Child Height Predictor
Adult height from parents, by the mid-parental method.
Entered in centimetres.
Predicted adult height
183 cm
6′ 0″
About 95% of children land within the ±8.5 cm range. Nutrition, sleep, chronic illness and puberty timing all shift the outcome within it.
How the Child Height Predictor works
Height is strongly heritable — around 80% of the variation between people is genetic — which is why a child's adult height can be estimated reasonably well from their parents. The mid-parental method is the simplest version and is used routinely in paediatrics.
Not medical advice. This calculator gives a general estimate, not medical advice. It cannot account for your individual health, medical history, or medication. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any result.
Frequently asked questions
What is the mid-parental height method?
Average the parents' heights, then add 6.5 cm for a boy or subtract 6.5 cm for a girl. The result is the target height, with an expected range of roughly ±8.5 cm around it covering most outcomes.
How accurate is this prediction?
It gives a range rather than a number, and about 95% of children land within ±8.5 cm of the target. Bone-age radiographs and serial growth-chart measurements are considerably more accurate when there is a clinical reason to know.
What else affects adult height?
Nutrition, particularly protein and micronutrients during growth spurts; sleep, since growth hormone is released mainly during deep sleep; chronic illness; and endocrine conditions. Population average heights have risen substantially over a century, which is nutrition rather than genetics.
When do children stop growing?
Girls typically reach adult height around 14-16, and boys around 16-18, when the growth plates fuse. Puberty timing shifts this considerably — early puberty means an earlier finish, sometimes at a shorter final height than the target predicts.