Only 2cm growth in a year and heading down the centiles... any advice???

[burek]

My ds is 3.6 yrs old. We're living abroad so before leaving UK last May I took him for a check and he was 91cm tall, on the 25th centile. We're both on the short side and he has always been smallish. But took him to a local doctor the other day for a pre-school health check and he had only grown 2cm since last May. The doctor was also concerned that he was too small for his age (however people are generally taller here, plus we come from short families, so we are not TOO worried about what she is saying). He has a great appetite and would quite happily eat all day if given half the chance. He is active and healthy and happy. Should I be worried? Should I take him back to that doctor and let them do tests on him? Can I expect a growth spurt this year maybe?

If you and the childs father are small, then you shouldnt worry. You cant fight genetics!! If your little one eats well, is alert and happy, what does it matter what a chart says? Some children do not have a growth spurt till early adolesence.

Thanks. You're right, and I've always thought it was ok that he was small seeing as we're both short. But the 2cm growth was a surprise - I thought he'd grow more in that time.

I agree with all that Becaroo said and may point out that all children have a different rate of growing so he would have times when going nearer/away of the percentile they normally are in, but as long the dots keep going up, it should be fine.

However, I was told not to worry much unless he fell out of the scale (if he is below the blue lines drawn in the graph. If this is the case, I would seek opinion from a doctor.

Have re-read my post and want to apologise if it seemed at all dismissive.....but I spent far too long in my sons first year agonising over those stupid centile charts, I would hate for someone else to do the same! chandra is right, I would worry if he wasnt eating, seemed lethargic and unhappy and was below the 10th centile range on the chart. If not, dont worry! (My brother was very short until he reached 14 and is now 6ft 2ins)

Also bear in mind that it depends on who is doing the measuring. Its not that exact. We had a bother with my daughters head circumference and were told her brain might not be growing (imagine how that felt). Then she had it measured again by a different person and they said itwas fine.

Becaroo - don't worry, it didn't sound dismissive! You are right and up til now that has been my attitude too.
Chandra - by dots do you mean the marks the HV puts on the chart? Because if so my DS' dots are heading downwards.

How many (if any) centile lines has he crossed? Our ds2 has been referred at our request to paeds because of short stature - he has gone from 50th at birth to the 2nd at 4.2. Our fabulous GP said it may be nothing - he may just grow up to be a jockey - but on the other hand it may be something and it's worth asking the question. He's otherwise very healthy, achieving all his milestones, fit, active etc and a pure joy.

He saw the paed last week and having done their fancy sums based on my height and dh's height they came up with the spectrum within which they would expect his growth pattern to follow and he is clearly quite a lot below that. We are now waiting for the results of blood tests and they are monitoring his growth on a 3mo basis now. The paeds were also fab.

I have had this in my head for a long time not least because my grandmother was 4' 6" and quite frankly height is much more of an issue for boys than girls esp through puberty. Dh was bullied dreadfully as a teenager for being small (though he's now 5' 10" when he stands up straight). Both families thought me a bit ridiculous but first indications from the bloods are that there is something going on .

If YOU think there is a problem, ask the question.

When you say heading downwards, what do you mean? How far down? A lot of children gain weight/height steadily until they start to be able to run around and jump about and also at about this time alot of children go through phases of not eating much, so some weight/height loss would be normal I think. My ds has only out on bare ounces in the last year. In the last 2 years he has grown 10cms. (but my dh family are all tall) If you and your dp are small then chances are your child will be too. Have you spoken to either of your parents about your childhood growth patterns?? Would that be possible? It may put your mind at rest.

In his first year (although not really relevant but i'll give the whole thing here) he went 75th - 50th - 25th. He was 25th at 20 mnths, 9th at 27 mnths, and is 2nd at 3.6 years. That's mroe of a jump in total than you mentioned Hannahsaunt... but I will not panic!! It is only this past year that is now bothering me, with the 2cm growth. He wears the same clothes as his cousin, who is over a year younger and also has 2 short parents. I will ask my parents about mine and my sister's growth, thanks for that tip, becaroo.
Like I said before though, everyone, he is energetic and healthy and eats really well. His nursery staff asked me today how he eats at home because he eats soooo much in school that they were worried he had no appetite in the house!

Burek... I would have him checked. That's pretty step

Hmmm....I think you will have to go with your instincts on this one burek. It is VERY dangerous to compare your child to others (as I have learnt to my cost )as you will just worry yourself sick but if you are still worried and it has been worrying you for a while then a quick trip to the doctors or HV wont hurt. The only way to assuage your fears completely is to get him checked out. Good luck...let us know what you decide

Slept on it, and thougth about it lots. Am going with my instincs and am going to wait a while before letting the doctor do tests on him. I've been told that i can expect a growth spurt at about this age so will give that a chance. I'm living abroad so I don't have the same kind of access to HVs like in the UK. However a family friend in the UK is a GP and will pass a message on for an 2nd opinion. He IS healthy and energetic - otherwise I would be down at the docs straight away.

burek - my son is a short arse like his parents - 89 cm I think at 2.8 yo, looks shorter than most toddlers his age. Always was and is between 9th and 25th centile, always bf.

But I looked at him the other day next to two nephews who are about the same age and he isn't that much shorter, just a few cms may be. I used to worry because he was bf and got paranoid that may be his ff cousins were taller, but this is nonesense as I have discovered.

I do have very tall cousins though who are much younger than me, but who also have short parents, so I am thinking may be it's a generation thing too. The younger ones in my family are defo. taller than their parents, so there is hope for my son, who may have a huge growth spurt when he is a teenager like my cousins. May be your son will too !

burek - like others on this website keep saying most hv's in the UK know nothing about child growth, so you are not missing out ! Read the net or come back to MN, you are much more likley to get proper info that way

Thanks, yellowrose. Shortarse is the best. My paternal grandmother was tiny and I am taller than my father, so I am predicting (or hoping, lots of optimism ) that ds will have his growth spurt this year and end up taller than me when he grows up!

burek, short men are very sexy, my dh is

Don't worry, I know a very short 5/6 yr old. DD1 is as tall as him, or nearly and she's 3.
My dh was fairly short til he was 19 yrs old and now he's 6 ft.

My 5.8 yr old dd has only recently shot up by several centimetres, and just moved into age 4 trousers!

They all grow at different rates as my 4.3 yr old ds is in bigger clothes than she is (altho she has always managed to stay 1cm taller than him!!)

But she has always been healthy and eating well (altho at the moment she eats more than me ) so I am thinkng it is a massive growth spurt. My friends dd (who previously was extra petite like my dd) went through something simlar at age 4 and suddenly became all legs.

I would wait a while before worrying too much - tehre is plenty of tome for him to catch up, altho if you do egt worried you can always consult a doctor.

Good luck

BTW, my advice of getting him checked was not due to his size but to him going from 75th to 2nd percentile. And I said that, just because I had been advised to contact GP if DS fell more than 50 units. (But then, he has a good set of food allergies and intolerances, problems of malabsorption, etc. which cause him to be under the microscope )

Most likely, it will be nothing, but it takes only a little time to check everything is fine

But if he eats and eats and doesn't grow much, isn't it worth checking that he is absorbing his food properly?

i think the falling through the centiles thing is a bit worrying. my friend's wee boy is being checked out for malabsorption now. she's a doctor, and we pretty shocked when she looked at the figures because he's healthy in all other regards.

You say you live abroad Burek ... whereabouts?
My mother was always hassled about my brother's small size when we grew up in Holland (Dutch children are giants compared to British children she found). She really struggled to find clothes to fit him as he was so small.
He is now 6'2" and a handsome, broadshouldered man of 38 with 2 children
My DH was also put through all sorts of tests as a boy (his parents took him to Harley Street) and he, with no intervention, ended up to be a tad under 6 foot tall.
My friend's baby was born on the 98th centile (he was 9.5 lbs) He dropped steadily and steadily until now, at age 3.5 he is on the 9th. She refuses to take him to see anyone ... she is 5' tall and her partner is 5' 7" ... she says, you just have to look at the gene pool ...

So many stories - I know hannnahsaunt's little boy is having further check ups and that can't be anything but good. But if you choose not to follow this up, then don't worry, watch his milestones, feed him well, take it further in a few months if you are still worried.
g x

Something like 33% of calories consumed by adults goes to keep our brains running -- little children must take a higher %, if anything, for their brains. Explains the appetite, in some cases. Is his head circumf. increasing, burek? I wonder if that's important, too.

Can you be sure if the last-May measurement was correct?

overwhelmed by everyone's interest - I'm new to mumsnet!

peanutbutterkid - his head is growing in proportion etc, and he is burning plenty of energy. He never stops moving, even in his sleep, and he's always been like that. Everything he does is at twice the speed and ten times the enthusiasm I can muster! Typical 3yo boy I think. And no, I can't be sure that either measurement (may last year, or the one this month) were correct tbh, since he won't stay still long enough!

Ghosty - we're in bosnia, where people are generally taller and have bigger/stronger frames. When the doctor said he was too small for his age my first response was to explain that Welsh people are shorter than Bosnians, and that both sides of the family are short.

The drop through the ccentiles IS still bothering me but I do want to give it a little time before taking any steps. I also want some advice from a UK hv or doc too.

On the positive side, because we are living abroad and our relatives don't see him for long periods, everyone always says he has grown lots since the last time they saw him. Buut maybe grandparents always say those things!! And he HAS grown out of clothes and is racing through shoe sizes. I think his body shape has changed too, he is now longer and has lost his toddler shape.

As I said burek, go with your instincts. If he is happy and you are happy then dont worry. My ds is surrounded by children much bigger/taller than him. But by the time they are in their teens I am betting that will probably be reversed. (And I agree with yellowrose about HV - mine are rubbish)