Height Predictor Calculator
Predict a child's approximate adult height using the mid-parental height method.
- Mother165 cm
- Father180 cm
- Predicted Child179 cm
The prediction starts from the parents' average height (172.5 cm) and then shifts up 6.5 cm for a son.
A rough population-average estimate (mid-parental height method) — actual adult height varies ±8.5cm even within this method's expected range.
About the Height Predictor Calculator
This calculator predicts a child's likely adult height using the mid-parental height method — averaging both parents' heights and shifting the result up or down depending on the child's sex. It's the same rough calculation pediatricians have used for decades as a starting reference point, not a precise forecast.
Parents typically reach for this out of simple curiosity — wondering whether a tall toddler is going to stay tall, or whether a shorter-than-average kid is tracking normally against the family's genetics. It's also a common talking point at pediatric checkups when growth charts come up.
The math is quick and happens entirely on your device, so there's no need to hand over anyone's health details just to satisfy curiosity about how tall your kid might end up.
How it’s calculated
The method averages the mother's and father's heights, then adjusts for the statistical difference between adult male and female height: add 6.5 cm for a boy, subtract 6.5 cm for a girl. That shift approximates the roughly 13 cm average height gap between adult men and women, split evenly around the parental average.
This is a population-level estimate, not a growth-curve projection from the child's own measurements — it ignores the child's current growth trajectory, nutrition, health conditions, and the fact that height is influenced by more than just the two parents' genes. Actual adult height commonly falls within about ±8.5 cm of the mid-parental estimate, which is a wide enough band that it's best treated as a ballpark, not a prediction to bank on.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the mid-parental height method?
It's a rough estimate — most children's adult height lands within about 8.5 cm of the calculated value, but genetics, nutrition and health during childhood can push someone outside that range in either direction.
Why does the formula add or subtract 6.5 cm based on sex?
That adjustment approximates the average height difference between adult men and women, so the son's estimate is shifted above the parental average and the daughter's estimate is shifted below it.
Is this the same method doctors use?
Pediatricians do use mid-parental height as one reference point, usually alongside the child's own growth chart percentile over time — the two together give a much better picture than either alone.
Does this work for a child who is much taller or shorter than their growth curve suggests?
The formula only uses parental heights, so it won't reflect a child's own growth trajectory. A pediatrician tracking the child's percentile over multiple visits is a far more reliable source if actual growth looks unusual.
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