Short son

[Sailingovertheedge]

Hi all, I’m wondering what to do, if anything. My son is in y5 and really short. He’s the shortest in a year of 120 (4 form). I’m wondering if I should take him to the doctors - realistically is there anything they could do? Sorry for the clueless post.

I second GP appt. There are specialists who can tell you. Far better for DS to understand than spend years waiting and hoping!

So all of the men in the family are below average height. There’s your answer OP.

I thought I read sons get heights from their mothers & they are generally taller than their mums? He could be a late grower, I was average for all of primary & then shot up.

Ok thanks for the answers. You are right that he is from a family of shorties but I might see the GP to rule any other issues out.

What's the harm in asking GP for Paed appointment. They might say he's just small, fair enough. Might be a late bloomer. It could be a hormone deficiency or something genetic.

I did this with my son, so don’t write it off as an option so quickly. We were told at 8 years old that he would never grow taller then 4’2. Fast forward 10 years and he’s getting ready to move to North Carolina with a basketball scholarship. Don’t lose hope

OP my DS was absolutely tiny all through school, youngest and smallest in his year and late to puberty. In year 10 most of his peers were 6ft with facial hair and he was mistaken for a year 7. He never had a major growth spurt but slowly just started to catch up when he was doing A-levels. He's now 20, still looks younger than his age (very skinny) but is 5'11" with almost full facial hair. They all get there in the end, some just take longer.

What is your sons wing span like? X

My son isn't even on the centile chart, he is drawing his own line underneath. He had loads of tests but he's completely healthy, just short. They did say his bones show he is six months of growth behind and they expect him to have a bigger than usual spurt at puberty.

But if your son is on the chart and is from a small family then he's just short! It's so unlikely that anything is wrong medically.

Why not just focus on him being healthy and strong and don't worry about his height?

He never seemed overly tiny but was shorter than all his peers.

His first growth spurt was at 13, then he's shot up again recently at 15.

He was about 2ft 7 (78cms) at 2.5 which we were told meant he would be 5ft 3 (160cms) as an adult. If he keeps having these 4inch growth spurt he'll be about 20 feet tall

To add, we are short families too: DH is 5' 7 and the tall one in his family, my maternal grandfather was 4' 11 and my dad is 5' 8.

Oh and I was at school with a lad who was shorter than me (5ft1) when we left. I saw him in town a few years later, he was over 6ft!

Mine was the shortest in his year group / but certainly not timid! He’s shot up and now fairly average and still growing at 17

He doesn’t have wings, Toughlover 😉

I wouldn't have thought the doctors could do much... however he may just do a sudden sprout up. I wouldn't worry tbh.

My friend was fobbed off for ages re concerns over her son's height. She's short and the doctors just said it was normal.

She kept pushing, luckily, as it turns out he has a medical problem (something kidney related?) and has to inject growth hormones. He'll never be super tall but it was caught in time for him to be a reasonable height as an adult.

The men in your family do sound short but if you are concerned it's definitely worth talking to your doctor imo.

My nephew has always been small, short mother and father and his parents only really worried because he didn’t go through any obvious puberty markers. As in he kept his child’s voice and face shape. He is a super fit kid, eats well and is healthy.
Anyway they took him for a check up and a bone scan and he ended up needing extra hormones. Now he’s 19 and at uni, he’s a normal height, looks like a young man and sounds like one too. And super happy he went through the process.
Get your son checked now because the NHS being what it is, it may well take a long time to get sorted. He might be a short kid or might not have enough growth hormones, you might as well find out.

My middle son was short. Average until puberty then the shortest in his year for a few years.. It was20 years ago, but he was very upset and we went to drs. He had a series of injections, the dr was clear this wouldn’t make him grow taller than he would normally. He’s about 5’11l now.

Short family, most likely short child.

He isn’t drastically short…I wouldn’t worry about it. You won’t know how big he will be until after puberty

My son was always short/small in his year group and we are not massive. But about Y5/6 he stopped growing. Saw a thread on here of someone in a similar situation - and like that poster my son turned out to have an underactive thyroid. As do I. On thyroxine now and growing like a weed

Oh and I was told not to worry about it too. I did have other concerns - he was getting a bit chubby and once I started wondering if it maybe his thyroid I realised he was always bundled up in hoodies. Which also hid the goitre which was slightly visible (if you looked).

It may be nothing. It maybe something. But 100% work checking.

I have a Dd on growth hormones. Discovered age 7, was expected to reach 4,10. Now going to be 5,3. See a GP and they will refer on. My child’s condition is genetic she is missing a particular gene which stunts growth. Don’t wait, it takes time to get a diagnosis and the longer you have prior to puberty the better results you get on the medication.

It's worth getting checked - DP's parents are 4'10" and 5'2" (plus all 4 grandparents were small) - he was always the smallest in the year at school. But he ended up 5'6" (and 5'7" when he stands up straight). Which is fine.

He is still young - boys can get tall at the last minute. This is my very un-scientific opinion but have seen it a few times!

It’s not a big deal is it?