If you often wonder, "How much should I weigh?" you're not alone. Weight questions are common among girls and boys, according to KidsHealth, part of the Nemours Foundation. Although there is no single ideal weight for all kids, you can take some steps to determine whether you are in a healthy weight range based on your gender and height.
Considerations
Kids come in different shapes and sizes based on what is passed down to them genetically. Some kids accumulate fat in their hips while others have more bone and muscle than fat, says KidsHealth. And although all kids go through changes during puberty, they develop at different times. For example, one girl may start developing at age 8 while her friend may not start until she's 14. Therefore, they may be the same height and age but have different muscle and fat ratios and weigh very different amounts, says KidsHealth.
Assessing Weight
Body mass index, or BMI, is a number doctors calculate based on your height and weight. Although BMI doesn't directly measure a child's body fat, the BMI formula gives similar results to direct body fat measures such as underwater weighing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BMI is used to screen children for weight categories that may lead to health problems later.
Growth Charts
Because children and teens develop at different times, doctors can't measure their BMI in the same way as they measure it for adults. That's why a doctor would plot a child's BMI number on a chart known as the BMI-for-age growth chart--for girls or for boys, depending on the child's sex--to compare the number to those of other kids who are the same age and sex. After plotting the BMI number on the chart, she can then give the child a percentile that correlates to a weight category. For example, if the child is betweem the 5th percentile and the 85th percentile he is considered to be at healthy weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Risks
A child under the 5th percentile is considered underweight, a child between the 85th percentile and under the 95th percentile is considered overweight and a child over the 95th percentile is considered obese. Overweight children are at a higher risk of being overweight as an adult and developing health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, according to KidsHealth. Underweight children may eventually grow into their height, but they may also be sick or have an eating disorder such as anorexia that needs further treatment.
Talking to a Doctor
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your weight or BMI. Your doctor might ask you questions about how much you exercise, what you eat, how you're feeling. He may also talk to you about your family history to see if, for example, you might be an early or late bloomer. If he suspects that you are underweight or overweight, he might perform a variety of assessments such as checking your body fat percentile with calipers or drawing blood. Follow his advice if he recommends some changes in your exercise levels or diet.
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