Fenton growth chart for preterm infants
Choose the Fenton chart workflow, prepare postmenstrual age and measurements, then use the official chart tools for exact preterm growth percentiles and z-scores.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-28
Percentile handoff
Choose the right Fenton chart
Fenton 2025 growth chart
Use this for the newer third-generation Fenton workflow when your NICU, EHR, or follow-up clinic has moved to 2025 charts.
Fenton 2013 growth chart
Use this for legacy reports, historical trend comparison, or sites that still use the 2013 Fenton chart family.
Official Fenton 2025 plotter
Use the official plotter when you need exact 2025 percentile or z-score output from the source calculator.
PediTools Fenton 2013 calculator
Use PediTools when you need exact Fenton 2013 percentile or z-score output with the established calculator workflow.
What the Fenton chart needs
- Sex assigned for the chart.
- Postmenstrual age at the measurement date, usually entered as weeks plus days.
- Weight in grams, length in centimeters, and head circumference in centimeters.
- The chart version used for interpretation: Fenton 2025, Fenton 2013, or local chart software.
Documenting the chart version matters because a percentile trend should not be mixed across chart families without noting the change.
Preterm growth workflow
- Confirm gestational age at birth and current postmenstrual age.
- Repeat any unexpected weight, length, or head circumference measurement before interpretation.
- Open the Fenton chart version required by the care setting.
- Record percentile or z-score output with the chart version and measurement date.
- Plan the transition to corrected-age WHO or local term charts when the infant leaves the preterm chart range.
Related calculators
References
FAQs
The Fenton chart family is used to monitor preterm infant weight, length, and head circumference by sex and postmenstrual age before transition to term infant growth charts.
Use the version required by your NICU, EHR, research protocol, or follow-up clinic. Fenton 2025 is the newer chart family, while many historical reports and workflows still use Fenton 2013.
No. It checks the postmenstrual-age workflow and packages sex plus measurements for official Fenton tools. Use the official plotter, PediTools, or local chart software for exact percentile and z-score output.
Fenton workflows commonly use sex, postmenstrual age, weight in grams, length in centimeters, and head circumference in centimeters. Repeat unexpected measurements before interpreting a percentile or z-score.
Transition timing depends on local protocol and clinical context. Many workflows use preterm chart context through term-equivalent age or the Fenton range, then use corrected age with WHO infant charts before later CDC chart use.