Growth Charts for Twins

18 April 2012

Most doctors (and websites) in the US use the CDC growth charts but the new recommendation from the CDC is that the World Health Organization charts be used for babies under 2 years as it is more representative of the actual growth profile of babies around the world. This is more useful for twins who usually start off being smaller and hence lower than their singleton counterparts on growth charts.
Eric Carle Growth Chart
(Click to buy)
If I had used the CDC chart for my twins, one would have been 15th percentile and the second would have been in the 5th percentile range (causing me sleepless nights and making me smother their food with butter and avocado). Using the WHO growth charts however, I can see that they are actually 40th and 25th percentile respectively.

I'm glad to see that the WHO chart is more representative as it considers the growth profile of children from a range of different countries and backgrounds (Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman, and the U.S) while the CDC charts are limited to studies of formula-fed, American babies.



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