How to Export Your Baby's Growth Chart as a PDF for Your Doctor
Arriving at a pediatrician appointment with your baby's complete growth history as a professional PDF can change the conversation. Here's how to create and share it in under a minute.
Srivishnu RamakrishnanApril 9, 20268 min readMost pediatric appointments are short — 15 to 20 minutes to cover everything from vaccines to developmental milestones to your pile of parenting questions. Arriving with your child's complete growth history already organized as a professional chart means your doctor can immediately see the trend, not just today's single number — and the conversation can start there.
If you use GrowthKit, exporting a PDF report takes one tap and about 15 seconds. Here's how to do it and how to get the most value from it.
Why Bring a PDF to Your Appointment?
Your pediatrician measures your child at well-child visits, but many parents also measure at home — after illness, during a growth spurt concern, or just out of curiosity. That home tracking data is invisible to your doctor unless you bring it.
A PDF report presents all of that data — including home measurements between visits — on the standard growth chart your doctor is familiar with. It lets them:
- See the growth curve rather than isolated data points
- Spot a trend that a single in-office measurement would miss
- Discuss growth velocity rather than just where your child falls today
- Spend less of the appointment re-entering data and more of it actually talking
GrowthKit · Free for iPhone
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How to Export a PDF from GrowthKit
Step 1: Open your child's profile
On the dashboard, make sure you're viewing the profile you want to export. If you have multiple children, switch to the correct profile using the profile selector.
Step 2: Tap the export icon
In the top-right area of the profile screen, you'll find the export button (share icon). Tap it.
Step 3: Select PDF Report
GrowthKit generates the PDF entirely on your device — no internet connection needed. The report is created in seconds.
Step 4: Choose what to do with it from the iOS share sheet
The iOS share sheet gives you multiple options:
| Action | How | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Email to pediatrician | Select Mail → enter doctor's office email | Pre-appointment sending |
| Save to Files | Select Save to Files → choose folder | Keeping a permanent record |
| AirDrop to iPad/Mac | Select AirDrop → your device | Viewing on larger screen at appointment |
| Select Print → AirPrint-compatible printer | Paper copy for the doctor's file | |
| Upload to patient portal | Save to Files first, then upload via portal app/web | Adding to your child's medical record |
| Share via Messages | Select Messages → contact | Sharing with co-parent or family member |
Source: GrowthKit app documentation
What's in the PDF Report
The PDF is formatted for a medical audience — clean, legible, and containing everything a pediatrician would want to see.
Cover section:
- Child's name, date of birth, age, and sex
- Profile photo (if one is set)
- Report generation date
Growth history table:
- Every measurement ever logged, in chronological order
- Date, weight, height, head circumference (if tracked), and exact percentile for each entry
- Delta since previous measurement
Charts section:
- Embedded WHO/CDC growth charts with your child's complete plotted curve
- Weight-for-age chart
- Height-for-age chart
- Head circumference chart (if tracked, relevant for infants)
- BMI-for-age chart (for children 2 and older)
Velocity summary:
- Average weight gain per month over the recent period
- Average height gain per month over the recent period
Tips for Getting the Most Useful PDF
Enter historical data first. The more data in the app, the more meaningful the chart curve. Before you export for the first time, enter all the measurements from your baby book or previous doctor records. A chart showing 12 months of data is much more useful than one showing 3.
Log consistently. Monthly measurements at home — weighing on the same scale, at the same time of day — produce the most consistent chart. Even once a month adds significant value between quarterly or semi-annual doctor visits.
Use the same scale. Different scales give different readings. If you weigh at home and at the doctor's office, both numbers are valid data points, but note that there will be some variation. GrowthKit's chart handles this gracefully — small measurement variations appear as normal data scatter.
Include head circumference for infants. Head circumference is tracked at every well-child visit in the first two years. This measurement is often overlooked by parents doing home measurements, but it's clinically important. A flexible soft tape measure and GrowthKit's head circumference chart give you something genuinely useful to bring to your doctor.
Keeping a Personal Record
Beyond sharing with your doctor, the PDF serves as a permanent personal record of your child's growth journey.
Many parents save each year's PDF to a dedicated folder in iCloud Drive, creating a documented growth history that will be meaningful for years — including the first measurement after birth, the weight at their first birthday, and the height at each year milestone.
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GrowthKit is free on the App Store. Search “GrowthKit” on your iPhone to get started, then enter a few historical measurements before the next well-child visit. Knowing what questions to ask your pediatrician at each visit means you can make the most of those 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I print my baby's growth chart from GrowthKit?
Yes. GrowthKit generates a professional PDF report that you can print directly from your iPhone using AirPrint. From any child's profile, tap the export icon, choose the PDF option, and select Print from the iOS share sheet. The PDF includes your child's complete measurement history and embedded growth charts.
What does a GrowthKit PDF report include?
The PDF includes your child's name, age, sex, and profile photo; a complete table of all measurements with dates and percentiles; embedded WHO/CDC growth charts showing your child's plotted curve; BMI trend (for children 2 and older); and a growth velocity summary. It's formatted to be legible and useful in a medical context.
How do I send my baby's growth chart to my pediatrician before an appointment?
From GrowthKit, tap the export icon and choose PDF. In the iOS share sheet, select Mail to email the PDF directly to your pediatrician's office. Many practices have a secure patient portal where you can upload the document. Alternatively, save it to your Files app and share from there.
Why would I export a PDF instead of just showing the app?
A PDF is easier to view on a large computer screen, to print, and to attach to your child's medical record. Some pediatricians prefer to keep a copy of the growth chart in their notes. A PDF also lets your doctor review your child's growth trends before the appointment — giving them more time to prepare relevant questions.
Medical Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your child's pediatrician or a qualified healthcare provider for any health-related concerns.More Growth & Percentiles
More Growth & Percentiles