Son not growing - when to worry?

[hopeishere]

DS is 13 and is tiny. He's 140cm / 4ft 5. He is noticeably smaller than all his classmates. I'm 5ft 5 and DH is 5ft 8 so we know he's not going to be massively tall but he doesn't seem to be growing.

He keeps expecting a growth spurt and I think there is some teasing but he brushes it off. He's not started puberty - no hair, voice unbroken.

Should I bother the GP or just leave it.

What growth percentile has he been on previously? Thats right off the bottom of the chart, so I'd think a visit to the GP would be very appropriate

I'd have to go back to the red book and check! But not very low from what I remember.

Is he growing at all or stopped completely?

Find your red book and bother the GP with it!

I would go for sure

Is your dh, despite being short, talk for his family? And you?

How does he eat?
Energy levels?
Prone to illness?

I've just calculated he should end up 5.8. He's grown 1 cm since March.

Definitely go to the GP: they can check his hormones and see if there are any issues or if it is just a delay.

I'm the same as my mum my dad was 6ft my sister is 5.10. DH mum was about 5ft and his dad about 5.11.

He eats well, never ill, lots of energy, plays sport a lot.

Just looking at the NHS website which says consult a doctor if they're 14 with no signs of puberty, but once it does kick in they grow and average of 7-8cm a year. I'd probably still have a chat to a GP though, they may do some blood tests now.

@hopeishere

I'm the same as my mum my dad was 6ft my sister is 5.10. DH mum was about 5ft and his dad about 5.11.

He eats well, never ill, lots of energy, plays sport a lot.

Might just be a shortie then!

Nothing wrong with that but may be best to manage expectations

My son was the same. He was way below average for years and investigated by a paediatrician. Now as an adult he is 5'11" and has always been perfectly healthy. When he did grow (16+) he shot up very quickly.

There appears to be a genetic element to it in our family - I didn't grow much until I was 16, neither did my mother or my second cousin. All of us are/were taller than average in the end.

They don't look into boys not starting puberty until they hit 15. Have a look on the NHS website. I also thought what they do with height is draw a line between the male and female parents - so in theory he would be estimated to be between 5.5 and 5.8 so more like 5.65.

I don't think that can be right as that assumes all boys will end up shorter than their Dads.

You wouldn't happen to have his dad's baby book to compare?....

@grey12

You wouldn't happen to have his dad's baby book to compare?....

No definitely not! I'll be lucky to find his red book!!!

You can look up the centiles on line if you can't find his red book. If he's dropped centiles I'd go to the GP, otherwise I'd just keep an eye on things. I have a small 13 year old, and I've always kept a sneaky eye on whether he is following the centile line, without mentioning it to him. Mine has stayed on the same line he was on at birth, so I will carry on keeping an eye for now. It is a worry, but mine doesn't seem to mind being short, so I'd be reluctant to make an issue of it by taking him to the GP unless I really felt I had to.

It's definitely worth going to see someone and they won't think you're being silly.

DD2 (14.5) is under the paediatrics team now as she's 135cm and wears age 8-9 clothes. She's had various tests and they haven't found any underlying reason yet, but she is reassured that we and the doctors are taking seriously something which impacts her everyday life quite a lot (probably more as a short teenager than as a short adult TBH).

I think the lower down the percentiles at birth then the later the growth spurt.

We worried about our DS but he just sprouted a bit later than some of his friends. At that age the differences between boys who've started puberty and grown a bit and those who haven't looks very stark.

DC similar age and height here. Has been reviewed past few years by GP and paediatrician, bloods checked, x ray etc. Weighed and measured. Waiting to be seen by endocrinology but hoping no intervention will be necessary as has had a bit of a growth spurt. Still significantly smaller than most peers and a bit smaller than siblings at same age.

Same here. DS has just turned 15 and is just 147cm. No major signs of puberty either

Ds didn't start growing until he was nearly 15, he is half an inch short of 6 foot at 17, he has grown over 12 inches in just over 2 years.

Just to add to my previous post, still under review and while hopefully no intervention will be needed, we will consider the medical advice at future appointments and what they feel might be necessary (if anything). Still very small relatively speaking.

Thanks everyone. Glad I'm not being silly. I don't want to make him self conscious but I saw a photo today of him in a group and he was tiny compared to the rest of them.

My dsnis you get than yours at 6 years old, but still so small compared to his peers, and much smaller than siblings at the same age. He's in year 2 but is smaller than a lot of the reception children. Last time Ieasured him he was 106cm. I took him to the dr but they weren't particularly concerned. He also hasn't lost any teeth yet which most of the children in his year have. My older son had his big teeth in by the same age.