If you had a small 9-year-old boy, what is their adult height?

[Heightyheight]

My DS (age 9) is the one of the smallest boys in his class - there’s maybe one boy smaller than him.

He’s always been small - he was a small baby. It’s never especially bothered him, but he’s started saying things like “I’m going to be tall when I’m older though”. I think it’s because his dad is tall 6’2. I am smallish (5’3.5 - the 0.5 is important!)

He’s convinced he’s going to be tall like his dad someday, but I am not so sure! I keep saying “Who knows what your height will be! Some people are small, some people are tall and we all grow at different rates.”

So, just wondering… if you had a small DS at 9, did he stay small?

My son was always one of the smallest in school (even compared with most of the girls). I'm 5.6 but his dad isn't much taller so I suspected he'd never be a beanpole. He never had big growth spurts either - it was all very steady.

But he shot up when he was 15/16 and is now a good few inches taller than both me and DP. Doubt he'll grow much more but he's tall enough.

My DS was a decent sized baby, but a small child - he was in the 9th centile for most of primary school. A random woman watching him play cricket when he was 13 once asked "why is your son so small?" She'd just been talking to his 5ft nothing grandad . He's now taller than his 5' 10" dad. He just kept growing through his teen years. Sometimes he'd walk j to a room and I'd be surprised he was so tall - I will always think of him as tiny!

Hi @Wildehorses I know this post is old but just wondering if your younger son ever did have a growth spurt, or if he feels better about his height now even if he didn’t?

I am 5ft Husband 6ft

DS1 5ft 8 Short when young.
DS2 6ft 2 Average when young.
DS3 6ft 1 Short when young.

He may be disappointed. He may not.

EDIT Grrr didn't realise it was a revived ZOMBIE

DS2 was tiny at 9. 9th centile I think.

He's 5ft9/5ft10 at 18. I'm only 5ft1 and his dad's about 5ft9.

My son was 4lb 12 born and was always the smallest in his classes he is now 19 and 5ft 11.

Edited to add (as a pp did) Grrr. Zombie

My DS was by far the smallest in primary. He’s 17 and now 5ft 6. I’m 5ft 3 and DH is 5ft 9

He did grow a bit more, he turned 18 last October and is probably now 5ft7 possibly 5ft8 … obviously I don’t want to make an issue of his height so I can’t measure him … he is still not very tall but not tiny either … I think he is still a bit self conscious but now he is taller than (most) girls, for example, at least he feels a bit more confident … I think average height for guys here in Ireland is 5ft9in/5ft10in … I am still hoping he might grow a bit more but unlikely

This is really interesting. I'm 6ft and husband is 'shorter' at 5.9/5.10. My youngest was a massive baby but dropped through the centiles in his first year and stayed small throughout childhood, at age 16 he has had a massive growth spurt and is now way taller than dad and encroaching on me (how very dare he!). He's all arms and legs.
My younger ds is much bigger built and still shortish in his year group (age 13), interested to see what he does in a couple of years.

what's worth checking is if your child has always followed a certain centile line or if they have dropped. If they have dropped more than 2 centile lines then ask your GP to refer to an endocrinologist. As someone pointed out there is an adult height predictor I. the red book. they will compare that with the mid- parental height. This differs for girls and boys so you should look up how to calculate it.

It's apparently rare but they may have a growth hormone deficiency. This can present from a few months after birth or can show up later when a child begins to drop centile lines (not grow the expected 5cm average a year).

My son was diagnosed aged 2 with growth hormone deficiency. My daughter aged 4 is going through tests for it now and it seems she has it too. My son was obvious as he was born very long (98%) but was 2% by age 2. he stopped growing about 6 months old. My daughter has been 9% since 18 months or so, so we didn't really suspect it until we compared their early charts and she dropped centiles early on too, but not so obviously.

Ds was small. Second shortest boy. Now 5'11

Only just recently grown. Was short all through secondary until 6th form.

I've heard that most people end up taller than their shortest parent.
Thus, your son should end up at least 5'4".
Keep his diet healthy.
Is there a sport or activity that is particulary suitable for shorter boys. Find some outlets where he is always going to be successful and valued no matter how tall he grows.
Basketball is possibly going to leave him feeling less satisfied than equestrian, soccer, woodwork, painting, kayaking, bouldering, cycling and gymnastics.

Old thread, but my DS1 was born 25th centile but dropped to 0.4th. I suspect scan dates were wrong etc.
Anyway, he was tiny all of his childhood. He is now 19 about 5'9" and solid.

My ds was on the 2nd centile all the way through and didn't really start puberty until 14 or 15.
He's now about 5'10" and stunningly handsome which is just an inch more than the red book graph predicted. But I'm 5'8" and the saying goes that sons will always be taller than their mothers (which I appreciate won't help much in your case). DH's family are all really short and mine are all tall. My df and db are 6'2" and dgf was 6'5"

Ds was the smallest baby of the 3 DCs,and a short,chubby kid.
He's now 22 and 6 foot 3!! He also used to be fair/auburn but when he wandered into the sitting room shirtless last night,he appears to have grown a pelt of thick black chest and stomach hair!!
It's like my baby has been eaten by a grizzly bear!

The youngest of my 3 sporty boys was tiny til he was 13/14 - was a very restrictive eater, no adult teeth til puberty etc. I’m 5’2 dad 5’6 so not likely to be tall anyway.
But by 6 th form he was a respectable 5’6/7” and height has never bothered him.
I kept a height and weight chart for him in the 80’s/90’s and he was always on the lowest bit.
However, like a previous poster said, look at what he measured aged 2 -2 1/2. My son has just doubled what he was aged 2 1/2, so it’s quite an accurate calculation
Older boys father was 5’9” and they are both 5’10” and again were exactly half that aged around 2 and a half

I had a lodger who started university at 6 foot and graduated at 6 foot three. My DS didn't have a growth spurt until he was about 17,he's 6 foot now, same as hi father.

My 19 year old DS is 6’1”. He was born v prem at 28 weeks, 2lb 11oz. He was always the smallest in class, until year 12. He’s now talller than most of his friends. I’m 5’7” and DH 6’.
Try not to worry about it, they all catch up in the end. The boys that grow early tend to end up being the smallest ime.

I am also 5’3.5 and DH is 6’ exactly. DS was tiiiiiny until he hit puberty and he is now 15 and 5’9 but still growing so he’ll make a few more inches I’m sure. DH says he was also a late grower! DS is the tallest out of my side of the family now.

My youngest was 5lb 4 at birth (full term) and was always the smallest in his class at primary.

He's 17 now, and 5ft 7. His brothers are 5ft 8 and 5ft 9, so he's not much shorter, and might still grow.

None of them are at all bothered about their height, or think that they are short. They just take the piss out of me for being short! (I'm 5ft 1)

My DH is 6'1''. He was on the 10th percentile at age 9, and only a bit over five feet on his 14th birthday. He was also thin.

His parents are quite tall and were needlessly worried!

My ds was only up to the shoulders of most of his peers at the Yr6 leavers assembly.
He is 6' now.
Didn't really shoot up until he was 15, and continued to grow during his 20s.

DS was always shorter than his peers. He was prem and tiny when he was born. He's nearly 17, currently 5ft10 and given his sleeping and recent carb loading I think he's due another spurt. I'm only 5ft4, his dad 5ft8.

I'm 5 ft 4 and DH 6ft. We have adult 3DS who are in order of age 6ft, 5ft 4 and 5ft 8. The youngest may grow a bit more as he's just turning 18 but middle DS who is my height seems unlikely to at nearly 21. I know general wisdom states that boys will always be taller than their mothers but occasionally that appears not to be true.

It doesn't seem to bother him as far as I can tell. He's also autistic so I do wonder if unconventional sleeping and eating patterns when young may have played a part although he has always been small, it's not like he was an average height toddler then suddenly slowed.