AIBU to ask for a visit from hv because my child is short?

[wholefttoastonthestairs]

My 4 year old is really short compared to the other children in her class . She is 4 years 9 months and is 93cm tall. She was 83cm at her two year check which is the last for in her red book . Everyone tells me she is just little but tbh I feel like she is not keeping up her growth?.

The hv came when I had my last baby and measured her she was on the 0.4th febrile and the hv again said she was probably just going to be short.

I have tried to work it out and I think she is now below that?

But people act as though I'm crazy if I mention it!

I am not tall I am 5 foot 3 but dh is 6 foot and out other children are all around 50th-75th centigrade for height.

Aibu to ask for another hv visit or even visit gp?

Is this something I am wayyyyy overthinking?

[Natsku]

Take her to the GP not the HV, the dropping of centiles is concerning.

[insancerre]

Yabu to request a hv to do a home visit

But you should make an appointment with your gp just to make sure there is no underlying cause for her height and to put your mind at rest

[Miloarmadillo1]

Go see your GP, they should refer you to paediatrician if she has crossed 2 centiles lines. My daughter was referred to endocrinology after falling off the charts,they have done lots of tests but not found a reason, she is being followed up every 6 months. I am 5'3" and DH is 5'9" so neither of us are tall, but our other children are around 25th centile as expected from their predicted adult heights. You are not being over-worried, she needs to be checked.

[midcenturymodern]

Def go to the GP. Some people are small, but she has slow growth if she is dropping down the centiles. It's likely to be nothing but there could be an underlying cause. I was given a load of guff about some people just being small, people have their growth spurts at different times, you're small so your kids will be too. DS had a dodgy liver and wasn't metabolising properly. He had endocrine and celiac tests which were all fine, but that was the initial thought. It's all sorted now but at the time I was made to feel I was making a fuss about nothing or just thought that small was fundamentally wrong and wanted a bigger child.

[Ciutadella]

You aren't overthinking - always worth getting checked if you are worried, and pp are right that it's really a specialist paediatrician for this issue rather than a hv. Glad to see someone mentioned child growth foundation as a source of info. You may have to push for a referral. Nothing wrong at all with being short, but if it is a growth hormone issue that is something to look into.

You can calculate average mid parental height as the average outcome - for a girl, subtract 5" from father's height, then take the average of dm and dd. So in your case the average height for your dd would be 5'5". But very big but,, that is only the average - there are wide variations within the normal range, and the prediction Apparently is less accurate where df and dm are quite wide apart. So i think you may get quite wide variations between dc of the same parents.

[Pythonesque]

Agree this is one for the GP, and almost certainly warrants referral - accurate measurements repeated over time may be the first priority but ruling out significant medical causes of slowing growth is important. A child growing OK-ish till about 2 and falling (height-wise) off the bottom of the charts after that is a fairly classic story for growth hormone deficiency, for example. Some small children will after investigation be determined to be just genetically small, but much better to check.

Tigerlilly - even if your family is small do take your 8 yr old to your GP to be measured and discuss whether she needs investigation. "completely off the charts" is only "normal" in a minority.

[allegretto]

I think this is a matter for the GP. My eldest (12) has always been the smallest in his class but has followed a normal growth curve so the GP isn't worried. My 6 year old has always been a lot taller than everyone in the class - in fact they are almost the same height.

[Scooby20]

HV can't do anything. See a gp if you are worried.

But most likely is is just short. My dh is on the short side and I am quite tall. Dd took fter dh nd at 12 isn't 5 foot yet. One of her friends us shorter than her and has not health problems. Dd feet are only just a size 2.

[Basicbrown]

I think you need to go to the gp if you're worried. 5'3 while hardly tall is surely more like 25th centile for an adult than 0.4? Lots of women are smaller than that. FWIW though I don't think they always follow the chart. My 7yo has gone up over a centile from barely 50th to above 75th since the age of 3.

[Ciutadella]

It may be that the measurements so far aren't that accurate, or haven't been done in a consistent way - which can make a surprisingly significant difference - there is a right 'way' of measuring height. So as pp below has said, a series of accurate measurements may be one thing they do to start with.
Don't be deterred by people thinking you're crazy - often people are trying to reassure to be kind, but if you have a concern, get it checked out.

[Hercules12]

I agree with the others. Bypass the hv and go to the gp.

[JemimaMuddledUp]

Definitely see the GP. We were referred to the paediatrician when DS2 was almost 4 as he had slipped down the centiles, he had barely grown in 18 months. They tested for Growth Hormone Deficiency and he was borderline, he has managed to keep growing just enough to avoid daily injections but they have to monitor it. He is now 12 and still small, but as long as he doesn't stop growing its OK. His brother OTOH is 14 and one of the tallest in his year.

[GrinchyMcGrincherson]

Sounds like my middle DD and my middle niece. I'm 5'3" but DH is 6". Eldest DD has always been tall, middle one short and youngest about average. Short DD is still only in 8-9 clothes and she's almost 10. I have clothes passed from her best friend who is younger than her. My middle niece started school in age 3-4 clothes and they were still massive. Both girls are fine.

Ask if you are unsure but the height sounds about the same as my DD. I remember her desperately wanting to go on 90cm rides at a local theme park and being at least 4 before she got there.

[Blueberry234]

Def GP my littlest fell off the height chart at around 18 months, is now back on it only just at 2.5 months spoke with GV who said the only involvement they would have is if the GP wanted regular measurement done

[GrinchyMcGrincherson]

Check the centuries though because as OP have said if it's a big drop it's worth a go trip just in case.

[JosephineMaynard]

I would take her to see the GP, not the HV.

[Twig45]

If she is in reception then it's the school nurse you want not the hv. They would monitor growth at home visit or at school over a few months as she has not been measured regularly and then refer to paeds if not growing up the centile

[Tournesol]

I agree with others saying go to the GP. My DS2 is the smallest in his year by a long way and dropped to 0.4 centile for height. We were referred to endocrinology, especially because I am 5 foot 10 and husband is 6 foot and our other children are normal height.

He has had lots of blood tests (all normal) and next step is to check growth hormone. They suspect he is just a small child and will have a teenage growth spurt but we are ruling out growth hormone issues first.

Better to get checked. I always think it is better to know than to not know.

[HeteronormativeHaybales]

Centiles are a bit of a blunt instrument/flawed orthodoxy. Dropping centiles doesn't always mean something is wrong. What would make me wonder in you case is the 6 ft dh and the discrepancy to your other dc. My dc range from short side of average to tiny, but dh and I are markedly short, my dad's short, MIL is tiny and the dc have been consistently short/shortish and light. So nothing else to be expected really, and our dr agrees. It can't hurt to see the GP in your case.

[Ilovewillow]

I suspect there is nothing to worry about children grow at different rates and genetics plays a big part. However if you are concerned then there is no harm in checking with the HV. My children are like this I'm 5"2 and my husband is 6ft. My daughter is 8 and only 120cm and my son is 3 and 110cm!

[BusterGonad]

Cel982 I think Cucumber means that children today are generally bigger all over where as in the 70s children generally ate less and exercised more therefore they were what we today would call slim verging on skinny but also healthy. Today as I look around there are a lot more plumper children bordering on fat. My son is quite slim and I would completely understand the term 1970s looking.

[tinyterrors]

It could just be that she will be short. However, as pp have said I'd go to the gp to rule out growth hormone or other medical issues.

My cousin was very short for his age at 5, his 2 year old brother was taller, and some said he'd just be short like my 5' aunt but it was investigated and found that he had growth hormone deficiency. He had treatment as he grew and is now a 5' 10" adult.

It's likely she just takes after you for height but as she's dropping centiles I'd see the gp and ask for tests.

[ToastyFingers]

Hmm, that does seem very small.

I am 5"2 dp 6"0 and dd is 3 and 103cm.

[MrsJayy]

Hv will only see preschoolers take her to the Gp if you are worried about her height. You did say you were 5.3 though maybe she isn't going to be very tall I'm 4ft 11 Dh..is 6ft the Dds are 5.3 and 5.4 as adults my tallest Dd didn't sprout. Until she was 14 where as shorter Dd did all her growing in primary school

[PlasticBertrand]

I'm surprised at people saying five foot three is short. Sure it's not tall but it's only an inch or two off average. OP's daughter sounds considerably small for her age.