Parents Question about height

[profmom]

Mine grow at random times. I think DD made a great choice to have her growth spurt between around November and January this year.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

DD1 is the shortest in her class, despite being the oldest. Still, she eats well, has plenty of energy to train 18 hours a week, and is growing- she is growing out of/into clothes, and is taller than her little sister still. That's all I need to know. I'd be worried if I suspected she wasn't growing at all.

As I said you have a kid that is growing, shortest in the class is not the same as short stature.

I am guessing if you had a child who has not moved up a clothing size in 3 years or was. Size 5 in kids at age 10 you might feel differently. And sometimes there is no biological history to go on.

Tracking is just information, data. It's not good or bad it's just information.

You track as well your child is out growing clothes. If she wasn't odds are you would be concerned, because she wasn't growing based on how you measure.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I do find it odd though when docs try to compare a child not yet mobile to a recently mobile child. Mobility changes things.

 

[GlobalNomad]

If you have other children, how does her growth pattern compare to theirs? Our kids start out tiny then jump 20 percentile points on the charts. With the first, there were concerns early on with her being too small. Then the second grew the same way, then the third. Our doctor didn't worry about the other two being tiny as young babies, and just realized that's how our children grow. Maybe your child is following her own curve too?

 

[Flipflopz]

From B&M's mom: "Yes. Been there, still waiting for the big growth spurt and mine is 14.5. My pediatrician has been monitoring and a couple of years ago sent my DD for a bone age scan. That showed she was about two-three years behind her chronological age. We also saw an endocrinologist who agreed with the findings. Everyone thinks she'll eventually grow. She's finally grown two inches in the last year which is most she's done in several years. But she's in perfect health, just tiny."

I could have written this exactly.

 

[Shooosh]

I have no idea how MY percentiles were as a kid but if I look back at class pics I was in the back row (one of the tallest) in K-3 and then I slowly start moving up rows until in 6th grade the only kid shorter than me was my best bud (who went on the an elite gymnast!). I mentioned my girls earlier but even my son has moved around the chart tons! We used to think it was funny because our girls were so short and our boy was in the 90th (at age 2) but at his checkup this weekend he is now down to the 45th (he is 7 now). Totally healthy kid. Made of muscle. He's awesome.

 

[Faith]

I am guessing if you had a child who has not moved up a clothing size in 3 years or was. Size 5 in kids at age 10 you might feel differently. And sometimes there is no biological history to go on.

.

Well yes, obviously I would. If my kid hadn't grown in 3 years I'd be down at the Dr. If my kid didn't grow in a year I'd be down there. It wouldn't take a routine appointment and a bunch of measurements for me to know that.

I guess my point is if there is something wrong it will show itself.

The NHS here doesn't routinely weigh and measure children because it's been proven a waste of time and money, and has not been shown to help diagnose issues. Growth rates, especially through puberty, are too random.

@Daffodil, sorry wasn't trying to pick on you, just use your example that the routine measurement wasn't as useful as your own eyes and instinct that there was something wrong.

Trying to reassure the o/p that in the absence of any other concerns, one measurement does not a problem make...

 

[raenndrops]

Thanks so much for all your comments. I'm so glad I signed up here. It really helps to get feedback from parents who've been there. I'm trying not to get too worried about it. I've just never heard about issues with height before.

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't grow AT ALL from 5th grade - 7th grade... FINALLY, in spring of 8th grade, I grew 1/4 inch. Since then, I have grown another 6 inches since then... but it took me 9 years to get there . Do as the doctor says with the recheck, but don't sweat it at all. My height percentiles ranged from 34th in 5th grade down to the 9th in 6th grade... 3rd in 7th-9th grade. By high school graduation, I was back up to the 19th percentile... and the 27th percentile by the age of 20.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

my little lad was off the charts when born, weighed 11lb 13 3/4 oz and went straight into 3-6 month clothes, he was a monster baby, now, at 13 he is pretty much average height. He still has massive shoulders ( I rue those shoulders regularly) and looks big, not fat, he just kind of takes up space, but he has slowed his growth right down. After having his brother, and both his father and I being late growers ( dad was 5ft 8 at 16,now 6ft) , its pretty obvious to us that he will probably still make 6'4", but just grow later than everyone else.

Pink was a cause for concern as a baby, I do have big babies and she was 9lb 10oz, and then at 5 months dropped off the charts. Took her to the quack who said, I could send her to be prodded and poked but it seems to me that she just doesn't like eating, she is thriving, but skinny. So I weaned her earlier, shoved any food she would eat into her and after 2 hungry boys fretted a bit. Then she started gym and discovered her appetite. She is still slim, but friends cannot believe how much food she packs away.

After all my experiences, I do believe, if its not a problem, its not a problem, if it is seek reassurance.

 

[Ali'sMom]

I haven't read all the comments, but we had a "recheck" once.
DD has been at 40-50%ile in height since day one.
At her 10 year old check up, she was in the 18th percentile. He wasn't concerned, but did say that when she's checked again in 6-12 months, we'd see where she was at that time. She was back to 45% by 11 year old check up.

It wasn't about her height, it was about her slowing growth. He wasn't overly concerned, so I wasn't either.

 

[1canadiangymmom]

When my dd was born, my best friend also had her first baby girl about 1 month early. My dd was huge, her Dr. nicknamed her chunky monkey for her first year, always between the 75-85% for height and weight in her first 3 years of life. Best friend dd was super tiny I would hand my dd's clothes down to her, and she would take them in! She was always extremely low on the charts, I think under 10% for weight. Fast forward and at age 12, my dd is very short for her age and very slim for her age at school, a little shorter than average and average weight at gym. Maybe 1-2 inches than other girls her age at her gym. Best friend dd - well, she is now 5'8". I do not think that growth charts are the be all end all. They can be an information tool, but that is it. For both our very healthy pre-teens, had we been concerned as our Dr's about growth pattern changed, we would have driven ourselves nuts.

 

[mamaplum]

My DD has always been on the tiny side. less than 10th percentile for most of her life and a portion of that not even on the chart. I wasnt concerned so the dr wasnt. Several of my aunts are less than 5 foot tall my mom was the tall one at 5'2

 

[B&M's mom]

Based on our experience so far, a lot of the concern comes when they approach puberty. The shots can only be given before puberty so for those children who would benefit and want them, they have to address the issue early. Also, knowing what's going on helps the kids deal with the fact that they may still look like 8 year olds when their peers are maturing. I know for my DD, it was helpful to know that she was significantly delayed in growth, that she was perfectly healthy and it's anticipated that she'll get to at least 5'. At 14.5, she's still wearing a CM in certain things. She wants to dress like her peers but it's really hard to find age appropriate clothes. But she has the hope that one day she'll be able to shop in the same stores as her friends.

 

[Galadriel]

One of my girls (not gymmy) was the same shoe size for 4 years!
She is fine.

 

[tooootsie]

Our doctor did an X-ray of my youngest's hands to check something with her bone structure because she is pretty small.. But honestly she is 6.5 y/o and 44", so much taller than your DD. With the X-ray they estimate she will be 5'2" once she is fully grown

 

[sce]

my little lad was off the charts when born, weighed 11lb 13 3/4 oz and went straight into 3-6 month clothes, he was a monster baby, now, at 13 he is pretty much average height.

What?!? That is huge. You went on to have more kids after that? I am all the more impressed by you now.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

lol, no trampolining for me though !

 

[Galadriel]

Don't mention pelvic floor exercises!!

 

[Galadriel]

(I can't do jumping jacks in aerobic class)

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I can with extreme concentration