Ideal Body Weight | Pediatrics Guide

What is the ideal body weight for a child?

This is a question that pediatricians often get asked by parents.

While there is no single answer to this question, there are guidelines that can help you determine if your child’s weight is within a healthy range.

This ideal body weight pediatrics guide will explore those guidelines and provide tips on how to help your child maintain a healthy weight.

How To Calculate Ideal Body Weight For Kids?

There are certain factors and formulas that’ll help you find only an estimate of the ideal body weight and body mass index for your children.

The formulas include:

Men: Ideal body weight (kgs) = 22 × (height in meters)2

Women: Ideal body weight (kgs) = 22 × (height in meters − 10 cm)2

Other factors to consider are:

1. Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body mass index is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women.

It does not measure the percentage of body fat.

Instead, it compares your weight to your height. People with BMIs of 25 or more are considered overweight, while those with BMIs from 30 upward are considered obese.

It should be noted that many other factors besides body mass index, such as family history and certain medical conditions, can affect a person’s health at any given weight.

Formula: Weight (kg) / Height  (m)² = BMI

• Healthy BMI Range: Between 18.5 and 24.9
• Underweight: <18.5 kg/m² (most common for men and women)
• Overweight: 25-30 kg/m²
• Obese: >30 kg/m² (most common for men and women).  

2. Waist-To-Hip Ratio

The sagittal abdominal diameter is a measure of central obesity, widely used as a screening tool because of its strong correlation with total body fat.

The excess weight around the middle that collects in the abdomen can pressure internal organs and contribute to cardiovascular problems.

The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) measures the circumference of the waist relative to the circumference around the hips. It is defined as the waist measurement divided by the hip measurement.

Due to differences in fat deposition, this formula may not be accurate for all people; it may be most useful as a rough estimate for assessing overall abdominal obesity risk in populations where high accuracy is not needed.

Higher ratios indicate abdominal obesity and greater health risks:

1. < 25 – low risk
2. 25–30 – elevated risk
3. > 30 – very high risk

3. Waist-To-Height Ratio

One’s waist-to-height ratio is also used as a predictor of ideal weight.

Some research has shown that this measurement is maybe even more accurate than the Body Mass Index (BMI) in determining overall health risks.

This is especially true for women, who are often not considered obese by BMI measurements but still have very high body fat levels and related health problems.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and many other health agencies worldwide use this measurement as a warning sign of future health problems.

Unlike the BMI, which defines ‘overweight’ based on an individual’s height alone, waist-to-height is also used to indicate abnormal weight gain and abdominal obesity:

< 0.5 – low risk

0.5–0.6 – slightly elevated risk

> 0.6 – high risk or need to take action to lower your risk for cardiovascular disease

4. Body-Fat Percentage

A more direct method of measuring body fat percentage uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which calculates your body fat.

The results are based on several factors, including sex, age, lean muscle mass, body type, and amount of subcutaneous fat beneath the skin.

You can also use a body fat calculator for calculation.

Some recommendations include:

Activity level	Male body type	Female body type
Athletes	6–13%	14–20%
Fit non-athletes	14–17%	21–24%
Acceptable	18–24%	25–31%
Obesity	25% or more	32% or more

Although these calculations are not entirely exact, they do provide a general idea of a person’s appropriate weight range for height. The resulting number can be used to guide a health goal for a child’s weight.

How To Maintain And Improve Ideal Body Weight?

Some ways to improve and maintain include:

1. Exercise More

Exercise can help weight loss, keep it off, and even make your body stronger. Try exercising to stay fit.

Remember that your brain needs exercise too. Read books or go to museums, take walks or play sports. So anything you enjoy so that being active becomes a habit.

Keep up this often-neglected part of healthy living.

Also, you can try the calorie burn calculator to keep a track of how many calories burned and your total body weight.

2. Make Healthier Food Choices

Some ways to make your diet healthier are eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats (or meat substitutes), and less fried food.

It’s also important to limit foods high in sugar or fat because they have little nutritional value. So, adopt healthier eating habits. Cut down on saturated fats by eating less cake, butter, full-fat milk, and junk food.

3. Eat Regularly

Try not to go for hours without eating. It will help you manage your weight properly. Always eat breakfast! You can also include several small meals or snacks throughout the day.

To maintain a healthy weight, you should avoid fizzy drinks and fruit juices as they contain lots of sugars & carbohydrates, which leads to obesity.

Cut down on high-sugar food such as cakes, biscuits, and pastries as they provide excess calories.

You can also keep a track of your calories through a calorie calculator.

4. Be Active When Playing

As well as exercising regularly with sports, children should encourage being active even when playing.

Going for walks with their parents after school instead of sitting in front of the tv all evening is a good example. Riding a bicycle instead of going by car also helps.

5. Watch The Weight

If you are overweight, try to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight throughout life slowly.

While it is not good for children (or adults) to be underweight, it is even more important for overweight and obese children to reduce their excess weight because they’re at risk of becoming obese adults with increased health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease.

Healthy snacks for kids such as fruits can help them get rid of unwanted pounds.

Helping The Overweight Child

Help your child avoid obesity by encouraging proper exercise and healthy eating habits. Give them motivation and confidence so they can do things on their own.

Try sticking to a routine mealtime and bedtime schedule. Keep your child from being overly active or spending too much time watching television or playing computer games.

If you have a picky eater at home, cook healthily for them and let them be a part of the process to get used to better food choices.

FAQs

1. What Are Some Ways To Achieve My Ideal Body Weight?

By eating healthier foods and exercising regularly, you will achieve your ideal body weight in no time.

And remember that what’s considered healthy varies from person to person, so keep this in mind when reading the charts and consulting with medical professionals about your ideal body weight.

2. What is Body Mass Index or BMI?

BMI can be used to indicate weight status in adults and children. It is a measure of body fatness, which is a good indicator of heart disease risk factors.

3. How Much Should A 15-Yr. Old Girl Weigh?

If you think what’s the average weight for a 15-year-old, it’s 105-115 lbs. provided the height is 63-64 inches. You can also check our height-weight chart for further help.

Bringing It All Together

Now that you know the science behind your weight, what will you do? Will it be easier to make healthier decisions for yourself and your family? Maybe. But maybe not.

The neuroscience of food is difficult because we are hardwired with a strong desire to eat tasty foods, especially when others around us seem satisfied while eating junk food.

However, if getting healthy seems daunting or impossible at this time in life, don’t give up hope! Start making small changes towards better health today.

We hope you have enjoyed this guide and found it helpful. We would love to hear your thoughts, questions, or feedback in the comments section below.