CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN WHY WE NEED GROWTH CHARTS FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN? It is not unusual for me to have a patient nervous that their child was above or below “normal” weight and height for there age. Usually we are talking about infants. I’m guessing that none of us need a chart to look at a 100 lb 7 yr old and determine that the child is not where they are supposed to be. The growth charts were originally designed to identify infants experiencing malnutrition. Of course, the “mal” part of this is different now–back then it meant too little calories or protein. Now, since “mal” means bad, the larger chunk of our infants and children are exposed to “mal” nutrition. The bottom line is that who cares how much your baby weighs if they are conscientiously breastfed at least for 6 months and then slow introduced to high quality, nutrient dense foods? That baby will grow at the rate that baby is supposed to grow, and the baby could really care less about whether or not they are on some chart somewhere. My son Keegan, who is almost 5, has never been placed on a chart somewhere to determine just how he matches up. I could care less. What I DO care about is the food that goes into his body, the chemicals he is exposed to and the amount of playtime he gets. I leave the growth chart up to Mother Nature… Read More…