We’ve all heard of the ‘two years times two’ method for easily working out how tall our kids will be, but have you ever tried the Midparental Height Method?

While it’s a little more involved, the Midparental Height Method involves using both of the parent’s heights to work out how tall their children will be.

How to work out how tall your child will be

Most of us have tried the ‘two years times two’ method – it simply involves doubling your child’s height at the age of two to predict how tall they will be.

This method is a little flawed however, given girls develop quicker than boys. So it may be a little more accurate to double a girl’s height at 18 months, instead of 24 months.

The Midparental Height Method

Dr Meghan Martin, a doctor from Florida, recently took to TikTok to explain the Midparental Height Method, and her video has been viewed almost three million times!

@beachgem10 Midparental height is a rough estimation of a kids genetic potential for height. There are obvisouly lots of factors that inpact growth though! #growth #height #kids #prediction #parents ♬ Never Grow Up – Taylor Swift

“So in paediatrics we do have a rough calculation that we can use to determine about how big a kid’s gonna be when they grow up,” the mum-of-four explained.

“Now obviously genetic conditions and other factors can play a role in height development and so this really just gives us a general idea of genetically what their potential is.

“So you’re gonna take the height of both parents. So let’s look at my husband and I. I am 5’2 and my husband is 5’10ish. And so first you’re gonna add those numbers together. Then you’re gonna take that number and for a boy you’re gonna add five (inches) and for a girl you’re going to subtract five (inches). Then you’re gonna take your new number and you’re gonna divide it by two and that’s about how big you can expect your kid to be genetically.

“So for my boys we would expect them to be about 5’8 … 5’9 and for my girls we would expect them to be about 5’3½.

“My kids are all still growing, I don’t know if it’s gonna work out for them.”

How to use the Midparental Height Method using metric measurements

In Australia of course, we use metric units of measurements, so this method needs to be tweaked a little.

According to GP Notebook, after adding the parents heights (in cms), add 7cms for a boy, then divide by two to get the predicted height at the age of 18. For girls, subtract 7cms from the sum of the two parents’ heights, then divide by two. This height prediction can vary by 5cm each way, according to the site.

Try this out with your kids and let us know how tall they’re going to be in the comments below. Or let us know if it’s accurate for your adult kids!

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