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Accurate Measurements Provide Crucial
Information
Assessing whether a child is growing normally requires accurate measurements in early infancy. Below are
guidelines for measuring an infant's recumbent length, head circumference, and, for older children, standing
height.
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Recumbent length - Children younger than 24 months or less than 35.5 inches tall.
Lay the child on a horizontal measuring board. This board should have a fixed headboard, and a sliding footboard that is securely attached at right angles to the surface. Record the measurement to the nearest 1/4-inch.
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Head circumference - Measured at each visit until a child is two years old.
Use a non-stretchable measuring tape. Begin just above the child's nose between the eyebrows, travel over the ear with the tape, around the back of the head where it is widest, and then over the other ear and back to where you began.
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Standing height - Children older than 24 months or more than 35.5 inches tall.
Measure using a standing height board or stadiometer. Record the height to nearest 1/8-inch. Don't use
measuring rods attached to scales. The surface the child stands on is not stable, and the rod hinge has a
tendency to loosen, so measurements are inaccurate.
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