They've dropped from the fiftieth to the twenty-fifth. Is that bad?

Not on its own. Some settling between centiles is common in the first two years as a child moves towards their own genetically determined trajectory, and measurement noise accounts for some of it. Sustained downward crossing across several measurements is the pattern that matters.

Should I be weighing them at home?

Generally no. Home scales add noise, and weighing frequently converts a slow-moving trend into daily anxiety without producing better information.

They're small but both of us are short. Does that count?

Yes, and it is worth saying explicitly at the appointment. Parental height is part of how expected growth is interpreted, and it is not always asked about.

When it happens · 3 min read

Worried about their growth chart

Someone plotted a dot at the last appointment, said the word centile, and you have thought about it every day since.

Growth charts are one of the most useful tools in child health and one of the most reliably misread, mostly because the number gets remembered and the shape of the line does not.

Last updated August 17, 2026

Why the eating changed

After the first birthday you will probably notice a sharp drop in appetite — turning their head away after a few bites, resisting coming to the table at all. It arrives suddenly enough that it reads as a problem.

It is a response to something real. Growth slows markedly after the first year, so they genuinely do not need as much food as they did, and it slows again between two and three. A preschooler grows around two and a half inches and gains about four pounds in a year, against roughly triple the birth weight in the first twelve months.

Set against that, eating less is the expected result rather than a warning sign, and it usually arrives alongside a lot more moving about, which makes it feel even more counter-intuitive.

What the centile actually means

A centile is a position in the population, not a grade. The ninth centile means nine children in a hundred are smaller — it does not mean anything is wrong, and there is nothing about the fiftieth that is the target. Somebody has to be on the ninth, and for most of those children that is simply their size.

What the chart is genuinely good at is showing change over time. A child who has tracked along the same line since birth is telling you something reassuring even if that line is a low one. That is why a single plotted point is close to meaningless on its own and why the health visitor keeps wanting to weigh them again.

It is also worth knowing that measurements are noisy. Different scales, clothing, a full or empty nappy, and the wriggling involved in measuring a toddler's height all introduce error, which is another reason single points get over-read.

When it's worth acting on

Crossing downwards through centile lines across successive measurements, rather than tracking along one. Two or more bands is the usual threshold for a proper look.

Actual weight loss, at any age and any starting size.

Height slowing as well as weight, rather than weight alone — that combination is investigated differently.

Growth concerns alongside persistent diarrhea, vomiting, unusual tiredness, or repeated infections.

A very restricted diet over a long stretch, particularly one with no iron-rich food in it.

Common questions

They've dropped from the fiftieth to the twenty-fifth. Is that bad?: Not on its own. Some settling between centiles is common in the first two years as a child moves towards their own genetically determined trajectory, and measurement noise accounts for some of it. Sustained downward crossing across several measurements is the pattern that matters.
Should I be weighing them at home?: Generally no. Home scales add noise, and weighing frequently converts a slow-moving trend into daily anxiety without producing better information.
They're small but both of us are short. Does that count?: Yes, and it is worth saying explicitly at the appointment. Parental height is part of how expected growth is interpreted, and it is not always asked about.

If it's this, not that

They won't eat anything →

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Where this comes from

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Written from the sources named above, and it is not a substitute for your own doctor. If something feels wrong to you, that instinct is a good enough reason to call — you know yourself and this family better than any page does.