr. Rahat Sayyad March 31, 2021 at 12:05 pm - Reply

    it is essential for parents to understand their child’s growth patterns and a growth chart interpretation gives good insights into it.

  21. blank
    Judy March 31, 2021 at 1:42 pm - Reply

    Thanks for this informative article. I am giving my son Pediasure and also tracking his growth with growth tracker.

  22. blank
    Kavita Singh March 31, 2021 at 10:38 pm - Reply

    I love how you have explained the growth chart. I too started using this for my five-year-old and finally understood the right parameters. It busted some myths that I had around kid’s growth and develoment.

  23. blank
    Parul Malhotra April 1, 2021 at 5:29 pm - Reply

    Growth chart gives you an understanding of the nutritional requirement of your child and the liberty to design his/her diet accordingly. I too have been using the same for months now.

  24. blank
    LifeCoachPreet April 3, 2021 at 11:06 pm - Reply

    I am glad I no longer pay heed to what the world around me says. The right kind of nutrition and adequate physical activities is all that a child needs to grow right. I am glad that i too got to know arout growth tracker right in time.

  25. blank
    Sindhu Vinod Narayan April 5, 2021 at 1:07 am - Reply

    Physical appearance always does not guarantee that the child is growing properly. The tracker is helping us monitor growth and plan meals accordingly

  26. blank
    Sayeri April 13, 2021 at 11:22 am - Reply

    My doctor always suggests me to raise a happy and active kid because that is really important. And for nutrition and other growth related factors, you can trust pediasure

Leave A Comment