Childs gender
Boy
Girl
Childs age
Child current height
Child current weight
Yes
No
Mothers height
Fathers height
Inches
Feet and Inches
Centimeter
There are several different formulas and methods to predict your child’s height.
If your child is over 4 years of age, you can use the Khamis-Roche height predictor that uses a well-researched formula to determine the future height of children. This has been proven to provide the most accurate estimation of the child’s future height without the use of the skeletal age. This is the standard setting of the calculator.
If your child is younger than 4 years, or if you are pregnant, you can use the Mid-Parental Height Formula to calculate your child’s height based on the height of both the parents. It is the most straightforward method that will help you predict your child’s height based on your and your spouse’s height. You will have to turn off the “Use Khamis-Roche height formular”, so it has “No” as the setting.
The answer you get using these formulas needs to be modified based on the parameters that can influence the height of the child. There are several such parameters that must be considered while calculating the approximate future height of your child. This will be shown in the bottom of this article.
If you want more options, we will go through the skeletal maturity prediction, the two-year method and the curve method below. We do however not have the option of an online based calculator on these predictions. An other conventional methods of height prediction include the roentgen radiation that could be potentially hazardous. However, it provides a more accurate estimation of the child’s future height based on the child’s “bone age” using X-ray imaging of his or her hand.
There are a few methods that can help you predict the adult height of your baby. These formulas have been devised based on the comparison of heights of children across a wide population belonging to different geographical regions, and races, and ethnicities.
These formulas can provide you a fair estimation of your child’s adult height and allow you to adopt measures to avoid a shorter stature with the help of healthy strategies like improving nutrition and exercise.
Keep reading to know more about the methods to predict your child’s adult height based on his or her present height.
The future height of your child could be predicted using a simple mathematical equation based on the heights of both the parents, the current height of the child, and the child’s current weight.
This formula is applicable for children above 4 years of age.
This formula of height prediction is called the Khamis-Roche Method. It was developed by the researchers at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, in 1994, and published by Dr. Alex Roche and Dr. Harry Khamis. [8] [9]
To use this formula, you need to enter the required values in the respective fields and get the height of your child directly. [10] [11]
For boys, the error margin is 2.1 inches, and for girls, it is 1.7 inches. The error margin may vary among children depending on their ethnicity.
The mid-parental child height formula offers the easiest way to calculate your child’s height based on the heights of both the parents.
Here a step-by-step method to use this formula:
Calculate the mid-parental height by dividing the sum of the mother’s and father’s height by two as given below:
Mid-parental height = (father’s height + mother’s height) / 2
For calculating the future height of your daughter, subtract 2½ inches (or 6.5 cm) from the mid-parental height.
Girl’s future height = mid-parental height – 2½ inches (or 6.5 cm)
For calculating the future height of your son, add 2½ inches (or 6.5 cm) from the mid-parental height.
Boy’s future height = mid-parental height + 2½ inches (or 6.5 cm)
An error margin of about 4 inches is possible when you calculate your child’s future height based on this formula.
It is possible to estimate your child’s height using skeletal maturity prediction with the help of bone age as explained beneath.
The maturity of the child’s skeletal system can be assessed using the bone age study that involves taking an X-ray of the left wrist, fingers, and hand. It is a painless procedure. However, it exposes the child to very small amounts of radiation, which might be hazardous in some cases.
This is followed by comparing the images to the standard images from the bone development atlas, in which the references are made based on the large studies of kids.
The bone age, in this case, is measured not in terms of length but in years. This means the images of the X-rays of your child would be compared to the images of the children of the same age to predict the future height.
This formula is based on the concept that the lengthwise growth of the bones can occur at a particular part within the two ends of the long bones.
These parts are called the growth plates.
It is the hyaline cartilage plate that consists of cells, which are actively growing. These plates are found only in the bones of children. As the child grows into adolescence, these plates form an epiphysial line, which is nothing but the residue of the growth plate.
The replacement of the growth plates by the epiphysial line is known as the growth plate fusion to epiphysial closure.
This fusion is completed in girls at the age of 12 to 16 years and in boys at the age of 14 to 19 years. This is the reason why boys and girls stop growing in height after these ages.
The growth plates can be easily identified on x-rays as they contain less minerals than the standard bone tissues and are softer. So, they appear darker than the other tissues of the skeleton on X-ray images.
These plates also look different in children of different ages which is what makes this test suitable for determining the bone maturity of a child. Simply reviewing the appearance of the growth plates on x-rays can help to know the extent of maturity of the bones based on which the future adult height of the child can be predicted.
The x-ray images can be compared with the images that match the closest to the images in the atlas to determine the child’s height.
This is how skeletal maturity prediction can be used to calculate the height of your child.
Observing the differences between the child’s bone age and chronological age could also help to detect any problem with the growth and development. However, in some cases, a disparity in the skeletal and chronological age may be observed even in kids with good health.
Hence, further evaluation might be needed to detect whether the child suffers from any abnormality that could influence his or her height.
The two-year method of predicting your child’s height is just as simple as it sounds.
The only drawback of this method is that you have to wait until your child is 2 years old to be able to use this formula.
Also, if your child is already above 2 years of age, you will be able to use this formula only if you had recorded the height when he was 2 years and have the reading available with you.
To use this method:
The result you get is the future height of your child. This formula provides a very simple way to know how tall your child will be.
For example, if your son is 35 inches tall at the age of 2 years, he would be about 70 inches (5 feet 10 inches) tall when he grows to be an adult.
The healthcare experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics have pointed out that the growth of girls occurs at a faster rate compared to boys. So, to get a more accurate prediction for the height of your daughter by using the two-year formula, use her height at 18 months instead of 2 years of age. [12]
The curve method offers another easy way to calculate the future height of your child.
This method uses the standard growth charts that are commonly recommended for monitoring the growth and development of children.
The growth chart for children in the U.S. recommended by the CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) can be used to predict your child’s height. [13]
To predict your child’s height based on this method:
For example, if your son’s height is 43 inches at the age of 6 years, he would fall in the 10th percentile of the height chart. You could expect his height to be around 66 inches or 5 feet 6 inches by the age of 19 to 20 years.
Standardized growth charts provide an essential tool to parents and doctors to assess whether the child’s growth is normal and as expected.
“How tall will my daughter or son be?”
“Will my child be as tall as the dad or have an average height like the grandpa?”
These are some questions that thrill almost every parent. The curiosity about the child’s future height begins much before the child is born. It is very common for to-be-parents to have these thoughts even before the birth of their baby.
And while the child is growing, the curiosity just gets better.
Many people believe that children usually grow taller than their parents. However, while it is true that, on average, the height of children is more than the height of parents, it may not be the case always.
These trends may vary from family to family and from child to child.
The future height of your child depends on several other factors. For example; the most significant factor that can determine the height of a child is genetics. Environmental factors also have a huge impact on the height of children.
Let’s have a closer look at these factors and understand how they influence your child’s future height.
As already discussed, yes, the height of a child is determined primarily by genetics. However, it does not depend only on the heights of the parents.
The height is inherited in a way such that the child may be shorter or taller than the parents as height inheritance is polygenic in nature. So, the answer to the future height of your child is scattered among several genes.
The growth of the body requires a lot of energy and nutrients! This is why; overweight children are likely to be taller than others possibly due to their increased food intake.
However, not every child who eats more will be taller than the child who least less. It all depends on the types of nutrients present in the meals.
For example; if the child’s diet consists of a higher proportion of proteins and other nutrients like calcium and iron, the growth would be faster causing an increase in adult height. This could be attributed to the ability of proteins to support growth and development by providing building blocks to the body and the role of calcium in forming bone tissues. [1]
However, if the diet consists of less of proteins and more of simple carbohydrates and unhealthy fats like trans fats and saturated fats, then the higher food intake would not convert into faster growth.
Hence, it is not just the total food intake or calorie consumption but also the composition of the diet that plays a role in determining your child’s height.
So, you can expect your child to grow taller if his or her diet comprises healthy nutrients like proteins and essential vitamins and minerals.
Parents are also cautioned against making their child overeat as being obese may not cause as much improvement in their height as it would increase their risk of diseases like obesity and diabetes at a younger age.
So, you can see that one of the most critical aspects of your child’s future height is nutrition.
The impact of this factor is so significant that it can create a remarkable variation or a difference in the height of your child as compared to the effects of the genetic make-up alone. [2]
It is estimated that nearly 60 to 80% of the height of a person is determined by his or her genetic make-up. The role of environmental factors, particularly nutrition, is believed to be around 20 to 40%.
This indicates that improving your child’s nutrient could be a great way to ensure he or she grows up being taller even if the parents are shorter or have an average height.
Hormonal levels such as how much of the growth hormone and thyroid hormones are produced in the body can influence the rate of growth and development of different organs and tissues. [3]
Abnormalities in the endocrine system can create disruptions in the functions of the glands such as the hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid glands due to which the secretion of these hormones would be affected. This may result in a very short or a very tall height for your child.
Health conditions like arthritis and coeliac disease may affect the child’s future height.
Children with arthritis are likely to have a shorter height because of the higher possibility of having limited physical activities due to joint pains and poor bone health.
Coeliac disease and other intestinal disorders such as leaky gut syndrome and malabsorption syndrome can also reduce your child’s future height by preventing the absorption of nutrients from food. [4]
The lack of essential nutrients, especially proteins and calcium, would slow down the child’s development and reduce his height.
The use of medications, such as corticosteroids, may affect growth.
Hence, parents should consult their physician before using these medications and discuss their concerns about the effects of these drugs on the child’s growth.
Research studies have also found that the use of inhaled glucocorticoids for the management of asthma could cause a temporary reduction in the growth velocity of children. [5]
Genetic conditions can have a major impact on the child’s growth and development.
For example, children diagnosed with Marfan’s syndrome are likely to grow taller, while children with Down’s syndrome may grow to be shorter than others. [6] [7]
Considering all these parameters will enable you to get a rough idea of how tall your child will be when he or she grows up into an adult.
These formulas and methods for calculating the future height of your child need to be used keeping in mind the influence of environmental factors on your child’s growth.
Once you have calculated your child’s future height, you may have to modify the answer based on what you think might cause an increase or decrease in the growth. This would give you a more accurate estimate of how tall your child will be upon attaining adulthood.