The position of the child’s weight, height, head circumference on the centile lines, and the growth curves for all these measurements, determines the child’s growth pattern. Therefore, more than one measurement of size (e.g. weight and height) is needed to establish the growth pattern.

Most normal healthy children have a weight, height and head circumference within the normal range and the growth curves for all these measurements are normal. Therefore, all measurements of size fall between the 97th and 3rd centiles and the growth curves have followed and not crossed more than one centile. This is the most common growth pattern.