Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Original poster

ds is now getting a bit worried about his height...

56 replies

grumpypants · 30/10/2011 12:30

started a thread ages ago about this, whether it was a 'problem' - he is the smallest in his class (i reckon, looking at the line in the morning) and is fairly 'cute' (glasses, curls) so adding to the small appearance. (yr 2, about 111 cm, summer baby so actually 6yrs, 3 mths)
he has started mentioning other children saying he should be in Year R, etc and commenting on him being small and little - i know all kids point out differences so hey ho. He also appears to think his class teacher whispered to the ta that 'that boy is a baby' about him Hmm
school nurse? parents evening? want to avoid gp if necc - long wait, been loads for ds1 (valid but ongoing) don't want to look silly, etc etc.

OP posts:
lollystix · 30/10/2011 21:26

Another weird one was a guy I worked with who was 6ft 3. His mum and dad were both 5ft 5"- we always used to joke about the postman with him

Haberdashery · 30/10/2011 21:29

My brother was really quite unusually small until he was about fifteen (parents took him to the doctor repeatedly and were told not to worry). He's by no means a giant now but he is about 5'9" so a perfectly normal height for a man and did not have any medical treatment for his shortness - his growth just happened a bit later than average.

I was also always the smallest in my class by absolutely loads until I was about thirteen and then suddenly grew literally a foot in a year, carried on growing, and ended up at 5'6" which is actually a bit taller than average.

Siblings who were also short as kids ended up at 6'1" and 5'3" (boy and girl respectively but neither was as tiny as me and the other brother).

I think it's worth seeing a doctor, just to set your mind at rest, but I don't think this kind of pattern of growth is worryingly unusual.

Do you have other children? What is their height like?

Feenie · 30/10/2011 21:41

Same here - ds is in Y1 and is 102cm, in 3 yr old trousers, etc. He says people call him 'small' all the time at school, and he gets upset about this sometimes.

Like your ds, OP, he was big at birth, strangely - 9lb 2 and 2 weeks and 2 days early! Am glad he didn't wait the full term Shock

No real advice really, but can offer support - my ds looks 'cute' too, and also has glasses, but he does have a short haircut. I am 5' 6" but his Dad at 5' 8" was always as small as ds until he was a teenager. He says he hated in too - Y6 girls and dinner ladies always tried to cuddle him!

Original poster
grumpypants · 31/10/2011 08:21

Hi - I'm going to ask to move this to health or something so I can update and chat to you lovely people.
3 other dcs are all tall, so much so that the 3 year old is assumed to be ds' twin!
Don't know what it is that makes me a bit concerned _ maybe as he has sort of petered off on the growing?
Will update once seen someone

OP posts:
SparklyGothKat · 31/10/2011 08:40

I know that feeling, people were always asking if ds1 and dd1 were twins, even though he is 2.5 years older than her. Now they assume she is older than him.

HermanMumster · 31/10/2011 09:43

I was always the tallest in my class by a huge margin. Didn't grow an inch after I was 12 and they all caught up!

forehead · 31/10/2011 09:55

Girls grow at a faster rate than boys, then slow down. I was 5ft7inch at 10 years old and have stayed the same height. My db was small for his age, but is now 5ft 11 inches and it happened in a short space of time.
Both my parents are small(dad is 5ft5inch and mum is 5ft3inches).

Original poster
grumpypants · 31/10/2011 13:08

At least I can reassure him that lots of other kids take their time growing. He had a little friend over who I heard telling him he should be the baby as he looked like one, he was so small. So I don't think he's imagining it.

OP posts:
oldmum42 · 31/10/2011 13:51

Grumpy...... what's his diet like? Is he a fussy eater? If he's not getting enough protein, fats, etc in his diet, that could slow his growth. I ask that because you say he looks a bit out of proportion (large head, undersized body).

I think the fact your other DC are tall, and he's significantly smaller than them, would ring alarm bells with me.

If his food intake is good, and varied, I would take him to the GP to get looked at. There may be an under lying cause. It may be important to know why he's small, if the cause is medical, as it may need treatment.

Original poster
grumpypants · 31/10/2011 13:59

He is vegetarian, but quite varied. He doesn't eat too much junk stuff (biscuits, crisps etc) and quite often won't have a snack just because its there. Not really fussy - eats salad, fruit, normal stuff but not a huge eater.

OP posts:
ChippingInAutumnLover · 01/11/2011 02:19

Don't let anyone tell you it's because he's vegetarian - I know a lot of strapping vegetarian/vegan men who were veggie from birth!!!

Original poster
grumpypants · 01/11/2011 08:03

Thanks - luckily his two giant brothers put that theory to shame!

OP posts:
Original poster
grumpypants · 02/11/2011 19:41

UPDATE _ spoken to his teacher to let him know that his height is a sore subject right now, and booked a GP appt for a cple weeks time>

OP posts:
phlossie · 02/11/2011 20:16

Glad you're getting him checked out just in case. My cousin's ds is Yr1 (will be six in Feb), 96cm tall and 14.2kg - but the main thing is that he hasn't grown very much in the last couple of years (was the same height as my 2 1/2yo dd, she now towers over him at 4yo). He does have a chromosonal disorder.

Original poster
grumpypants · 12/03/2012 15:53

Here is my update!
ds had blood tests and a bone xray and bones are chronologically two years younger than he actually is. Blood tests are all normal. Going back in a cple months. Beginning to be mentioned by acquaintances as a chatty oh your ds is the littlest type thing. we are all making a point of NOT calling him cute etc.

OP posts:
FeedZombieEatSmartie · 12/03/2012 16:03

I was friends with a lad at school who was still less than 5' when he left at 16. He was, at the time, having tests in hospital and the doctors were considering medication and physical therapy to help quicken up puberty for him.

Anyway, we left school, lost contact etc. When I was 21, I had some bloke call my name in town, he was just getting off a motorbike. Didn't know who it was until they ran to me down the street. Turns out, puberty hit him at 17, naturally, ended up being 5'11. Grew a foot in less than 4 years, no medical intervention whatsoever. It can happen, even as late as that.

Original poster
grumpypants · 12/03/2012 16:04

Yes - apparently the bone age thing shows a possible growth spurt might happen?

OP posts:
FeedZombieEatSmartie · 12/03/2012 16:08

It is possible. I think, with my friend though, he was normal height as a child but stopped growing as a teen. I guess the reverse can happen, with your DS having a growth spurt.

I'm sure he'll reach his peers one day. Children can be cruel to others, I hated seeing my friend get picked on because of his height.

rockinhippy · 12/03/2012 16:10

My DD was the tallest of her peers all through Nursery & school up until about half way through year 3, one of her good friends was the smallest, tiny infact - now year 4, my DD is one of the smallest & her friend one of the tallest, so I really wouldn't worry at all

Pandemoniaa · 13/03/2012 00:40

By the time ds1 and ds2 were 4 and 2 and a half, they were identical in height. In fact, people would often refer to them as "the twins" despite there being 18 months between them. ds2 soon grew far, far taller than his older brother and ds1 was not impressed. By 14 and still only 5ft 2 tall, he'd complain bitterly about having inherited some non-existent growth impairment gene - all made worse by having a younger brother who towered over him. However, while ds2 reached his adult height of 6ft 3 by the age of 15, ds1 grew inches and inches between the age of 16 and 18 and ended up at a perfectly reasonable 5ft 9.

Their paternal uncle did similarly, as it happens and it does seem that boys have a less predictable pattern of growth anyway. But ds1 did look very much younger when he first started school and this was not helped by my initial fondness for keeping his hair longer and I finally gave in and let him have a "proper" (albeit nothing that involved turning him into a bullet-headed boy) haircut.

Original poster
grumpypants · 13/03/2012 08:14

apparently the x ray indicates potential for growth because his bones are younger than him. he does look very young - teeny little teeth, small hands etc, so that prob all indicates the same. at least no probs with the blood test. ds3 is definitely about to overtake him - not sure how that will go down.

OP posts:
giantchocolatebuttons · 13/03/2012 10:14

OP why did they investigate height? Was your DS not at about 9th centile? I thought they only investigated below 0.4% line. Was he dropping off the lines or are you and your OH very tall? What do they plan to do now or are they just monitoring?

My Ds is very nearly 7 and only 1.02m. Despite being monitored for height since age 2 professionals are only just getting concerned.

Original poster
grumpypants · 13/03/2012 11:11

giant No, it was because he crossed three centiles. A friend is a gp and sort of casually asked about his height (dh and I are tallish ; i am 5 8 and the other three are bean poles!) - gp referred and paed measured us, ds3, and worked out where he should be. tbh, the bone thing has sort of reassured me a bit.

OP posts:
giantchocolatebuttons · 13/03/2012 22:01

OK that makes more sense as dropping 3 lines on the charts should be a concern. My DS has always been on the bottom line it is only as he gets further and further away from it that it is a concern.

Janoschi · 13/03/2012 22:50

My BIL was the smallest boy in class until he reached 14 and now he's 6'4. Though should be said he's now prone to back injuries because of the fast growth. If you have a teenager growing like a weed, try to get them to do core muscle strengthening activities - swimming, climbing etc!