1. Make a mark along the bottom of the chart opposite the age of the child. Now draw an imaginary vertical line up from the mark.
2. Similarly, make a mark opposite the child’s weight along the left or right hand side of the chart. Now draw an imaginary horizontal line from that mark.
3. Make a dot at the point on the chart where the two imaginary lines meet. This is called plotting the weight. It will give the child’s weight for its age.

The same method is used to plot the infant’s height (or length) and head circumference on centile charts.

At the first visit it is helpful to fill in the calendar months along the bottom of the centile chart, starting with the month in which the child was born. This is done so that further growth is easily plotted.

Plotting a child’s weight on a centile chart