26 guides
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Medical conditions that affect a child's growth, from prematurity and failure to thrive to short stature, thyroid and hormone problems.
About this topic
Many conditions first show up as a change on the growth chart: weight that stops rising, height that falls across percentile lines, or growth that is unusually fast. These guides explain what those patterns can mean and what pediatricians and specialists typically check.
They are written for parents and are not a substitute for medical care. If you are worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.
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All 26 child health & growth conditions guides
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Iron Deficiency & Anemia in Babies and Kids
Anemia in young children means hemoglobin below about 10.5–11 g/dL. The signs, who's at risk, testing at 12 months, iron doses, and how to prevent it.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Autism and Child Growth: Weight, Height & Eating
Autism changes what to watch on the growth chart: selective eating, higher rates of overweight, head size, and medicines that affect weight and height.
5 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Constipation in Babies and Toddlers: Causes and Remedies
How to tell if your baby is really constipated, common causes, and remedies by age: purees, water, juice amounts, and when to call your pediatrician.
5 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Baby Reflux Symptoms: Normal Spit-Up vs GERD
Most babies spit up and outgrow it by age 1. See the signs that point to GERD, which remedies have evidence, and why acid medicine is rarely needed.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Baby Soft Spot (Fontanelle): When It Closes & Red Flags
The back soft spot closes by about 1–2 months and the front one by about 7–19 months. See what's normal and when a bulging or sunken soft spot needs care now.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Baby Teething: Symptoms, Timeline, and How to Help
The first tooth usually appears around 6 months. See the eruption timeline, which symptoms teething really causes (and which it doesn't), and how to help.
4 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Celiac Disease in Children: How Gluten Affects Growth
Celiac disease can slow a child's growth with few gut symptoms. Who should be tested, how diagnosis works (including no-biopsy rules) and how growth recovers.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Child BMI Percentile: What It Means and Its Limits
Child BMI is read as a percentile for age and sex; the 5th to under 85th is healthy. See a worked example, the adiposity rebound and what the AAP advises.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Child Growth After Illness or Surgery: What to Expect
How a hospital stay, surgery or cancer treatment affects a child's growth, a simple plan for measuring recovery, and when slow catch-up needs a doctor's eye.
5 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Childhood Obesity Prevention: What Actually Works
About 1 in 5 US kids has obesity. See which habits have evidence, from responsive feeding to sleep, drinks and play, and what the AAP advises if BMI is high.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
How Chronic Illness Affects Child Growth
Chronic illness can slow growth through poor intake, inflammation and medicines like steroids. What the evidence shows and how to track growth rate.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Colic in Babies: Causes, Treatments, and How Long It Lasts
Colic is long, inconsolable crying in a healthy baby. It's most common in the first 6 weeks and gone by about 4 months. Causes, what helps, and red flags.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Down Syndrome Growth Charts: What Parents Should Know
The CDC's Down syndrome growth charts show how children with Down syndrome typically grow. How to use them, expected heights, and key AAP health checks.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Failure to Thrive in Babies: Signs, Causes, Next Steps
Failure to thrive usually means weight below the 5th percentile or falling across two major chart lines. Signs, causes, tests to expect and when to call.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Flat Head Syndrome in Babies: Causes, Fixes, Helmets
Flat spots on a baby's head are common and usually improve with repositioning and tummy time. See how severity is measured, when helmets help, and red flags.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children: Signs & Treatment
Growth hormone deficiency is rare, about 1 in 4,000–10,000 people. Its main sign is slow growth. How it shows on the chart, how it's tested and treated.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
IUGR Babies After Birth: Catch-Up Growth and Outlook
About 9 in 10 babies born small after IUGR catch up in height by age 2. See what catch-up looks like on a growth chart and when to ask for help.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Low Birth Weight: Definition, Causes, and When to Worry
Low birth weight affects 1 in 12 US babies. Learn what it means, what causes it, how it affects growth, and what doctors watch for in the first year.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Precocious Puberty: Signs, Causes, and When to See a Doctor
Precocious puberty means signs before 8 in girls or 9 in boys. Learn the signs, the harmless look-alikes, how it shows on a growth chart, and when to call.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Premature Baby Growth Chart: Corrected Age Explained
Premature babies are plotted by corrected age through age 2. How to work it out in weeks, which charts NICUs use, and what catch-up growth usually looks like.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Questions to Ask Your Pediatrician at Every Well-Child Visit
The best questions to ask at each well-child visit from 2 to 24 months, covering growth, feeding, sleep, milestones and safety, with the answer to expect.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Short Stature in Children: When Is It a Medical Problem?
Most short children are healthy. See how doctors tell short parents and late bloomers from medical causes, with example growth curves and the full workup.
8 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Thyroid Problems and Child Growth: Signs Parents Miss
An underactive thyroid can slow a child's growth while weight keeps rising. The signs, how newborn screening and blood tests work, and how growth responds.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Tylenol & Motrin Dose by Weight: AAP Charts for Kids
The AAP dosing charts for children's Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen) by weight, plus infant-drop warnings, daily limits and when to call.
6 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
When to See a Pediatric Endocrinologist for Growth
Referral triggers for a pediatric endocrinologist: very short height, slow growth for age, crossing chart lines, early or late puberty. Plus what to bring.
7 min read
Child Health & Growth Conditions
Well-Child Visit Schedule: Every Checkup, Birth to Age 5
The AAP well-child visit schedule from the newborn checkup to age 5: what's measured, which screenings happen, and which vaccines are due at each visit.
9 min read