How to measure the circumference of a child's head using a table?
Circumference measurement the baby's head is not an entirely simple matter. Many people encounter this problem when they pick up a tape measure or ruler. How to measure the baby’s head circumference correctly will be discussed in this article.
The birth of a child is a joyful event for every family. Another little person comes into this world, ready to make his first movements and steps. But parents have a huge responsibility - to educate and monitor the growing organism. Until the age of one year, a visit to the pediatrician occurs every month. This
is done for changes occurring in a young body. The most important measurement is head circumference in children. We will explain below why it is so important to monitor this indicator.
The newborn baby has disproportionate body parts. So the head compared to the body is very large sizes. In a newborn, the head makes up 1/3 - ¼ of the entire body, and in an adult the figure is 1/8 - 1/9. The size of the head grows until the age of 17.
The normal shape of a child's skull should be round.
At birth they often have a crooked head shape. This may be due to several reasons. Uncomfortable head position during intrauterine development. Or passing through the narrow birth canal. When born, babies' bones are very fragile and flexible. This is how nature intended, this mechanism helps them to be born.
The newborn's head should take a rounded shape within 1-2 weeks after birth. The mother's task is to help the baby. To correct the shape, you need to turn it over from one side to the other while sleeping.
Closure of the fontanel on the head of a child up to one year old
Happens closer to one year closure of the fontanel. This means that before this period the bones of the brain are in a mobile state. For bone healing and formation, infants under one year of age need to be given vitamin D daily. B summer period vitamin arrives naturally when walking on fresh air. But in the cold months it is taken in the form of drops.
Mother's milk is the richest in vitamins and minerals necessary for the development of the child. In this case, the calcium contained in milk helps to gradually strengthen the bones and overgrow the fontanel.
Why do you need to measure your child's head circumference?
Head circumference in children one of the most important indicators neurological status, correct height and child development. By measuring the size of the head, doctors obtain data on how much the size of the brain has increased and how the circulation of intracerebral fluid occurs. The head circumference is assessed based on the following indicators: whether the child was born at term, birth weight, height, and the individual characteristics of the newborn.
Normal head circumference for children under one year of age
At birth, the head circumference of children should not exceed the girth chest child. The norms for head size at birth can range from 29 to 34 cm. If the numbers differ up or down, then we can talk about the presence of intrauterine pathology in the child.
- In the first three months after birth head circumference
increases significantly every month 1.5-2 cm. - From four months adds approximately 1 cm each per month up to 12 months.
- By one year average head size in children
must reach 44 cm. - Subsequently, the head grows significantly slows down.
So, during the second year of life, the circumference changes by only 1.5 - 2 cm per year, during the third year the increase is 1 -1.5 cm. But the pediatrician monitoring the development of your child is guided by the established norms, as well as the specifics of growth specific child. In addition, you should keep in mind that if all family members in your family have big size heads, then the same tendency can be seen in children from birth. Individual characteristics must be taken into account when taking measurements. If the increase in circumference exceeds normal limits, you should consult a pediatric neurologist. 
Head circumference in children - table
You can measure head circumference in children yourself at home. To do this you need a soft tape - centimeter. Measurements should be taken through the line of the eyebrows and the convex occipital part. It should be clarified that in the first year, parents need to carefully monitor the changes occurring with their child - be it weight gain or height. Until the child can speak independently or draw your attention to his condition, the responsibility lies with the parents. An important factor is that all diseases identified during the first few months can be cured many times faster than in later periods.
Any changes in the brain lead to changes in human development. Neat and careful attitude very important with small children. Head circumference in children should be measured regularly so that parents and doctors can assess the developmental pattern of the child using the table:
Video about measuring circumference
In children, head volume is measured monthly from birth. This parameter evaluates the physiological development of the child. An increase or decrease relative to the average value may indicate serious illness. It may also be a genetic trait inherited from parents.
After birth, babies' heads swell slightly. It's connected with high pressure, which occurs when the baby passes through the birth canal. Normally, the volume of a newborn's head is 2 cm greater than the volume of the chest. The peculiarity of the structure of the bones, which are connected by thin layers, allows you to avoid head injuries during childbirth. During childbirth, the bones of the skull may move relative to each other.
In newborns, the head is elongated in the front and back. Over time, the size returns to normal.
Newborns normally have the following forms:
- brachycephalic - round, the bumps on the forehead are clearly visible;
- dolichocephalic - oval-shaped.
Any of them is determined by the physiological structure of the mother’s pelvic organs. Normally, the volume of a newborn’s head is from 34 to 36 cm.
Newborn head shape:
If the baby was born by caesarean section
Children born through surgery have a larger head. At the same time, it is not elongated, but even on all sides. This is due to the lack of pressure that babies experience during natural delivery. The head volume of children born by cesarean section returns to normal at the end of the first year of life.
Why is it necessary to know the volume of a child’s head?
Head volume in children is no less important than height and weight. Using its values you can determine:
- the beginning of the development of infectious diseases;
- nervous disorders;
- pathologies of brain development.
Up to 1 year of age, the pediatrician takes head measurements monthly. It is also possible to measure at home if you follow the rules. The volume of the head is compared with the size in the chest area. They become equal at the age of 6 months.
Can heredity affect head size?
Head volume that differs from the established norm does not always indicate pathology. Every child inherits the structure of the skull bones from their parents. If they had deviations in head size, but this did not affect development, then with a 25% probability this will happen again in the child.
Don't worry if:
- the child is active;
- development corresponds to age;
- neurosonography revealed no abnormalities;
- no increased intracranial pressure;
- fontanelles close on time.
How to take measurements from a child’s head correctly
Head volume in children must be measured correctly. If you have doubts about the accuracy of the result, you can repeat the measurements. They use a soft tailor's tape. At the back, the measuring tape is applied to the most protruding part. Wrap the baby's head and connect the ends at the level of the eyebrow line.
How to correctly measure head volume in children
It is necessary that the ends of the tape are not offset relative to each other. It is important that the child is calm during the measurements. In cases crying a lot measurements should be postponed as the results will be inaccurate.
Standard head circumference indicators
The head volume of newborn babies is on average 35 cm. A variant of the norm is the range from 32 to 38 cm. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the relationship with the volume of the chest and the method of birth of the child. Babies after cesarean section have a larger head volume than those born naturally, on average by 2 cm.
Every month the volume of the baby's head should increase by 2 centimeters. Closer to 4-6 months of life, the body acquires a proportional shape when the volumes of the chest and head are equal. After this, up to a year, the monthly growth should be no more than 5-10 mm.
In cases of deviations from the norm, consultation with a neurologist is necessary. A large head volume is a sign of hydrocephalus, a small one is a sign of microcephaly.
Both cases require treatment, but measurement results alone are not enough to identify them. Alternative method is ultrasonography brain through the fontanel. The size of the fontanel is also important, which should heal gradually. 
Head volume may change slightly up to 5 years. Further changes in the skull bones do not affect a significant change in size.
Calculation formulas
The value of the head volume of newborns, infants, and children under 5 years of age can be calculated using formulas. The value will be average, so small deviations may be normal. The obtained result can be compared with the tables of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Calculation scheme:
The formulas are based on nominal values:
- 43 - average value of head volume in children aged 6 months;
- 1.5 - average volume increase at the age of up to six months;
- 0.5 is the average value of volume growth in the 2nd half of the year.
There is a formula for calculating head circumference for children over 1 year old but under 5 years old. From 50 you need to subtract 5 and then add the child’s age in years. According to the formula, a child’s head volume at 2 years old is 47 cm, and at 3 years old it is 48.
Table of indicators for measuring head circumference in children
WHO has developed head circumference tables from birth to the age of 5 years for boys and girls.
They indicate values from birth to 1 year monthly, and then up to 5 years every 3 months:
Values are given in centimeters to tenths. At the same time, for girls the average values at any age are 0.3-1.2 cm less than for boys. The values in the columns below the average, average and above the average are considered a variant of the norm.
A table for measuring head circumference in children is an important tool for pediatricians to examine babies under one year of age.
With its help, physiological development is determined:
- brain volume;
- amount of circulating blood;
- intracranial pressure.
In pathological processes, the circumference may be smaller or more than normal. Identification of inconsistencies in early age guarantees a quick recovery and mild course of illness. After one year of age, it is more difficult to treat diseases of the brain and nervous system, which leaves an imprint on timely emotional development.
Table of head circumference sizes by month/year for boys from 0 to 5 years
In boys at birth, the normal head volume according to the WHO table is from 33.2 to 35.7 cm. By the year the value changes to 44.8-47.4 cm, and by 5 - to 49.2-52.2 cm. A deviation from any border of 3-4 cm indicates developmental pathologies. The causes may be diseases, heredity, as well as the consequences of previous injuries.
Table of head circumference sizes by month/year for girls from 0 to 5 years
Newborn girls have a head circumference of 32.7 to 35.1 cm. These values are not taken into account for children born before 37 weeks or underweight. In the first months, their brains may develop a little faster, resulting in larger heads.
At the end of 1 year of life, the head of girls increases to 43.5-46.3 cm, and by 5 years - to 48.5-51.3 cm. It is impossible to determine the presence of the disease only by the value of the head circumference. Additionally, an ultrasound of the brain and an examination by a neurologist may be recommended. 
In Russia, at the age of 1 month, examination of the brain through the fontanelle is mandatory. Based on its results, a neurologist can determine the cause of the baby’s anxiety - high intracranial pressure.
Deviations from the norm
A deviation from the norm is considered to be a newborn’s head volume of 30 or 39 cm. The following is taken into account:
- chest volume;
- height;
- head shape.
Pathologies of the form of development are considered to be the appearance of a rook, tower or lack of symmetry. In order for a newborn’s head to acquire the correct shape, pediatricians recommend shifting it onto its side alternately.
At an early age, sleeping on your back is also not recommended. This is dangerous because the baby may choke on food after regurgitation. It also causes the occipital bone to flatten. Deviations from any normal limit are 3-4 cm in volume.
Birth injury
Newborn head injuries sustained during childbirth are a leading cause of death or disability. Unlike an adult, the fetus has 4 fontanelles in the skull - soft membrane connections of bones. 
When delivery begins, the baby makes its way with its head, less often with its legs, and compression occurs.
The cause of injury is:
- narrow maternal pelvis;
- large fruit size;
- prematurity or postmaturity;
- the speed of the delivery process.
The doctor can determine the injury by the newborn’s reaction to external stimuli - pain.
Pathological conditions include:
- a dream in which the baby wakes up only from severe pain;
- changing facial expressions without waking up;
- minimal or no reactions - coma.
Birth injuries are divided according to location into external and internal. The baby's head may be swollen, which often goes away on its own. Skin abrasions are treated with antiseptic drugs.
Internal injuries include skull fractures and cerebral hemorrhage. In such conditions, there is practically no chance of survival, even with timely treatment. IN best case scenario the child will remain disabled since childhood and will live a short and difficult life.
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is a disease of the brain when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in it. Except big head the disease is manifested by neurological disorders (restlessness, stiffness of movement), tissue swelling at the site of the fontanel. Hydrocephalus can be congenital or acquired. 
Causes of the disease:
- infections suffered by the mother in later stages;
- injuries during childbirth;
- meningitis in early childhood;
- lack of oxygen during intrauterine development.
Microcephaly
Microcephaly is a rare disease characterized by a small head volume at birth. Due to the underdevelopment of the brain, children suffer from various severe mental retardations.
The causes of the disease may be:
This deviation occurs no more often than 1 case in 6000 newborns.
Hemangioma
Hemangioma is a benign neoplasm on the skin of a red hue. Appears at birth as a result of compression. It usually resolves on its own, but there may be cases surgical intervention. In cases of inward growth, hemangioma can deplete the blood flow of platelets, which leads to the development of blood diseases.
Rickets
Rickets is a disease that affects bone tissue and nervous system. It develops due to a lack of vitamin D, which is involved in metabolic processes calcium and phosphorus.
In most cases characteristic features are:
Rickets affects the development of the child and leads to delayed speech and skills. At timely treatment the child will quickly make up for the gaps, and if not, he risks remaining disabled.
High intracranial pressure
Increased pressure inside the skull is associated with impaired outflow of cerebrospinal fluid. In children, the condition manifests itself as excitability, frequent convulsions, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. Main sign- Availability vascular networks on the head.
If treatment is not timely, the following are possible:
- stroke;
- cerebral hemorrhage;
- lack of coordination;
- death.
How to choose a hat for a child without measuring the circumference
When choosing a headdress without measuring the volume, you must be guided by the age of the child. The average volume can be calculated using formulas. For example, at 1.5 years average volume head is 46.5 cm. When choosing summer hat you can take the product end-to-end. Winter hats should be a little looser. 
When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the depth and size of the bottom. Often, a hat selected according to volume does not fit the baby or, on the contrary, covers the eyes. Therefore, it is better to purchase the first headdress with your child, and choose the next ones as before, so as not to make a mistake.
Head volume in newborns is as important as height and weight. An increase or decrease may be a signal for additional examination.
At the same time, all children are individual and cannot be fitted to a template. Therefore, in case of large deviations from the norm, it is necessary to take several repeated measurements and consult with a specialist.
Article format: Svetlana Ovsyanikova
Video on the topic: head volume in children
Fontana and head volume in children under one year of age:
An indicator such as the head circumference of a newborn is one of the basic ones, thanks to which the correct development of the baby in the first period of his life is monitored. Especially for this purpose, normative ranges were derived for each specific age.
Normal indicators
A child is born very tiny, but in the first year of his life significant changes occur, particularly in the physical plane. Including the head changes its size, which is an indicator of normal development subject to certain limit values.
The most active phase of such changes can be called the first half of the year. At this time, growth is very intense and can increase up to 2 cm on average in 1 month. Starting from the 4th month, these processes gradually slow down. In children under one year old, due to such changes, there is a gradual acceptance by the body correct proportions. At 15-16 weeks, the girth of the skull should be approximately equal to the girth of the chest.
To make it easier for parents to navigate, a table of indicators was specially developed that demonstrates what the head circumference should be for each year separately. For the first year, the data is divided by month, since during this period deviations of a few centimeters can become a very significant cause for concern.
Monitoring of all parameters of the baby’s development should be carried out under the strict supervision of a pediatrician.
On average, the norm for newborn babies is 35 cm in circumference of the skull. Depending on personal characteristics anatomical structure and fetal development, this number may have deviations in the range of 32-38 cm. In the future, you need to ensure that the monthly growth meets the standards.
Since there are practically no perfect matches, deviations can be 2-3 cm from the average. In premature babies, growth occurs somewhat more actively and is gradually compared with normal data.
Table of head circumference of a child at a certain age:
| Period | Average, cm | Normal deviations, cm |
| Moment of birth | 34-35 | 32-38 |
| 1 month | 36-37 | 34-40 |
| 2 months | 37-38 | 35-40 |
| 3 months | 39-40 | 36-41 |
| 4 months | 40-41 | 37-43 |
| 5 months | 41-42 | 38-44 |
| 6 months | 43-44 | 40-46 |
| 7 months | 44-45 | 41-47 |
| 8 months | 45 | 42-48 |
| 9 months | 45-46 | 43-49 |
| 10 months | 46-47 | 44-50 |
| 11 months | 47 | 45-50 |
| 12 months | 47-48 | 46-51 |
| 24 months | 49-50 | 47-51 |
| 36 months | 50-51 | 48-52 |
| 48 months | 51 | 49-52 |
From 4-5 years of age, children’s head circumference almost completely slows down and its changes become less noticeable. However, anatomical changes continue to occur until the maturity of the organism.
How to determine the size of your head circumference?
A pediatrician should monitor changes in the size of a newborn’s head circumference. That is why a schedule of mandatory visits to the clinic is established to take basic metric indicators and examine the baby’s condition.
However, you can determine whether the child’s parameters correspond to standard indicators independently. A table with ready-made data does not always help, because for everyone little man changes occur on an individual basis. To calculate what the size of your baby’s skull should be at a given time, you need to make some simple calculations. The average indicator for six months of age is taken as a basis. Then you need to add or subtract required quantity centimeters.
The growth rate for children over 6 months is on average 0.5-1 cm. For younger children, you need to subtract 1.5-2 cm. If you fit within the deviation limits, there is most likely no reason to worry. In order to eliminate all doubts, in any case you need to come to an appointment with a pediatrician.
Possible deviations
Unfortunately, there are also situations when the size of the baby’s head circumference does not correspond to the norm, even taking into account permissible fluctuations. If there are deviations of even half a centimeter, there is cause for concern.
Deviations in head circumference may occur with hydrocephalus in a baby
There are several main reasons for the occurrence of such deviations in small child. Which one of them caused the violation in physical development, can only be determined by a doctor after a thorough examination.
- Heredity. If parents or close relatives have larger or smaller head sizes than normal, this can be passed on to the child. In this case, there is no reason to worry. It’s worse if you met in the family pathological changes skulls
- Birth injury . When passing through the birth canal, the baby touches the bones and tissues of the mother, which can lead to swelling. Most often it goes away on its own within the first 24 hours. In babies born by caesarean section, the shape of the head is closer to normal and does not undergo changes in volume.
- Congenital pathologies. It is much worse if the cause of the deviations is congenital pathologies. This mainly refers to hydrocephalus and microcephaly. In the first case, the so-called fontanelles swell, the skull increases in size, and a venous network may appear.
IN in rare cases this leads to neurological impairment and death. In the second case, the situation is the opposite. The fontanelles remain closed, and the size of the skull differs from the norm in a smaller direction. This disease inhibits the growth of a child's head.
To prevent more serious consequences, you need to regularly visit the pediatrician and monitor compliance of metric indicators with standards.
Observant adults know that a newborn baby's skull is unusually large in relation to the rest of the body. Indeed, if in an adult the head is 1/8 of the length of the entire body, then in babies in the first month of life the skull is 1/3 of the body. However, doctors are more interested in another indicator.
Even in the delivery room, as soon as the baby is placed on the happy mother’s chest and then taken away, he is weighed and measurements are taken. This includes measuring head circumference.
Despite the long 9-month period of intrauterine development of the baby, the skull is finally formed only after birth. At the time of birth, the baby’s skull still has soft and fairly mobile bones - this is intended by nature so that the head can slightly change shape for a more comfortable passage through the narrow birth canal. Most babies walk head first, so the main load falls on it. Therefore, children born naturally in the first days have a slightly elongated, oval shape heads, while the heads of babies, born by caesarean section, remain round. In connection with this, the “Caesareans” have a slightly larger head circumference.
Often as a result natural birth babies acquire some complications in the form of swelling or bumps on the head (cephalohematomas). You should not be afraid of this - in a few days the formations will resolve on their own.
Why do doctors measure circumference? By this seemingly inconspicuous parameter you can recognize important information. The head size of children must meet certain standards - this indicates normal development this part of the body and, accordingly, the brain. If this indicator is different, the baby is prescribed special examinations to understand the reason: physiological feature or a problem that requires treatment.
What should be the volume of a newborn's head?
The skull of a newborn baby is formed by the month, and by this age its volume should be approximately 34 cm. For girls, the figure is slightly smaller, for boys it is larger. In another month, the volume of the newborn baby’s head should increase by 2.5 cm. For comparison, the volume of the chest will be 2 cm less than the volume of the head.
By 3 or 4 months, the volumes of the chest and head will be equal and should be approximately 40 cm, and by six months the figure will already be 43.
The local pediatrician will measure the baby's head circumference monthly
From 6 months of age, growth occurs more slowly - 0.5 cm per month, and by the age of one year the baby's head should have a volume of approximately 47 cm.
A table with the average statistical parameters for girls and boys from birth to adulthood will help you better perceive this information.
How to take measurements?
You can measure the volume of the head yourself if you enlist the help of a second adult - the baby needs to be placed on a sofa, changing table or regular table. It is important that the baby is in good mood, because when screaming and crying, the blood vessels on the head can swell - as a result, measurements will show higher value than it actually is.
If the baby is calm, smiles and allows himself to be measured, an ordinary sewing measuring tape is placed horizontally under the crown of the head and drawn in front along the line of the eyebrows - the resulting value will be a reliable indicator of volume.
What if there is a deviation from the norm?
Sometimes it's - individual feature baby, which does not pose any threat to health. This is usually the case if the deviations from the “ideal” parameters are insignificant. If the difference is significant, it is worth looking for the reason. There are only two options:
- hydrocephalus;
- microcephaly.
A too rapid increase in the volume of the head indicates that hydrocephalus is actively developing in the baby’s body, a disease in which an excessive amount of fluid forms in the spinal canals, which “stretches” the newborn’s skull from the inside. In this case, a consultation with a neurologist is required, which, in principle, will probably be recommended by a pediatrician during routine care of a newborn.
Hydrocephalus occurs if during pregnancy future mom transferred infection, and this infection affected the development of the fetus. Treatment for hydrocephalus usually takes several months, but the disease is curable.
If the newborn's head has a small volume, this is a symptom of microcephaly ( genetic disease). Microcephaly in most cases is noticeable even on ultrasound during pregnancy. Unfortunately, this deviation is often a reason for termination of pregnancy - for medical reasons.
Many parents are not interested in why this is necessary, but by taking such measurements at home, you can once again make sure that the baby is developing correctly. Or, notice in a timely manner that a consultation with an experienced pediatric neurologist is required.
Head circumference standards were derived for a reason. It is from them that you can determine whether the newborn is healthy. Immediately after birth, the baby's height, weight, chest circumference and head circumference are measured. Too little or too little parameters indicate the presence of developmental deviations in the baby. But, if deviations from the norm are not significant, they are considered simply genetic characteristics characteristic of the family.
Age-related changes
Over the period of time from birth to one year, the baby grows and develops rapidly, and accordingly, the volume of the child’s head changes. After a year, the growth process does not stop, but proceeds a little more slowly. If all indicators of physical and psychomotor development are normal, the average monthly increase in head volume in children from 3 months of age is 1 cm. Up to 3 months, on average, 2-3 cm are added. At 6 months, the head circumference in children standardly reaches 43 cm, per year - 46-49.
The volume of the child's head will depend on gender. The parameters of girls are slightly smaller than those of boys. Development of the baby's skull - important process, which must be carefully monitored. In case of serious deviations from the norm, the pediatrician prescribes an examination.
Features of the newborn skull
The skull of a newborn can take irregular shape. It depends on the birth process. In children born through Caesarean section, the shape of the head is close to ideal, but if the baby himself passed through the birth canal, the shape of his skull may be slightly elongated. Almost 90% of babies born naturally develop a cranial hematoma. The damage is caused by intense pressure during passage through the birth canal. But this process is painless and already on the 3rd day the skull takes on a standard shape.
The skull and other bones are very mobile, so you need to handle the baby carefully. Children's bones acquire the structure of an adult only by the age of 12.
We take measurements
To find out what head size your son/daughter has, you need to learn how to take measurements correctly:
- the same centimeter should be used each time;
- It is best for one person to take the measurements each time;
- at the time of taking measurements, the baby should be in a good mood;
- the size of a newborn's head is measured along a line running along the back of the head, above the ears and the most protruding point of the forehead above the brow arches;
- All measurements received must be recorded in a separate notebook and checked against a table of child head sizes by month.
Measurements should be checked not only with tables, but also with general parameters of height, chest circumference, and weight. In addition, you need to pay attention to the initial indicators. To check head sizes premature babies another table is used. Their parameters will increase with less intensity. The same applies to babies born with a large body weight. Large babies are born with parameters corresponding to the development of a 2-3 month old baby, so clothes for newborns will be too small for them.
Table of baby head sizes by month
| Age (months) | Boys Head Size(cm) | Girls Head Size(cm) |
| 1 | 37,3 | 36,6 |
| 2 | 38,6 | 38,4 |
| 3 | 40,9 | 40 |
| 4 | 42 | 40,5 |
| 5 | 43,2 | 41 |
| 6 | 44,2 | 42,2 |
| 7 | 44,8 | 43 |
| 8 | 45,4 | 43,3 |
| 9 | 46,3 | 44 |
| 10 | 46,6 | 45,6 |
| 11 | 46,9 | 46 |
| 12 | 47,2 | 46,2 |
| 18 | 47,8 | 46,8 |
| 24 | 48,3 | 47,4 |
What can deviations from the norm mean?
Small discrepancies between actual measurements and tabular data are considered normal. Serious deviations from the table indicators may indicate the presence of a developmental pathology or disease. One of these deviations is hydrocephalic syndrome or hydrocephalic hydrocephalus. The pathology is very easy to notice. The size of a newborn's head changes unevenly, irregularly, while body parameters remain unchanged. The frontoparietal region is greatly enlarged. Changes are noticeable in the fontanel zone.
The second common abnormality is microcephaly. Distinctive feature disease will have a small skull. Leads to delays in brain development and neurological pathologies.
Calculation formulas
Any parent can independently take measurements and use a formula to determine whether the indicator meets the standards. The average TG of a six-month-old toddler is always taken as a guideline: 43 cm. To carry out calculations, you should subtract 1.5 cm from this indicator for each month.
For example, OG 3 one month old baby equals 38.2. We calculate: 43-1.5-1.5-1.5 = 38.6 - the baby is developing normally. After six months, the formula changes slightly; now we add 0.5 cm for each month of life to the average parameter corresponding to 6 months of development. After six months, children grow a little slower. For example, the OG of an 8-month-old baby is 44. We calculate: 43+0.5+0.5=44 – the parameters are ideal.
These data, like standard measurements, are approximate due to gender differences.
Buying a hat for a baby without measurements
When choosing a headdress for a toddler, the main criterion does not have to be the volume of the skull, it can be height. In a couple of minutes you can find out the required size using the table of child head sizes by age
| Age | Height (cm) | Size |
| Newborn | 50-51 | 35 |
| 1-3 months | 52-53 | 36 |
| 3-6 months | 54-61 | 39 |
| 6 months | 62-67 | 42 |
| 9-12 months | 68-73 | 44 |
| 1-1.5 years | 74-85 | 46-47 |
| 2 years | 86-91 | 48 |
| 3 years | 92-98 | 49 |
| 4 years | 98-103 | 50 |
| 5 years | 104-109 | 51 |
| 6 years | 110-115 | 52 |
| 7 years | 116-121 | 53 |
| 8 years | 122-123 | 54 |
| 9 years | 124-133 | 56 |
| 10 years | 134-139 | 57 |
How to knit a hat for a toddler
First, select the threads, not causing allergies, soft, preferably not wool. Try to make a hat without internal seams. For winter, you will need a hat that tightly covers your ears, neck, and forehead.
To manufacture the product, one parameter is required - exhaust gas. The measurement needs to be divided by 3.14 - this will be the diameter of the bottom of the cap. The depth of the product is determined by measuring the length from ear to ear and adding 1 cm. Do not forget to add 1 cm for the lining allowance.
What to look for when choosing a headdress for children
When choosing a hat or cap for a toddler, you need to take into account the practicality of the product. There should not be any unnecessary parts on it that are easily detached; they pose a serious danger, because the toddler can swallow them. The fabric of the headdress must provide good thermoregulation, otherwise the baby’s head will constantly sweat in the summer and freeze in the winter. The product should take the shape of the skull and fit tightly to the ears.
High-quality demi-season hats are made with fleece lining. Your baby's wardrobe should include items made from raincoat fabric for wet weather. High-quality raincoat fabric products are always insulated with padding polyester. This allows you to keep warm even in the most chilly damp weather.