When measuring children up to 2 years, remove all clothes and nappy; children older than 2 years should wear minimal clothing only. Always remove shoes. Measure length until age 2; measure height after age 2. A child’s height is usually slightly less than their length.

Weight: use only class III clinical electronic scales in metric setting.

Length: (before 2 years of age): proper equipment is essential (length board or mat). Measurers should be trained.

Height: (from 2 years): use a rigid rule with T piece, or stadiometer. Position head and feet so that they touch the wall while child is standing as straight as possible.

Babies should be weighed in the first week as part of the assessment of feeding and thereafter as needed. Recovery of birthweight indicates that feeding is effective and that the child is well. Once feeding is established, babies should usually be weighed at around 8, 12 and 16 weeks and 1 year at the time of routine immunisations. If there is concern, weigh more often; however, weights measured too close together are often misleading, so babies should be weighed no more than once a month up to 6 months of age, once every 2 months from 6 to 12 months of age, and once every 3 months over the age of 1 year. However, most children do not need to be weighed this often.

Length or height should be measured whenever there are any worries about a child’s weight gain, growth or general health.

Babies do not all grow at the same rate, so a baby’s weight often does not follow a particular centile line, especially in the first year. Weight is most likely to track within one centile space (the gap between two centile lines, see diagram). In infancy, acute illness can lead to sudden weight loss and a weight centile fall but on recovery the child’s weight usually returns to its normal centile within 2–3 weeks. However, a sustained drop through two or more weight centile spaces is unusual (fewer than 2% of infants) and should be carefully assessed by the primary care team, including measuring length/height.

Because it is difficult to measure length and height accurately in pre-school children, successive measurements commonly show wide variation. If there are worries about growth, it is useful to measure on a few occasions over time; most healthy children will show a stable average position over time.

Mandatory vaccines are either compulsory or highly advised.

Circumstantial vaccines are given under specific conditions, such as pre-existing health condition or planned trip in a high-risk country. See the comment below the vaccine name or get advice from your child's doctor if you think you might be eligible for one.

Rcommended vaccines are usually not mandatory, but advised by WHO.

If the chart shows a flag next to a vaccine, that vaccine only applies to the country mentioned. If your baby lives in another country, they may get the vaccine as part of a many-in-one vaccine.

All the other vaccines (with no flag shown) are generally given to babies in most of developed countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, EU, etc.

If the vaccine applies to another country, but not yours, and you still want your child to have it, contact your child's doctor for more information.

The charts show WHO-approved age for each vaccine. However, take a note that some vaccines can be given some time beforehand or after a deadline.

If you think a vaccine should be given in a time that is different to the chart, seek for more details about a specific vaccine online or contact your child's doctor.

Similarly, if your child has been given a vaccine earlier or later than stated in the chart, no need to worry, as some vaccines are often safely administered outside of the recommended ages. If in doubt, seek for more information on the vaccine or get in touch with your child's doctor.