Charting Growth

As parents, we want to capture memories, photos and milestones from our children’s lives. The busyness and realities of day-to-day life though, can sometimes keep us from those tasks. For Kelly, mother of a 10 and 12-year-old, photo albums fell by the wayside when her children were young. However, the one thing she did keep was a growth chart. “I found the chart an easy and meaningful way to track my kid’s growth until they were about 10.” Over the past decade, Kelly, her husband and the children moved three times. She found hanging up the growth chart at each new house was a wonderful way to make it feel more like home. “It hangs in my pantry right now,” she said. “I enjoy seeing it every day and remembering the different stages the kids went through.”

Besides sentimental reasons, charting growth has other benefits. This information helps doctors determine the overall health and well-being of a child and the dosage of any needed medication. A child’s weight indicates the type of car seat or booster they should ride in. And height is a standard measurement at amusement parks to determine if little Jenny is tall enough for certain rides.

Tracking children’s growth makes them feel special and valued. It shows them that each new phase in their lives is unique and something to be celebrated. Our personalized growth charts with different themes, make this easy and they can travel with you if you ever move. Depending on your time, you can keep it simple with the date and height or you can get creative by embellishing the chart. Decide how often you want to add to the chart. Quarterly? Every six months? Every year? Whatever it is, try to stick to it.

Here are some creative ideas you can do each time you mark your children’s growth.

• Add a photo to the chart with photo safe glue
• Have your child do a small self portrait to hang on the chart
• On a note card, write a few favorites (books, movies, toys, friends, food)

As your little one grows and moves toward new phases in life, you will have a cherished record of the times you spent recording those special moments with your child.