Logging your baby's weight as "14 lbs 3 oz" is helpful. Seeing that weight plotted on a WHO growth chart at the 45th percentile, with a line showing how they've tracked from the 40th to the 45th over the past four months — that's informative.
Growth charts give context. They show you whether your baby's weight gain is accelerating, steady, or slowing. They show whether weight, length, and head circumference are growing proportionally. They show the trend — which is what your pediatrician actually cares about.
When evaluating growth tracker apps, prioritize ones that visualize the data on real growth charts. A list of numbers in a spreadsheet is data. A plotted growth curve is information.
For more on what growth charts mean and how to read them, see our
growth percentiles guide
or try our
free online growth chart plotter.