Estimate how tall a child will be

Child's Future Height Calculator

Developed by Medindia Content Team | Calculator reviewed by The Medindia Medical Review Team Last Updated on Jan 01, 1900

Want to know how tall your child will be as they grow older? Use this calculator to find out your childs expected adult-height.

Most parents are eager to know how tall their child will grow to be. Taller stature has been linked in many cultures to increased social status. There are many formulas that can predict the future height of your child by taking into consideration the height of the mother and the father.

To a large extent the height of your child is genetically determined. It is estimated DNA sequence variants determine about 80 percent of an individuals height. The other 20 percent is influenced by environmental factors and also on the nutritional status of the mother during pregnancy.

However, prediction can never be always accurate. In an interview Professor Tim Frayling who was involved in a large study on this subject said, Its common knowledge that people born to tall parents are more likely to be tall themselves, nevertheless he added, But Im surprised how complex the picture is. This goes a long way to fulfilling scientific curiosity that could have real impact in the treatment of diseases that can be influenced by height, such as osteoporosis or cancer.

Most boys reach their full height potential by the age of 16 to 17 years and girls by 14 to 15 years. This age marks the end of puberty. After 19 years chances of gaining any height would be very unusual.

Use this calculator to estimate your child's future height potential but ensure that the child is happy, active and healthy to attain their full potential in life and this will also help the child to grow tall.

Interesting Top Ten Facts About Height

1. The rare condition that causes short stature called achondroplasia is due to defect in genetics and caused by mutation in the FGFR3 gene.
2. It is estimated that there are more than 700 gene variants that determine the height of an individual.
3. Growth of the long bones of lower limbs is primarily responsible for the spurt in height during puberty. At the end of puberty the hormones close the growth plates in the long bones.
4. It is believed that in adulthood a male child will be double the height he was at 24 months. A girl will grow to be double of the height she was at 18 months. This is only an approximate calculation and not an accurate prediction.
5. Another way to predict height is to take the average height of the parents and then, for boys add 2.5 inches or 6.5cm and for girls subtract 2.5 inches.
6. Nutritious food is an important determinant for the final height of a child. A child that is well-nourished and active is likely to be taller than a child on a poor diet.
7. Eggs are a good source of protein. Studies in developing countries have shown that children who are regularly fed with at least one egg a day are taller than children who do not get this daily nutrition.
8. In developing countries it has been estimated that poor nutrition and hygiene cause an estimated 145 million children under age five to have stunted growth.
9. There is no evidence that activities like hanging, climbing or swimming can increase height.
10. Non-genetic factors that determine growth and height of a child also include the mothers nutritional status during pregnancy and habits like smoking or use of hazardous substances.

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Child height predictor: How tall your child will be

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Child's age

Child's height *

Child's weight *

Mother's height *

Father's height *

Curious to find out how tall your child will be when they grow up? We can't see the future, but with a little math and science, we can make a pretty good guess about how tall they'll be when they're 18 – with a margin of error under 2 inches.

This calculator works for children age 2 and up. (Depending on your child's age, we'll use some or all of the information you entered in our calculations.) You may get inaccurate results for children who are exceptionally tall or are already taller than both their parents.

The Height Predictor is meant to be a fun tool, and doesn't guarantee your child will be this height when they grow up. If you're concerned about your child's growth, talk to their healthcare provider.

How to tell how tall your child will be

There are a few different methods of predicting how tall your child will be when they grow up. Our Child Height Predictor tool uses the Khamis-Roche method, which is based on a study conducted in the 1990s with about 400 participants.

The method takes a child's height, weight, and the average height of their parents, then uses ratios to determine how to calculate the child's predicted height at age 18. A previous method also used the child's skeletal age, which is how mature a child's bones are and requires an X-ray. But the Khamis-Roche researchers wanted to find a way parents could predict their child's height without having to get an X-ray taken.

If you want to test out other ways to predict your child's height at home, these are a couple methods you can try:

Two years times two

Children grow a ton in their first few years of life – in fact, their first growth spurt from baby to toddler accounts for about half of their adult height. One simple way to predict how tall your child will be when they grow up is to take their height at age 2 if they're a boy or 18 months if they're a girl and double it. (Girls grow a little faster than boys.)

This method has been around for a long time, but there isn't any scientific research about how accurate it is.

Mid-parental method

Another way to estimate your child's adult height is to add together the height of both parents and divide it by two.

Then, some methods say to add 5 inches if they're a boy and subtract 5 inches if they're a girl; others say to only add or subtract 2 ½ inches. There's a high margin of error with this method – it could be off by 4 inches.

Rebekah Wahlberg

Rebekah Wahlberg is an associate editor at BabyCenter, the world's number one digital parenting resource. She lives in Southern California with her silly dog Booger, where she enjoys hiking, yoga, and watching Netflix when she "should" be reading. Wahlberg is passionate about creating content that helps parents and parents-to-be equip themselves with everything they need to succeed.

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How to find out how tall a child will be when he grows up: calculator and growth rates

Health

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Photo Alto / Legion

pediatrician

In the first year of life, children literally grow by leaps and bounds hours and grow 25 centimeters by their first birthday. Growth hormone is produced in the endocrine gland, which is located in the brain. This happens when the baby is sleeping, which is why healthy and restful sleep is so important.

“From one to three years old, a child on average gains 10 centimeters a year,” says pediatrician Marina Fedyushina. - From three to six years, the growth rate decreases: the mark on the stadiometer increases by about 4-5 centimeters. Until the age of 10, there is a slight slowdown, and already from the age of 11 (for girls) and from 13 years (for boys) there is a sharp jump in growth rates. After 40 years, we begin to decrease a little. This is due to fluid loss from the intervertebral discs.”

Place of birth matters

Obviously, growth is due to heredity. It is the genes that determine whether your son will be teased by Gulliver, and your daughter by Thumbelina. Not so simple.

“In 2014, American scientists conducted a large-scale study on the influence of genes on human growth,” says Doctor of Biology Antonina Volkova . - The project was carried out by specialists from 300 institutes, and the number of participants reached 250 thousand people. The experiment proved that human growth is influenced by various gene variations, and there are about 300 hundreds of them. It is important what were your ancestors (not just parents), from whom you got a certain appearance.

The scientists also found out that the northerners are much taller than the inhabitants of the southern regions. For the first time, the German biologist Karl Bergman told the world about this, he said that a hot climate contributes to a slowdown in growth processes.

Photo

Photo Alto/Legion

Growth Formulas

Doctors have come up with a few simple formulas that can be used to predict where in the ranks your child will stand in physical education classes.

1. The most common formula

Boy height (cm) = (Mother's height + Father's height) * 0. 54 - 4.5 (cm)

Example: (165 + 183) * 0.54 - 4.5 (cm) = 183 .4 (cm)

Girl's height = (mother's height + father's height) * 0.51 - 7.5 (cm)

Example: (159 + 173) * 0.51 - 7.5 (cm) = 161.8 (cm)

2. Dr. John Hawker's formula

An employee of one of the largest private medical centers in the world, the Mayo Clinic, proposed the following calculations:

The boy's height is = (Father's height + Mother's height): 2 + 6.4

Example: (183 + 165): 2 + 6.4 (cm) = 180.4 (cm)

Girl's height = (Father's height + Mother's height): 2 - 6.4

Example: (173 + 159): 2 - 6.4 (cm) = 159.6 (cm)

Boy's height = (Father's height + Mother's height * 1.08): 2

Example: (183 + 165 * 1.08): 2 = 180.6 (cm)

Girl's height father * 0.923 + mother's height): 2