How to measure a child's growth
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
A child's growth is a key vital sign. Measure accurately and plot every time.
Step by step
Weight
Infants naked on an infant scale; children in light clothes, no shoes. [1]
Length under 2 years
Lying down on a length board with two people. [1]
Height from 2 years
Standing on a stadiometer, heels, buttocks and head against the board. [1]
Head circumference
Under 2 to 3 years: tape around the widest part, above the eyebrows and ears. [1]
Plot
On the right chart for age and sex (WHO under 2, CDC from 2 in the US). [1]
Look at the trend
Crossing two major percentile lines up or down needs attention. [1]
Common errors
- Measuring infants standing.
- Using the wrong chart.
- Looking at one point instead of the trend.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Anaphylaxis in a child
- Sickle cell pain crisis
- Child with diarrhea and dehydration
- Suspected child abuse
- BRUE in an infant
- Bronchiolitis in an infant
75 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.