The 50th percentile isn't the target. It's simply the middle.
Being in the 25th percentile doesn't mean your baby is lacking anything. It means one thing only, and it isn't what most people take it to mean.
The 25th percentile means that, out of every 100 healthy babies of the same age and sex, 25 weigh less and 75 weigh more. That's all.
Somebody has to be at 25, and somebody at 90. And both are healthy babies — because the curve was built by measuring healthy babies. A percentile is not a grade.
What your paediatrician actually looks at
Not today's dot: the curve.
- That it stays in its own lane, whichever that is. A baby who has tracked the 15th since birth and is still on the 15th is growing well.
- The proportion between weight and length, not weight alone. A long, slim baby is not the same as a short, slim one.
- Head circumference, which hardly anyone checks at home and says quite a lot.
What does warrant attention
- Crossing two percentile lines, up or down.
- Flat-lining across several check-ups in a row.
- Losing weight.
If you leave the appointment turning a number over in your head, the useful question isn't «which percentile is she in?» but «how is her curve going?».
In NomiNest this isn't a table, it's your baby
The app works from the data you already log, and compares your baby against themselves rather than against an average.
Meet NomiNestSources. World Health Organization growth curves. NomiNest does not interpret results: reading your baby's curve is the paediatrician's job.
NomiNest is not a medical device and this guide does not replace your paediatrician's guidance. The information is general and orientative: every baby is different, and the professional who sees yours is the one who knows them.