What is height calculator?
A height calculator is a measure to predict future adult height of a child. It is also called a child height calculator because it is generally used for children as adults don’t really undergo any further changes in height.
When you combine this calculator with other calculators such as the
ideal weight calculator and
mid parental height calculator, you can then oversee the growth of your child with a better knowledge of where they should ideally be on the growth chart. There are various methods which can be used to devise a height calculator and each of those methods have varying levels of accuracy.
How to predict your child’s height?
There are various methods by which you can predict a child height. There is always a possibility that the height of a child will differ from the height predicted by a significant amount. Following are the methods to predict your child’s height:
1. The bone age method
In this method, the age of the bone is used to predict the future height of the child. Bone age is a measure which can be used to evaluate growth, maturity and diagnose various diseases and disorders. Greulich-Pyle method employs radiographs of the left wrist and hand for the measurement of bone age and then this method compares the radiographs with a complete atlas of data (radiographs) of different bone ages. Based on the bone age, doctors get a grasp of how long the growth period of the child will last for, at what age will that child start experiencing puberty, and what will be the child’s future height. This study is also used to measure any deficiencies in growth that may occur due to various factors which may be hormonal, orthopaedic, and genetic in nature. Bone age method is more accurate as it requires a X-ray to predict the future height of the child.
2. The Khamis-Roche method
This method is one of the most accurate methods for predicting the future adult height of the child without determining the skeleton age. This method usually considers the age, gender, child weight, child height with the heights of both parents. This method is most suitable for children that are aged between 4 to 9 years.
3. Using well established and comprehensive growth charts
Most countries have well established growth charts of their citizens with a comprehensive list of entries from different decades. These charts act as very valuable information centres for this method. They show the percentile curves which consider and demonstrate the various specifics of various children’s body parts. There can be various charts comparing the different growth rates of those body parts. We can take various measurements into account like the height of the child, their weight and even the circumference of their head. These values can then be entered into those growth charts and compared to the average values of those expected measurements among children with the same gender and age. Since the growth curve of most children are generally constant, these charts are considered to be a good enough way to predict the future height of a child.
Other Methods to Predict Child’s Height
The simpler and less accurate ways to predict the future adult height of your child are:
a. Average height method
The genetics of a child has a huge role in determining their future height. There are always some differences, but this method has a 95 percent chance of landing within 4 inches of the actual height your child lands up at. This method involves:
1. Take the height of both the father and the mother of the child.
2. Add them up and find the average (divide by 2).
3. Subtract 7.6 centimetres or 2.5 inches from the average you have obtained if the child is a girl and add the exact same amount to the average if the child is a boy.
b. Multiplier method
The multiplier method is a very easy way to determine the height of your child. Though no official research has been done to back this up, it has proven to be quite accurate.
1. Measure the height of your boy when he is 2 years old and your girl when she is 1.5 years old.
2. Multiply those heights by a factor of two.
Factors That contribute to Child's Height?
It is said that genes control more than 60 to 80 percent of your child’s height. However, the rest depends on various other factors like gender, nutrition, the surrounding environments, balanced diet, physical activities, emotional strain, and the weight of the child. Some of these factors have a bigger role on the height of your child than others. They are:
1. Heredity
Heredity is the most influential factor in determining your child’s height because it controls almost 60 to 80 percent of the height of your child. Heredity is very important for a child to determine the child’s height. However, how those genes can be altered to an extent by optimizing your surroundings and nutrition.
2. Nutrition
Make sure that your child has a healthy and balanced diet. This is because nutrition is required to maintain the healthy production of tissue and cells, both of which are required to maintain a steady growth of height. Malnutrition or an unbalanced diet can cause stunted growth in a child, which is why it is utmost importance to keep their diet regulated for better child development.
3. Sex
Boys tend to be slightly taller than girls given similar initial circumstances. Their growth curves differ from each other as girls mature much faster during adolescence while boys generally mature after adolescence. These physical differences accounts for height differences in boys and girls.
4. Physical activities
The amount of physical activities that a boy or girl partakes in also contributes to their growth. Children who are more physically active have a slightly better growth rate than others who are not, given the same initial circumstances. Physical activity keeps your child healthy and fit and help them to grow steadily.
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