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Growth Parameters in Neonates

(Length, Weight, and Head Circumference)
By Robert L. Stavis , PhD, MD, Main Line Health, Bryn Mawr, PA;
Department of Pediatrics, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Growth parameters and gestational age help identify the risk of neonatal pathology. Growth is influenced by genetic
and nutritional factors as well as intrauterine conditions. Growth parameters assessed at birth help predict
subsequent growth and development and risk of disease. The parameters are length, weight, and head circumference.
By plotting weight vs gestational age, each infant is classified at birth as
Small for gestational age: < 10th percentile

Appropriate for gestational age: 10th to 90th percentile

Large for gestational age: > 90th percentile

The Fenton growth charts (see Figure: Fenton growth chart for preterm boys and see Figure: Fenton growth chart for
preterm girls) provide a more precise assessment of growth vs gestational age for all three parameters.

Fenton growth chart for preterm
boys
Fenton T, Kim J: A systematic review and
meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth
chart for preterm infants. BMC
Pediatrics13:59, 2013; used with permission.
Available at www.biomedcentral.com.
Fenton growth chart for preterm
girls
Fenton T, Kim J: A systematic review and
meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth
chart for preterm infants. BMC
Pediatrics13:59, 2013; used with permission.
Available at www.biomedcentral.com.

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Last full review/revision October 2017 by Robert L. Stavis, PhD, MD

© 2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA)

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