A useful height record starts with a measurement you can describe and repeat. Choose a calm moment, prepare the space, and write down the result before you forget it. You do not need to turn the occasion into a test or make the number a target for your child.
The standing-height steps below summarize guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a child cannot stand as described, ask their healthcare team how to obtain an appropriate measurement.
Prepare the space
You will need a flat wall without base molding, a hard floor, a rigid book or ruler, something to make a light mark, and a metal tape measure. Have your recording method ready too. Check which scale on the tape shows centimeters and which shows inches before you begin.
Take the measurement
- Remove shoes, bulky clothes, headwear, and hair accessories that interfere with the measurement.
- Have the child stand with feet together and flat, legs straight, arms down, shoulders level, and eyes looking ahead.
- Position the head, shoulders, buttocks, and heels toward the wall. Body shape may prevent every point from touching.
- Hold the rigid book or ruler square to the wall and lower it to the top of the head. Read its position at eye level.
- Mark the wall at the underside of the book, then measure vertically from the floor to that mark.
CDC recommends recording to the nearest 0.1 centimeter or one-eighth of an inch. Record what the equipment lets you read; adding digits later cannot improve a measurement.
Write down the date and unit
A number without a date or unit is difficult to use later. Record the measurement date, height, and whether you used centimeters or feet and inches. Enter the day you measured, even if you add the record to Height Forecast on a different day.
For example, a hypothetical note might read “12 April: 124.6 cm.” If using imperial units, distinguish total inches from feet plus inches. Four feet one inch equals 49 inches. A value of 4.1 feet means something different, so avoid that shortcut.
Check a surprising result before interpreting it
If an entry looks unexpected, first check the practical details. Was the book tilted? Did you read the wrong tape scale? Was the mark made at the top of a thick book instead of its underside? Did you type the measurement into the correct unit fields?
Correct a clear recording error rather than keeping it simply because it was entered first. If you measure again, keep track of what you actually observed. Do not adjust the value to make a chart look smoother or to match an adult-height estimate.
Keep the record useful
The tracker connects your entered measurements in date order. A connecting line makes the sequence easier to read; it does not represent measurements taken between those dates. The change between two entries also reflects the time separating them, so keep the dates alongside the values.
Choose local saving if you want to return to the record in this browser, and export a JSON backup if you want a separate copy. See Privacy for the limits of browser storage.
Home records can help you explain your observations, but they do not establish a diagnosis. Discuss growth concerns with your pediatrician. For the separate question of adult-height estimates, read our guide to prediction accuracy.