Free tool · For parents
Child Height Predictor
How tall will your child be? Estimate their adult height with the mid-parental method doctors use, combined with where they sit on the WHO growth curve today.
Your child's estimate appears here — nothing you enter is collected or stored.
The mid-parental height formula
The genetic anchor behind this child height calculator is the formula pediatricians have used for decades — the mid-parental (Tanner) target height:
For a boy: (father's height + mother's height + 13 cm) ÷ 2
For a girl: (father's height + mother's height − 13 cm) ÷ 2
Most children end up within roughly 8–10 cm of their mid-parental target. This calculator goes one step further than the bare formula: it also looks at where your child sits on the WHO growth curve today — the share of adult height typically reached at their age and sex — and blends the two. A child who is currently tall or short for their age pulls the estimate accordingly, which is exactly what the formula alone misses.
The result comes with an honest range: wide for young children (many growth years and puberty timing still unknown), narrower for teenagers, and wider whenever a parent's height is missing.
What parents should actually watch
A single predicted number matters less than the pattern over time. Pediatricians track whether a child follows their own percentile curve — steady tracking on the 25th percentile is healthy; sliding from the 50th to the 10th is what warrants a conversation. If you're unsure where your child sits right now, start with our height comparison tool.
And the everyday levers are the boring ones: enough sleep for their age, regular protein and calcium, and daily movement. None of these push a child beyond their genetic range — but shortfalls during the growth years can leave part of that range unclaimed.
Child height FAQ
How does the mid-parental height formula work?
Add both parents' heights in centimeters, then add 13 cm for a boy or subtract 13 cm for a girl, and divide by two. That's the child's genetic target height — most children land within roughly 8–10 cm of it. This calculator combines that target with where the child currently sits on the WHO growth curve, which makes the estimate more personal than the formula alone.
When do children have growth spurts?
After the fast growth of the toddler years, children typically grow at a steady 5–6 cm per year until puberty. The pubertal growth spurt usually arrives around ages 10–13 for girls and 12–15 for boys, and is the last big push before growth plates close.
Should I worry if my child is below average height?
Being below the 50th percentile is not a problem in itself — half of all children are, by definition, and children of shorter parents are expected to track lower curves. What matters clinically is the pattern over time: a child who drops across percentile curves, or sits far outside the typical range, is worth discussing with a pediatrician. This tool is a positioning cue, not a diagnosis.
How accurate is a child height predictor?
For younger children the honest range is wide — many years of growth and puberty timing remain unknown — and it narrows as the child gets older. That's why the result always shows a range, and widens it when a parent's height is missing. No calculator can promise a number.
Is my child's data collected or stored?
No. Everything is computed locally in your browser. Nothing you enter is collected, stored, transmitted, or used for tracking.
START HERE
Height comparison
Where does your child sit on the curve today? Check their percentile first.
FOR TEENS
How tall will I be?
Is your teen asking for themselves? The self-serve version speaks their language.
IN THE APP
Track the trend
GoTaller logs measurements over time and reads the trend, not the noise — the pattern pediatricians care about.
