tell me about your unusually small child that grew big...

[TheFlumpFlan]

Dd, no 4 in the family, is tiny. We knew looking at her but today we measured her, her height is below the chart and her weight just below the 2nd. She's a bright button and happy 16 month old but a shock for our tall family, the others and us are 75 th plus. At birth her weight was the 50th but length unknown. We have neglected to weigh her but have been obviously aware she wears clothes for ages

So... stories about growth spurts please!

I have reported 'circus material'.

There is (was?) a longstanding and much loved MN-er with a child with one of the conditions that causes short growth - it's no way to refer to a MN-ers child, or any child.

DS2 was like this - has a milk allergy and fell off the charts for height as a baby and toddler. A colleague told me that she had two sons, one tall and one tiny as children. When they hit puberty, the shorter son had a massive growth spurt and they've both ended up the same height at 6foot. I'm hoping DS2 catches up in a similar way.

Reading much-loved makes me hope you might mean me... It's emkana

But even if you didn't, thank you for the support!

Emkana - hello , you were so lovely and supportive when I was pg with ds2 and having such a horrible time with all the speculation about why he might be so small. I really appreciated it

No catch up story here, ds2 was born weighing 4lbs but healthy, he has made it to 2nd centile, just, at age 4 but weight still 0.4th. He will probably be having growth hormone therapy starting in the next 12m.

DS2 was always tiny, normal weight at birth, no eating issues and correct weight for height, just little. DD is 20 mths younger and by about 18mths they were similar size and height and often mistaken for twins. Smallest in his class till about the age of 11 then suddenly started growing, now 17 and a strapping 5.11.

Emkana! I do mean you! Of course I mean you!

Why are you very cold?

And how are you?

Hi Blu! Verycold is a name I changed to on a whingy thread about school runs once. Kept it because I was worried about being recognised in RL. We are very well, thank you! Ds is now nearly 8 and doing well. How are you?

OP, DD is 4 (nearly 5) and in 3-4 age clothes but on 0.4th centile in height and between 2nd and 9th for height. DH's family are small but ours are all very tall.

The school nurse expressed concern when they did her measurements and so we booked in with a paediatrician. They did various different blood tests to rule out Turners Syndrome, Coeliac and also to test her Growth Hormone levels.

If she continues along the line she's on she will reach about 5ft 2 which is not dissimilar (in fact taller) than her paternal Auntie and Grandmother.

All the tests have come back clear (after 2 months of waiting for the results) but it was a scary time.

Have the HVs expressed any concern? I asked questions on here and was bluntly told 'no it's normal for a child to be that small and you wouldn't be a good parent if you didn't investigate'!! I was mortified and a little shocked at the response to be honest. But at least we've done it now and have the all clear. Horrible to go through it though...

It may be worth asking the question of the HV and seeing what they say.

By the way, I should have said, DD was born on 50th for weight and 25th for height.

My DS was on the 6th percentile for weight and length when he was born and looked like a little elf. He was slightly early but not preemie - think he was 36+3. He stayed diddy for a couple of months and then had the mother of all growth spurts - he was on the 98th percentile for all measures by 6 months and is now a beanpole with hollow legs and the second tallest in his Y2 class. He has informed me that he intends to be taller than me by the age of 10.

DD2 was on 0.4th centile at 2 and now, at 3, has shot up to hover around 5th centile, which I think is probably right. DH is tall, as is his side of the family, and I'm average height, but my sister is only about 5'1 and my grandmother was 5'0" so I assume DD2's just got the short genes.

A friend whose DS (same age as DD2) has recently been diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency said that they look at the whole pattern of growth in diagnosing that. So it's worth asking for a referral if you're concerned.

emkana! I didn't realise you'd NCd; I thought you'd disappeared. How are all the little emkanas?

Thank you all!

To answer:

I don't think it's cmp allergy or any other, her brother had allergies and shes never had any gut issues/ hives etc.

She likes food, in fact loves it, but does eat a bit less than average at sittings. She had pretty much that much milk, plus a bit of bf too morning and night. She's a bit of liquid fiend.

I don't take her to the hv (I work on clinic days and had to go back when she was young), so no opnion. She's healthy and only been to see a doc/ nurse for rountine jabs. They did comment on her smallness each time but not in a concerned way.

Measurements are at home, tried standing and lying and only 0.5cm in it either way, and she's about 2cm off the chart. We're pretty good at measuring as we built our own house. My others were always the same at home or with the hv give or take insignificant amounts.

We're a consistently tall and close extended family...but someone somewhere was short I guess?

I'm a tad reluctant to ask hcp about her height/ weight and put her through painful blood tests etc when I believe it's obvious she's fine developmentally. I would if I was worried, but she's a bright little happy thing with chub, no features different from the rest of the family and on track. I know I could be wrong, but I'm a big believer in gut instinct, and I've been right with my other children. She had jaundice both prolonged and severe and all the blood tests were awful, I really don't want to go back. She also went for reviews regarding muscle tone/ weakness and again it wasn't pleasant (she was discharged at 11 months with advice and a very mild hemiplegia)

Mine third is below the percentile chart and about the 2nd in height. Some genetic throw back but perfectly healthy

Still there 6 years later and it's a positive.

My ds was