Maybe the nursery wall is already taken by the crib and a dresser. Maybe you have two kids and want one chart they both use. Or maybe you just want the chart somewhere you'll actually see it, not tucked behind a bedroom door. Deciding where to hang a growth chart comes down to a handful of practical checks, and the bedroom is only one of the options.

Below you'll find what makes a spot work, a pros-and-cons table covering ten common spots, room-by-room notes, and how to keep your marks accurate wherever the chart ends up.

What makes a good spot for a growth chart?

In short: a flat floor, a clear wall, a spot you see daily, and nothing nearby that can splash, heat or bump it. Run any wall you're considering through this list.

• ☐  A flat, level floor right in front of it. Your child's heels set the baseline for every mark. Steps, door thresholds, floor vents and plush rugs all shift that baseline.
• ☐  A clear vertical strip. No outlets, light switches, thermostats or door trim in the way, and no furniture parked in front.
• ☐  A place you pass every day. A chart you never see is a chart you forget to use.
• ☐  Walked past, not bumped into. Foot traffic is fine. A corner where the laundry basket scrapes the wall every morning is not.
• ☐  Away from water, heat, grease and strong sun. A fabric chart that can't be washed (ours can't) keeps every splash. Skip spots above baseboard heaters and radiators, too.
• ☐  Room to step back. You'll want a few feet of floor to crouch, read the marks and take a yearly photo.
• ☐  Well clear of the crib. A baby standing in a crib grabs whatever is in reach. Keep wall items well outside that zone.
• ☐  A wall that still makes sense in three years. Nurseries become big-kid rooms and playrooms become offices. Shared spaces tend to stay shared.

Growth chart placement ideas, compared

Here's how the common spots stack up for a typical family home. The last column is our honest take, not a hard rule. Your layout may make a good spot great, or a great one unworkable.

Room by room: where to hang a growth chart beyond the bedroom

Every home is laid out differently, so here's what to look for, and what to watch for, in each spot.

Hallway: the best all-rounder

Hallways are neutral ground. No one's bedroom owns the chart, everyone walks past it several times a day, and hall walls are often long and unbroken. If you have more than one child, this is usually the best place to hang a growth chart.

A few things to check first:

• The end wall beats a side wall. In a narrow hall, the wall at the end sits out of the traffic path and gives you room to step back for a photo.
• Stay between doors, not beside them. A door that swings into the hall can knock the chart, and a doorstop or handle may sit right where your child needs to stand.
• Mind the runner. Either hang the chart over bare floor or commit to measuring on the same thin runner every time. A plush rug squashes differently from year to year.
• Look down for vents. A floor register right under the chart puts a grille under your child's heels and blows warm or cool air across the fabric.

Playroom: the fun spot, if you guard the wall

Kids spend hours in a playroom, and a chart there turns into something they check on their own. It's also the room where a bright, colorful chart fits in instead of competing with the decor.

The catch is that playroom stuff drifts. Toy bins, a play kitchen and bookcases all tend to end up against the nearest wall. Pick a wall section too narrow for furniture, like the strip between a window and a corner, so nothing can park in front of the chart.

Keep the art table on a different wall. Crayons and markers next to a fabric chart that can't be washed is a risky mix. Store the pen or marker that came with the chart up high, too, since pen caps are a choking hazard for small kids.

If the chart is headed for a colorful playroom, our Canvas Growth Chart for Babies and Kids: Rainbow ($44) is the colorway made for that kind of room. It's 100% cotton canvas, starts at the 6-inch mark, and comes with a fabric-safe marker.

Canvas Growth Chart for Babies and Kids: Rainbow

$44.00

View the Canvas Growth Chart for Babies and Kids: Rainbow

Closet door or bedroom door: good for small spaces

A door is flat, tall and rarely has furniture in front of it. In a small apartment, the outside of a closet door may be the only open vertical strip you've got. It also keeps nail holes off your walls.

• Measure from the floor, not the door. There's usually a gap under an interior door, so the bottom edge of the door is not your baseline.
• Latch it shut when you measure. A door that shifts when your child leans back moves the chart with it.
• Solid swing doors work best. Bifold doors flex when someone leans on them, and sliding doors can scrape a chart as the panels pass each other.
• Pick the right hook. Many interior doors are hollow, with a thin outer skin. A removable adhesive hook rated for more than the chart weighs, on a clean, smooth surface, is often easier than a nail.
• Use the outside face. A chart on the inside of a closet door stays protected, but you'll rarely see it.

Stairwell: bottom landing only

Stairwells often have tall, blank walls, and they're a common spot for family photos. A growth chart can sit alongside a gallery wall nicely. The rule is simple: it has to go on the bottom landing.

Every mark depends on your child standing on the same flat floor the chart was measured from. On the stairs themselves, the floor under the chart changes height with every step, so there's no single baseline to hang it from. A landing gives you one steady floor.

Choose the bottom landing. Skip the top of the stairs and any mid-stair landing, since a mid landing sits at the top of the lower flight. A child who steps away from the wall after a mark shouldn't be one step from a drop. Stairwells can also be dim, so check that you can read the marks without a flashlight.

Entryway or mudroom: works with a buffer

Shoes come off at the door, and shoes off is how accurate marks are made. That makes the entry a natural spot for a quick stand against the wall on the way in.

The risk is everything else that lives there: wet coats, muddy boots, dripping umbrellas and backpacks swung onto hooks. Put the chart on a wall with no hooks, well away from the boot tray, so nothing hangs or drips onto the fabric.

Living or family room: most visible, needs a nook

The living room is where a growth chart gets seen by the most people, and it makes an easy backdrop for a yearly photo. It's also the room where furniture moves most. A sofa slid back six inches can hide your chart for a year.

Look for a nook that can't hold furniture: a short wall between two doorways, the space beside a built-in bookcase, or a narrow wall next to a window. A neutral chart blends in with most living-room decor.

Inside a walk-in closet: a last resort

A closet wall keeps the chart out of the sun and away from spills. But it's out of sight, often dim, and the floor tends to fill up with shoes and bins. Use it only if no other wall works, and keep a clear patch of floor in front.

The nursery or a kid's bedroom: still a solid default

The bedroom isn't wrong. It's just not the only choice. It's calm, it belongs to your child, and bedtime is an easy moment to stand them against the wall. It works especially well for one child, or when each sibling has their own chart.

In a nursery, keep the chart well clear of the crib and away from any heater. If you're planning marks from the very first months, our guide on when to start tracking your baby's height explains how early marks work before a baby can stand.

Grandma and Grandpa's house: a second chart

If your family gathers at one house every year, a chart there can become part of the visit. Grandparents get their own record, and kids get a mark to check the moment they arrive. Our guide to the annual Thanksgiving height check at Grandma's covers where those marks should live and how to keep them consistent.

Spots to skip, or think twice about

• Kitchen walls near the stove or sink. Grease, steam and sauce splatter build up on fabric you can't wash.
• Bathrooms. Humidity and splashes are hard on any fabric wall piece.
• Beside or above the crib or bassinet. Keep anything on the wall out of reach of a baby standing in the crib.
• The top of the stairs, or a mid-stair landing. A child who steps away from the wall after a mark shouldn't be one step from a drop.
• Over a baseboard heater, radiator or floor vent. Heat and blowing air are hard on fabric, and heaters take up the floor your child needs to stand on.
• A wall in strong afternoon sun. Direct sun can fade printed fabric over time.
• A wall you plan to renovate soon. You can move a canvas chart, but it's easier to hang it once on a wall that's staying put.

One chart, two or more kids: where should it live?

With siblings, the question shifts from which room to whose room. A few decision rules:

• Sharing one chart? Hang it on neutral ground: a hallway, playroom or family room. Label every mark with a name or initial and the date. Siblings close in age end up with marks near each other in different years, so give each child a side, like the older child's marks on the left edge and the younger child's on the right.
• One chart per child? Hang them side by side in a hallway, both at the same 6-inch baseline, so marks are easy to compare. Or give each child a chart in their own room. A name on each keeps things clear.
• Twins? Side-by-side charts, measured on the same day, keep it simple.
• A child who minds comparisons? If one sibling is sensitive about being shorter, separate charts in separate rooms take the side-by-side view out of the hallway.

How to keep marks accurate, wherever you hang it

A great spot doesn't help if the chart hangs at the wrong height. The fix takes a tape measure and two minutes.

1. Know where your chart starts. Many growth charts don't start at zero. Ours start at the 6-inch mark to clear most baseboards. Position the chart so its lowest printed line (6 inches) sits exactly 6 inches above the floor.
2. Measure from the floor your child stands on. Not the top of the baseboard, and not the bottom of a door. Bare floor or wall-to-wall carpet is best. If there's a thin rug, measure from its top and keep that same rug in place.
3. Hang from one point. A single nail or hook through the grommet lets the chart hang straight. Make sure nothing, like trim or a shelf edge, presses against its sides.
4. Double-check a higher line. Run the tape from the floor to any printed line further up. If the numbers match, you're set. If not, adjust the hook.
5. Measure the same way every time. Shoes off, heels and back against the wall, eyes looking straight ahead. Rest a flat hardcover book level on their head and mark just under it. Add the name and date.

For the full walkthrough, including hook choices for different walls, see how to hang a canvas growth chart without wrecking your wall. It also helps to pick one day a year to measure so marks line up. Measuring on January 1 is one easy option.

The other benefit of a canvas chart is that the spot doesn't have to be forever. If the playroom becomes an office, re-hang the chart on a new wall with the 6-inch line back at 6 inches above the floor, and every mark still lines up. Our Canvas Kids Growth Chart ($44) is built for that: 100% cotton canvas, a single silver grommet for easy hanging, name personalization, and a fabric-safe pen included.

Canvas Kids Growth Chart

$44.00

View the Canvas Kids Growth Chart

If you're stuck between two walls, choose the one you'll walk past tomorrow morning. Check the floor, clear the strip, set the 6-inch line at 6 inches up and hang it. The first mark matters more than the perfect wall, and with a canvas chart, you can always move it later.

Frequently asked questions