Any one measurement, taken out of context, can give you the wrong impression of your child's growth. It's important to look at the BMI as a trend instead of focusing on individual numbers. Obese: BMI is at or above the 95th percentile for age, gender, and height.Overweight: BMI is at or above the 85th percentile but less than the 95th percentile for age, gender, and height.Healthy weight: BMI is equal to or greater than the 5th percentile and less than the 85th percentile for age, gender, and height.Underweight: BMI is below the 5th percentile age, gender, and height.The categories that describe a person's weight are: Your doctor can help you figure out whether this weight gain is a normal part of development or whether it's something to be concerned about. It's common for kids to gain weight quickly - and see their BMI go up - during puberty. And a kid with a small frame may have a normal BMI but still can have too much body fat.īMI is less accurate during puberty. Kids can have a high BMI if they have a large frame or a lot of muscle, not excess fat. For example, if a child has a BMI in the 60th percentile, 60% of the kids of the same gender and age who were measured had a lower BMI.īMI is not a direct measure of body fat. What Do the Figures Mean?īMI percentiles show how a child's measurements compare with others the same gender and age. Over several visits, the doctor is able to track your child's growth pattern.Īlthough not a perfect measure of body fat, BMI helps identify children who are gaining weight too slowly or too quickly. Because BMI changes with age, doctors plot children's BMI measurements on standard gender-specific growth charts. Starting when your child is 2 years old, the doctor will determine BMI at all routine checkups. But it's also important to talk to your child's doctor to help understand the results. You can use the KidsHealth BMI calculator below to find your child's BMI. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not use this website.Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that uses height and weight to estimate how much body fat someone has. Users should seek medical advice from a licensed physician and not rely solely on information they may gather from secondary sources such as the website, application or internetīy using this website you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by SHCamP. This website is not a substitute for the advice of a medical professional, and the information/suggestions/tips made available on or through the website should not be relied upon when making medical decisions, or to diagnose or treat a medical or health condition.

SHCamP does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice), which is provided in this website or incorporated into it by reference. No claim is made as to the accuracy or authenticity of the results provided by the health calculators. Heath calculators are intended to offer factual, up to date information on the subjects discussed, but in no way should it be regarded as a complete analysis of these subjects. Health Calculators provided in this webiste for information purposes only. If your child's weight stays in a healthy weight range through childhood and into adulthood, they will be less likely to develop weight-related health problems such as: Helping your child build healthy eating and activity habits has a big payoff. Participating in physical activity on most (preferably all) days of the week.

Eating healthy foods and beverages including water.

Have a lower risk of illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseaseĮncourage children and teens to practice healthy weight habits by:.

Getting regular exercise can also help your child: Having a healthy weight can make it easier for your child to be active. For kids to do this they need to learn to eat healthy foods and get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. In order to maintain a healthy weight, everyone - kids included - needs to balance the number of calories they take in with the energy they use every day. How Can I Keep My Child's BMI in a Healthy Weight Range?

Consistently consuming more energy (calories) than you burn will cause weight gain and burning more energy (calories) than you consume will cause weight reduction.

Preventing further weight gain is important and weight reduction is desirable.

BMI should be used as a measure to track weight status in populations and as a screening tool to identify potential weight problems in individuals.

Because BMI does not measure body fat directly, it should not be used as a diagnostic tool.

BMI is a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive surrogate measure of body fat.

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height.

Childrens bmi calculator