Your child has two front doors now, two sets of pajamas, maybe two bedrooms. And one small question keeps coming up: where do the height marks go? If you're separated or divorced and working out how a growth chart fits into co-parenting across two households, you're really deciding how a family ritual gets through a big change without becoming one more thing to negotiate.

This guide covers the four setups that work, simple rules for choosing, how to pick measuring days around a custody schedule, and how to make marks at two houses line up. You'll also find short, low-key texts you can send your co-parent to get started.

One chart or two? The four setups that work

There's no single right answer. The best setup depends on how your time is split, how far apart the homes are, and how easily you and your co-parent handle small logistics.

One chart at a home base

This is the easiest way to keep one unbroken record, especially if a chart already has years of marks on it. The other home doesn't have to be left out. Send a photo of each new mark, and when it feels right, invite the other parent to be there on measuring day.

A chart at each home

Each house gets its own chart and its own measuring days. Nothing has to change hands, and neither parent needs the other's permission to keep the tradition going. The tradeoff is two records instead of one, which matters less than you'd think once both homes measure the same way.

One chart that travels

A canvas chart can come down, roll up and go with your child for a big occasion, like a birthday. It works best once or twice a year at most, between homes that are close and parents who hand things off without friction. Roll it loosely rather than folding it, keep it dry (canvas charts shouldn't go in the wash), and check it with a tape measure every time it goes back up.

Two charts and a shared log

Each home keeps its own chart, and every mark also goes into one shared place: a photo album, a shared note, or a simple spreadsheet with the date, height and which home measured. Over the years, that log becomes one complete record, even though the marks live on two walls.

How to choose: a few simple rules

• If your child sleeps most nights at one home, keep the main chart there. The other parent can add a second chart whenever they want one.
• If custody is close to 50/50, give each home its own chart. That way neither house becomes "the real one."
• If talking about logistics is hard right now, or everything goes through a co-parenting app, choose two separate charts. There's nothing to hand back and nothing to ask about.
• If a chart already has years of marks, let it stay where your child spends the most time, and copy the old marks onto a second chart (steps below).
• If the homes are far apart and one gets long visits, like summers or school breaks, that home can take one mark per visit season. One mark a year still makes a meaningful chart.
• If you live close and get along well, a single chart can travel for one or two big days a year.
• If your child is school-age, ask them. Some kids love having a chart in both rooms. Others want one chart and don't mind where it hangs.
• If you can't agree, don't wait for agreement. A chart at your home is your call, and it takes nothing away from the other house.

One rule matters more than any setup: the chart belongs to your child, not to either house. Say it that way out loud. "This is your chart at this house" gives your child ownership of the tradition wherever they're sleeping that week.

Pick measuring days that fit your custody schedule

Classic measuring days like a birthday or New Year's Day get tricky with shared custody, when holidays alternate between homes. The fix is to anchor measuring to something your child reliably does at each house, not to a fixed date.

• Birthday week, not birthday. "The first weekend after your birthday that you're with us" works no matter whose year it is.
• Seasonal anchors. The first week of school, the first weekend of summer break, or the first cold morning at one house all work.
• Split the year. One home measures around the birthday. The other measures about six months later, maybe at back-to-school. Together, the two charts give you a reading roughly every six months, and neither house measures more than once a year.
• Fixed-date holidays, only if they're fixed for you. If January 1 lands at the same house every year, it's an easy anchor. Here's our simple New Year's Day measuring routine.

If you're still working out how to share holidays in general, our guide to planning a baby's first Christmas across two households covers handoffs and small traditions that travel well.

How often is enough? Once a year makes a lovely keepsake, and twice is plenty. After the toddler years, monthly marks mostly stack on top of each other. Measuring too often can also turn a fun ritual into a quiet contest between houses.

Measure the same way at both homes

Two charts only line up if both homes use the same method. Send this list to your co-parent, or print it and tape it inside a closet door at each house.

• ☐  Shoes off at both homes. Barefoot or socks is fine; pick one and stick with it.
• ☐  Hair flat. Take down buns, high ponytails and puffs before measuring.
• ☐  Heels against the wall, with the back of the head touching it too.
• ☐  Chin level and eyes straight ahead, not tipped up to "stand tall."
• ☐  A hardcover book or clipboard laid flat on the head and pressed to the wall. Not a hand, which tilts.
• ☐  Stand on a hard floor if you can. Thick carpet makes readings less consistent.
• ☐  Read the mark at eye level. Crouch down instead of looking down from above.
• ☐  Measure at about the same time of day in both homes. Kids can read a little taller in the morning than at bedtime.
• ☐  Write the date beside every mark, plus your child's age if there's room.
• ☐  Once a year, check the chart against a tape measure held at the floor. If a printed number doesn't match the tape, the chart has slipped.

If a chart is going up (or back up) at either home, our step-by-step guide to hanging a canvas growth chart at the right height walks through the baseboard offset and a single secure anchor point.

Even with a matched routine, don't expect two homes to agree to the quarter inch. Different floors, a different time of day, and a child who stands a bit straighter for one parent can all nudge a mark. If your child notices, keep it simple: "Both marks are right. Measuring changes a little from wall to wall."

A home chart is a keepsake, not a medical record. Your child's pediatrician measures growth at well-child visits, and that's the place for any growth questions. HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, has plain-language information on those checkups.

What to do with the chart (or door frame) you already have

Many families reach this point with marks already on a wall. Those marks are part of your child's story at both homes, so plan to keep them rather than split them.

If there's an existing chart, the easiest default is to leave it where your child will spend the most time over the next few years. Then give the other home a fresh chart with the old marks copied onto it. If your child is old enough, let them weigh in on where the original lives.

If the marks are on a door frame in a home someone is leaving, copy them before moving day. Here's how to copy marks from any chart or wall:

1. Photograph the whole chart or door frame, then take a close-up of each mark and its label.
2. Hold a tape measure at the floor and measure each mark. Write a list with the date, height and any note beside it.
3. Hang the new chart and check it against a tape measure first. Then use its printed numbers to recreate each mark with its original date.
4. Mark copied entries a little differently, like a small star, so you can always tell them from new ones.
5. Send the list and photos to your co-parent. Now both homes hold the full history.

For the emotional side of leaving a place with marks on the wall, our guide to helping kids say goodbye to the old house includes photographing the growth chart wall before you go.

Keeping the tradition about your child

A growth chart is small, which is exactly why it can carry big feelings in a two-home family. A few habits keep it gentle.

• Send measurements parent to parent. Don't ask your child to report what the chart says at the other house, or to carry a chart through a tense handoff.
• Don't count marks. If one chart fills up faster, that's the calendar, not a score.
• Skip comparisons between homes. "You grew more at our house" sounds like a joke but can land hard.
• Give your child a job. Younger kids can choose which wall the chart goes on. Older kids can write the date beside their own mark or read the number out loud.
• Make room for everyone who lives there. In a blended home, a child who's there half the time shouldn't be the only kid without a spot on the wall. Give each child a chart, or share one with each child's marks in a different color.
• Keep going if your co-parent isn't interested. A tradition at one house is still a tradition, and your child still gets to have it.

What to text your co-parent

Keep these messages short, friendly and about one thing. Don't bundle a growth chart question with a schedule change or pickup time. They work just as well in a co-parenting app. Edit freely and fill in the blanks.

To suggest a chart at each home:

"I'd like to start a growth chart for [Name] at my place. If you want one at yours too, I'm happy to share how I'm measuring so our marks line up."

To suggest splitting the year:

"What if I measure [Name] around their birthday and you measure at back-to-school? We'd each do one mark a year, and together we'd have two."

To invite the other parent to measuring day:

"[Name] is getting measured at my place on [day] around [time]. You're welcome to stop by for a few minutes, or I'll send you a photo."

To share a new mark:

"New mark today: [Name] is [height] inches. Photo attached. No reply needed."

To copy old marks before a move:

"Before the move, could I photograph and measure the marks on the door frame? I'll send you the full list so we both have it."

Setting up a second chart: what to look for

If you're adding a chart at one home, or starting fresh at both, a few features make it easier to keep two homes in sync.

• Portable. A chart that hangs from one point can come down if either home turns out to be temporary, and the marks go with it. Marks on a wall or door frame stay behind.
• A printed scale that starts above the baseboard, so you aren't guessing at the bottom inches.
• Room beside the scale to write dates and ages.
• Personalization that works at both homes. A child's first name alone is a safe choice if last names differ between households.
• Safe placement. Hang it from a secure nail or hook, and keep it away from the crib in a baby's room.

Our Canvas Kids Growth Chart ($44) fits this kind of portable, multi-year tracking. It's 100% cotton canvas, hangs from a single silver grommet, starts at the 6-inch mark to clear baseboards, and comes with a fabric-safe pen. You can personalize it with your child's name and a font style.

Canvas Kids Growth Chart

$44.00

View the Canvas Kids Growth Chart

Want the two homes to match? Order the same design and font for both. If your child would like each house to have its own look, the rainbow version is the same price and also starts at the 6-inch mark, so marks still compare. Both are in our canvas growth chart collection. Allow 7–10 business days for shipping, so order two to three weeks before your first measuring day.

Start with whichever setup asks the least of your co-parenting relationship right now. You can move from one chart to two, or add a shared log, at any point. What carries the tradition is a steady method and a child who knows the chart is theirs, wherever it hangs. Pick your first measuring day, send one short text, and make the first mark.

Frequently asked questions