How to measure a child's growth
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
A child's growth is a key vital sign. Measure accurately and plot every time.
Step by step
Weight
Infants naked on an infant scale; children in light clothes, no shoes. [1]
Length under 2 years
Lying down on a length board with two people. [1]
Height from 2 years
Standing on a stadiometer, heels, buttocks and head against the board. [1]
Head circumference
Under 2 to 3 years: tape around the widest part, above the eyebrows and ears. [1]
Plot
On the right chart for age and sex (WHO under 2, CDC from 2 in the US). [1]
Look at the trend
Crossing two major percentile lines up or down needs attention. [1]
Common errors
- Measuring infants standing.
- Using the wrong chart.
- Looking at one point instead of the trend.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) and OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.