A BMI, or body mass index, is used commonly by pediatricians to calculate the composition of the body and determine if your child is obese or underweight, or is at risk of becoming obese or underweight. It is important to note when calculating the BMI of your child that not all results are an accurate measurement, because children may be more muscular or have a build that would alter the results. For the most part, however, using the BMI can be a good estimate for your child for whether his weight is healthy or not.
Step 1
Have your child stand on the scale to determine her accurate weight. If you question your home scale's accuracy, visit your pediatrician or ask your child's school nurse to weight her for you.
Step 2
Measure the height of your child. Have him stand up straight, without his shoes, with his back flat against a wall and put a small mark on the wall at the top of his head. Then, use a measuring tape to determine the height in inches. Again, if you question your accuracy, visit your pediatrician or ask your school nurse if they can measure for you.
Step 3
Square the height of your child, meaning multiply the number by itself. For example, if your child is 47 inches (or 3 feet 11 inches) tall, multiply 47 by 47 to get 2209.
Step 4
Divide your child's weight by the number from Step 3. For example, if your child weighs 62 lbs., divide 62 by 2209 to get 0.028.
Step 5
Multiply the number from Step 4 by 703 to get the final BMI figure. In our example, 0.028 multiplied by 703 is 19.7. So your child's BMI would equal 19.7.
Tips and Warnings
- Talk to your doctor or look at a BMI percentile chart to determine if your child's body weight is healthy or not. Unlike adults, determining healthy BMIs is a little more challenging.
Things You'll Need
- Scales
- Measuring tape
Member Comments