# Formula for predicting height?



## Confusticated (Apr 23, 2008)

I was visiting a Height Calculator and entered some numbers of people I know - the calculator didn't guess right in most cases. 

This calculator uses a formula to predict a child's height based on mother and father's height.

For example my mother is 5'6 and father is 5'10. According to the formula their son would be 5'10.5. They do have 3 sons, here are the actual heights: one about 6'1,and 2 at 5'5. The closest one is off by over two inches. But it calculates a daughter at 5'5.5 - and at 5'6 their daughter is pretty close.

That my father's father and his family were well over 6 feet might explain why one of my brothers is so much taller than my father, but there are no shorter males on either side of the family to explain the two shorter brothers of mine. I guess things just happen.

A quick look around at family I knew with multiple sons or daughters reveals that there is no easy formula! I have a set of three male cousins (same parents) all very different heights. My mother and her 6 sisters vary from.. I'd guess 5'4 to 6'0.

Why even have a formula that is so useless? Surely no more useful that a glance at the parents and a wild guess.


I suspect this formula found here is the one used by the calculator. Does it work for your family?


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## HLGStrider (Apr 23, 2008)

Well, according to this, my daughter will probably be 5'8 and if we have a son he'll be 6'1. 

Generally though, the generations tend to get taller rather than shorter from what I've observed. My dad is a relatively short 5'8 (my daughter's supposed future height. . .), my mom is my height, 5'4, and this says my brother should be 5'8.5. He's an even 6 foot though he only admits to five 11 because he thinks it is silly to be an even six foot. I don't know why. This is just how Ben thinks. Matt (husband) is four inches taller than this calculator says he should be. My sister and I are both the same height as our mom and this says we should be about an inch shorter. 

Almost every boy I grew up with ended up a little bit taller than his father. Possibly nutrition pays a stronger roll than they are letting in? My dad's mom was a smoker/drinker/died at 54 from heart failure and I doubt she was in good health even in her 20's when she had my father or that she stopped smoking while pregnant. Possibly that stunted his development. Also, I think to be accurate it would need grandparents taken into account.


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