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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Children's health

My 7 yr old is very short what to feed him to make him grow

52 replies

TheSerene · 22/03/2013 11:05

Compared to all the other in his class am worried I don't feed him enough looking to enrich his food what food do you tall children like to eat ? It is now affecting his confidence feel so sorry for him

OP posts:

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lljkk · 22/03/2013 11:08

lol, how tall are his parents?
There's a growth pattern in DH family of being very small until puberty & then sprouting past them. Any history like that?

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SpringtimeForShatner · 22/03/2013 11:09

Lots of boys do most of their growing when they're in their teens. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you're not doing anything wrong with his diet.

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TheSerene · 22/03/2013 11:09

Heis about a foot shorter than others we are about 5ft 2 and 5 ft 8 so average
No history of that growth pattern that I know of

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Dontbugmemalone · 22/03/2013 11:16

I don't think diet is going to help.

You just have to wait for a growth spurt. Is he the youngest in his class?

I was always the smallest, it's fine.

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defineme · 22/03/2013 11:18

A foot shorter is a lot actually. I would measure his height and weight and put them into the nhs bmi calculator-that will tell you if he's underweight. I would also chat to the school nurse-every primary school should have an allocated one-they will have advice for you. I would also ask my gp too. Some kids do need injections to make them grow-there is a child having growth hormone in my kids year 3 class.
On the other hand, please don't be offended, but I would say you and your dh are quite small-I think both those heights are under the national average, are there other small people in the family?

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lljkk · 22/03/2013 11:22

What Defineme said.
That said, I don't think you & your DH are average at all, you're definitely short.
Nothing wrong with that, just don't be surprised if your DC are short, too.

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AMumInScotland · 22/03/2013 11:35

Do you have the growth charts in the red book? Is he following a line, showing him going up to a height somewhere between you and DH once he's adult? If so, then I think he is just the height he'd be expected to be at his age.

His diet won't be stopping him from growing, unless he is either being really underfed (ie going hungry) or his diet is really poor (but you'd also see that in poor skin, lack of energy, being lethargic, etc).

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TheSerene · 22/03/2013 11:41

He's full of energy and so active off to find red book

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forevergreek · 22/03/2013 11:46

I would say he is average. If you are both 5'2, and 5'8 then he's unlikely to be taller than 5'8 as an adult ( poss a little more)

My dh on the other hand is 6'4, so I would expect our children to maybe be taller.

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lljkk · 22/03/2013 11:53

I've got a red book here, if you want a lookup.
If he is truly 12" shorter than peers than he is indeed very short.
However, 10cm shorter than class average, 4", would put him on about 9th percentile, reasonable considering his parents' heights.

DS was about 25th %tile for height at age 7 & now at 13yo is 75th %tile, I reckon he's only just started puberty, too.

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BeaWheesht · 22/03/2013 13:38

How tall is he? Ds for example is 6 but 128cm - he is very tall though. ALOT of his friends are probably around 110cm I would say

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 22/03/2013 13:43

OP...you are small....your partner is average in the UK for an adult male. for women 5.5 is average. Your son may simply be short but he needs to be confident in himself no matter what...feeding him well will help him to be healthy but not affect his height.

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TaurielTest · 22/03/2013 13:49

Me and DP are the same sort of height as you and your DP, and our DS1 is shortest in his (reception) class too. The school nurse gave us a call after they did weighing and measuring recently, he's between 2nd and 9th percentile for height - I get the impression that unless there's a hormone/thyroid issue to treat (and assuming they're eating and sleeping and all that) there's not a lot that can be done.
I do worry about it a bit, though I never minded being short myself - there's this received wisdom that it's tougher for boys to be short... but I'm sure not to let DS - or his brother, who I'd guess is going to be taller - know about that.

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ClockWatchingLady · 22/03/2013 16:32

My DS (6.5) is short (9th %ile), considering that I'm tallish (over 5'6'') and DP average (5'8''-5'9''). I've spent many an hour agonising over it, and have taken him to 3 different GPs, none of whom seemed to bat an eyelid. As long as they seem to be approximately following a centile line it seems no one worries

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GreatUncleEddie · 22/03/2013 16:34

That's right, it is if they start crossing the centile lines on their chart that you get referred

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ClockWatchingLady · 22/03/2013 16:37

By the way lljkk - I like this story

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YellowandGreenandRedandBlue · 22/03/2013 16:38

Either he is short for a medical reason or he is just short naturally. Healthy diet can only help him reach his potential but if you have concerns you need to go to the GP.

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BigBoobiedBertha · 22/03/2013 16:49

Unless your DS is malnourished, I don't think feeding him anything different is going to make him grow taller, just weight more!

5'2" is short, no doubt about it so your DS may take after you. Unless your DS is off the scale small (a foot does sound an awful lot though when most of his age are getting to be around 4' ish ) he might well grow into be a short man.

Just as an example, my MIL is 5'2" and FIL is about 5'7" and their boys ended up at 5'5", 5'7" and 5'9"(DH). They aren't the tallest family but not so obviously short it is a massive disadvantage.

I would get him checked out by a GP if he is losing ground and not following his line in the red book. If he is then you just have to accept he is short and find ways of dealing with the confidence issue.

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clam · 22/03/2013 16:59

My ds was always somewhere between the 2nd and the 9th centile. I'm 5'8" and I've heard that boys always end up taller than their mothers, although dh is short. DS didn't really hit puberty until about 15 either - he looked very young compared to his peers, who were all deep voices, massive feet and bumfluff. If I'd had a pound for every person who told me he'd have a growth spurt soon, I'd be rich. But I was worried enough to talk to the doctor about it, in case there was some sort of growth hormone we could try - upshot was that you don't muck about with those drugs unless it's really serious.

Anyway, in the last year he has shot up, his voice has broken and he doesn't look out-of-place with his peers at all. In fact, one particular lad who was about 5'10 in Year 7, and looked huge then compared with ds, hasn't grown at all since, and he and ds are now only a couple of inches apart.

The good news for ds is that it's never dented his confidence - he's very articulate and into music and drama. He has never been bullied about his size although we primed him early on that the minute he let anyone see it might be an issue for him, then the floodgates could open. We gave him a few jokey retorts to use and he's been fine. He's very handsome and now the girls are flocking round him so I think he's going to do OK.

Try not to worry!

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Startail · 22/03/2013 17:11

Yes, smaller boys can be the last to grow.
DFs had parents about you and DPs hight, her little brother was always little. He was still little when I went to university.

Then one holiday I was in the pub and a familiar face looked down on me. Suddenly a good two years after his peers he'd shot up to being way taller than me and probably taller than his dad.

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Booyhoo · 22/03/2013 17:15

diet wont change his height unless you have barely been feeding him! check his height again at the end of october, they all shoot up over the summer.

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clam · 22/03/2013 17:28

"they all shoot up over the summer."
Really?

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chartreuse · 22/03/2013 17:37

I don't think his diet will make much difference. If he is considerably smaller than his classmates, go to your GP. My ds is like this and was monitored over a couple of years, and had multiple tests to see if there was an underlying cause. Analysis of a bone xray showed that he won't have a growth spurt in his teens, and he will always be 'on the small side of average' according to his consultant. It is genetic, my grandfather was small and I'm only 5'3". However, there could be other causes for your ds, so I would investigate if I were you.

It's tough on ds, he's almost 13 but wears age 9-10 clothes. He has been bullied over it, and we are constantly working on his self-esteem.

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Booyhoo · 22/03/2013 17:37

what's with the ?

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administrator · 22/03/2013 17:39

Serene, my DS is the same. I have a very nice GP who is very patient & reassuring with me & we are getting him regularly measured & checked in his red book. DS is 9, in year 4 & his peers are head & shoulders taller than him. He's baby- faced too, so he wouldn't look out of place in year 2!
Take him to see the doctor, even if it's just for reassurance. My DS IS growing- but very slowly. I feel better knowing that if there is a medical problem, it will be picked up.
I know how you feel, I was very worried & I hope you get some reassurance.