To worry about my 5 year old?

[MrsBrownsBum]

Have just received the letter about DD’s Height & Weight check. She was measured at a mere 100.4cm (very low end of the centiles) and 16.6kg. She has always been small - was born 6lbs14 so not super small but still on the lower end as she came at 38 weeks. Parents are 5’5 and 5’6 for reference. She has also failed the hearing test and “requires further hearing screening” which I am more concerned about; she frequently asks “what?” after people say things, has little to no volume control and can barely hear me shouting across the room. I have wondered if it’s just typical selective listening but the test makes me now think otherwise. It’s very unlikely that she didn’t understand the instructions given she is a highly intelligent girl and has had vision tests with no issues. Should I be concerned? She is a September baby so one of the oldest in the class.

Isn't this what screening is about? Identifying issues early on? Yes it sounds worrying but they have identified that she needs further assessment of her hearing which will hopefully be more conclusive. Hearing aids are not that rare where I work and we have several children with them across the school.

That’s true. But can’t help worrying still

My 5yo has intermittent hearing issues due to blocked ears, so it may be something like that. He had grommets for a while which helped somewhat.

If you plot her height and weight on a chart like when she was a baby is it steady over time? That’s what you need to look for.

On hearing....my DS "failed" his screening.
We were referred to ENT where he failed the tests again.
They tried to have a deep look in his ear canal but he wasnt playing ball
They decided due to my medical history, I had multiple sets of grommets that he would need some too.
Went to the pre appointment clinic, he finally let them look deep in his ears and they pulled out the longest thickest piece of ear wax I've ever seen from both ears.
Years later im still a bit annoyed I didnt take a photo.
So in the end thats all it was.
He does have waxy ears that I do still clean with a flannel but his hearing is fine . He's 14 now

My DN was like your DD lowest on centile for weight and height. My DS was worried. The Dr said well you are 5'1" and his dad is 5'6" so he will never be tall.
His dad was also about 7stone until his mid 20s and Im about 6.5stone naturally I have to force calories in.
DN is now 18 5'6" but still appears to be growing and gas just hit 7 stone.

Hopefully your little one is just catching up
Id say with small parents she is where she is meant to be.
But definitely get a Dr to check her out

I wouldn’t be worrying about height and weight at all. Sounds perfectly normal for her genetics etc. Hearing sounds like it’s been picked up on a potential issue and needs investigating. Usually it’s glue ear. Resolved very quickly.

I wouldn’t worry about her height. Neither parent is tall and Dad if he’s the one that is 5 foot 6, is particularly short.

The hearing is more to worry about, but like someone else said, this is what screenings are for. You just need to thoroughly investigate the hearing issues now.

To be honest, we never did any of the height/weight stuff past the last HV check which I don’t even remember. So not sure how tall/heavy she has been over time, but I do remember she got weighed in June 2025 and was 14kg, so seems fine in that regard.

Ex and I are both around the 8-9 stone mark so that makes sense. It’s quite a difference compared to DS who was a hefty 9lb6 at birth and now a long, heavy little chunk at 5 months! But partner is also a hefty 6’2 chunk too.

Dad must be bottom percentile for height and mum sounds about average so I’d expect DD to be petite. If she’s following a curve and growing consistently which it sounds like she is then I wouldn’t be concerned. Get the hearing checked out though. Could be glue ear which is v common in kids around her age but is fortunately very treatable.

She does say that her ear hurts inside occasionally at bedtimes, I’ve never put it down to anything really but maybe this is the issue. She passed the hearing test at birth, but also had febrile seizures at 18 months and looking at studies these might be linked to hearing problems.

The problem with small children is that the inner workings of the ear are not fully mature and grown , so while in adults a mild ear infection will drain off easily this doesn’t happen in young children so even mild colds can end up not clearing and as the tubes become blocked hearing gradually deteriorates. It not until it is picked up, either from screening, or from parents becoming aware, as you have, of the “What?” response, and the louder voice, that concerns are raised. Your child now needs further examination at a proper audiology clinic where their hearing loss can be investigated. It is likely to be related to gummed up ears, but they will also be able to rule out hearing loss due to other issues.

In the meantime try to make sure you face your child when speaking to her, with your face in a good light, so facing a window for example. She has probably picked up some lip reading skills along the way, and your facial expressions will support her understanding of spoken language. Try not to have conflicting sounds on in the house all the time eg music, Radio or tv,so she can focus on your voice. Hearing loss is tiring so be patient. Tell her teachers at school so they are aware of her current hearing loss.

if they suggest grommets then accept them, they can make a huge difference and aren’t permanent, as soon as her inner ear structure is more mature she won’t need them.