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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Heights of same sex siblings (bit of fun)

106 replies

ChangeNameLikeIChangeSocks · 08/12/2023 21:32

Inspired by this thread about the sex of your third baby https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4959091-3-kids-gender-stats-probability

So thank you blackcoffeeandchocolate

My question is, I read that with siblings of the same sex the elder is more likely to be taller, as they have used up a lot of the nutrition/newness available in utero. This struck me as a load of nonsense.

But more than that, I can think of loads of examples of same sex siblings where the elder child is the shortest.

Both of my parents and their siblings
The chuckle brothers
Me and my sibling
DH and his siblings
DC1 and DC2 (based on same age-for-age comparison)

And by the way, hilarious that all of these from my family are all same sex groupings with no additional third sibling of the opposite sex. I read something else once that said "nobody knows why some families tend to have only boys, and some only girls"

I'm sure there are loads of siblings that do follow an opposite trend, which is why I wanted to ask, if you have a sibling of the same sex, or who is taller?

One or two?

The poll

  • yabu - one
Yanbu - two

My very technical and professionally hypothesised opinion is that since your womb has already been stretched (in the nicest possible way) with the first, you can stretch a little bit further for the second? 😂 in my children's case the second stayed in two weeks longer so maybe grew a bit more then??

3 kids - gender stats probability | Mumsnet

I read in a few threads that the 3rd kid is most likely to be whatever the 2nd was. So, if you had G-B then the third will be B If you had B-G then...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4959091-3-kids-gender-stats-probability

OP posts:
HereLiesBetelgeuse · 09/12/2023 06:59

My sister is 2 years older and five inches taller than me.

kookykalki · 09/12/2023 07:00

I am eldest. I am the shortest of 3 siblings.
Sister is the tallest..
Brother is youngest and height wise he is in between me and my sister

PuttingDownRoots · 09/12/2023 07:02

Mone are still growing and we are watching in fascination.

As small children, DD1 was above the 91st centile for height, and DD2 was on the 9th. DD1 was thought to be at least a year older, and DD2va year younger so people were surprised by hhe 18 month age gap!

Currently 10&12. DD2 is rapidity catching up heightwise. But we think she may hit puberty first. DS2 is bulkier... but DD1 resembles a bamboo cane so it isn't difficult

LizziesTwin · 09/12/2023 07:05

DDs were 1 ½ oz different in weight at birth. They are now adults and within 1cm of height. I am slightly shorter than them, less than 2cm shorter than the taller. We can all wear each others’ shoes & weigh within 2kg. They are 3 yrs apart with a boy in between. He weighed the same as the oldest.

TheLurpackYears · 09/12/2023 07:09

In my family yes, oldest 2 brothers and sisters the older is taller. I'm the 3rd sister with a different mum but same dad. I'm the shortest sister. So based on this It actually the father's power that wain not the mother's.

ThereSnowLimit · 09/12/2023 07:11

I’m an inch taller than my younger sister.

ChaToilLeam · 09/12/2023 07:15

I’m 4’11 and my younger sister is 5’4. I went through puberty quite early and didn’t grow another inch after age 12, think that is more of a factor since I am also shorter than my mother and one of my grandmothers.

Original poster
ChangeNameLikeIChangeSocks · 09/12/2023 07:22

ChaToilLeam · 09/12/2023 07:15

I’m 4’11 and my younger sister is 5’4. I went through puberty quite early and didn’t grow another inch after age 12, think that is more of a factor since I am also shorter than my mother and one of my grandmothers.

You must be my sister 😃

OP posts:
CharlottePimpernel · 09/12/2023 07:24

I'm the eldest and the shortest.

NotWastingAnymoreTime · 09/12/2023 07:33

OnlyFoolsnMothers · Yesterday 22:01

Eldest sister is always shorter ime

eldest gets the boobs
youngest gets height

If only that was true. As the youngest daughter, I got neither height or boobs. I am the slimmest though but wouldn't mind a little of my Dsis ample bosom 😉

CrispsandCheeseSandwich · 09/12/2023 07:43

I'm the oldest of three sisters. I'm shorter than my eldest sister (so the middle child), and about the same height, maybe slightly shorter, than the youngest.

Physically I take after my dad's side of the family, who are very all very short. I look more like dad's sister and my female cousin on that side. My taller sister is physically more like my mum and her sisters, and some of our female cousins on that side, and it's generally a taller family.

EasterIssland · 09/12/2023 07:46

I only have a boy so can’t say
however , I’ve a sister
im older
I’m shorter
I’m heavier

OldTinHat · 09/12/2023 07:50

18 months between my DS. Both currently in their 20s.

DS1. Born on due date. Now 6ft 4.

DS2. Born 10 days early but weighed 3oz more. Now 6ft 1.

fourelementary · 09/12/2023 07:50

I’m taller than my big sister.
My friends firstborn son is smaller than number 2 and 3 brothers.
MIL is taller than her big sister.

Perhapsanorhertimewouldbebetter · 09/12/2023 07:52

I'm around 5 inches taller and 5 years younger than my sister.
(We're both adults).

DominoRules · 09/12/2023 07:54

I’m the youngest of 3 and shortest by about 3 inches, also shorter than my mum.

2 DSs are 13 and 15, eldest has just overtaken DH (which he’s delighted by). I think younger one will end up taller as an adult though as he’s taller at similar age and was a much bigger baby (10lbs 15oz v 9lbs 3oz)

autienotnaughty · 09/12/2023 07:54

2 girls eldest is 5.9 youngest is 5.1.

Their dads 6ft and I'm 5.5 🤷‍♀️

CrispsandCheeseSandwich · 09/12/2023 07:55

I read that with siblings of the same sex the elder is more likely to be taller, as they have used up a lot of the nutrition/newness available in utero. This struck me as a load of nonsense.

I agree it sounds like nonsense. Isn't it true that second babies are likely to be born heavier? Not that that equates to height later in life, but it does suggest there no element of "womb nutrition" being used up by the first child.

turkeyboots · 09/12/2023 07:57

I am about 6inches taller than my younger sister. And for a bulk comparison I have 9 aunts, and you could totally line them up is size order and get their ages 90% right.

mambojambodothetango · 09/12/2023 08:01

My DC are too young for comparisons yet. My DSis is an inch or so taller than me. We're both small hut she's fractionally taller and half a shoe size bigger.

Threewheeler1 · 09/12/2023 08:01

DS1 is shorter than DS2 by a few inches.
DS1 was 3 weeks early (surprise!) and DS2 was 2 weeks late (ouch)...
15 months between them (surprise again!)
I'm the youngest of 6 and the tallest sister - did have a faulty organ that had to be removed as a kid though. I'm a great big hulking chunk compared to my older sister (10 months between us), she's a featherweight.
Leapfrog was always a bit cruel on her 😬

IsabelaYourBoyfriendsHere · 09/12/2023 08:04

I have three daughters, we mark them on a height chart every year and so far my eldest daughter has been the tallest, then my third and lastly my second. Second daughter had a significantly (seemingly random) lower birth weight while the other two were very similar.

I have a 'baby' sister ten years younger than me, she's 17 and absolutely towers over me! She's very tall and I'm very small (I'm 4'11).

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 09/12/2023 08:06

My middle brother is taller than my elder brother, I think.

My eldest was born a week late and he's always been a little dot.

My second was born a week early and was slightly bigger than his brother and is definitely bigger than my first born was at 2.

I worked with a woman who was a lot taller than her older brother.

Sandcastle89 · 09/12/2023 08:26

My younger sister is 4 inches taller than me.

Ttpetals · 09/12/2023 08:33

3 girls
Oldest 5ft 7 at birth 49cm 11 days late
Middle 5ft 8 and a half at birth 58cm due date
Youngest 5ft 4 at birth 54cm 11 days early

All have stopped growing
I'm 5ft 5 and a half
Father 5ft 11