My child is tiny!!

[Chazzi]

My gorgeous DD is 20 months old, and she is tiny.
She wears 9-12 month clothes still, some with room to grow.
I keep thinking she's grown a little bit but I think I'm kidding myself. I weighed her today and she's like 18lbs and then I checked her height and it's 78cm.

She was born small, between the 2nd and 9th percentile, but me, DH and DS are probably all on the slightly taller side of average so we were not expecting a miniature DD.

She's wonderful, clever, saying loads of words, sociable, moved well etc, just absolutely tiny.

I think the calculator I used online today says she's 1st percentile!

Anyone else have similar?

Have you had her checked out by the GP? Were either of you very small as children? Kids are often in a clothes size above/below their true age, but 9-12 months at 20 months seems very small indeed. What’s her diet like?

but some kids are just small. I had a child born at 50% percentiles for everything and she gradually dropped off the charts. She is still v petite at 20 years but perfectly healthy

What does the health visitor say? Surely they’ll have noticed her slow growth?

If she was born small and is still small it all sounds ok. She'll probably catch up later if you and DH are tall. Unless there's a grandparent who's 4ft and she's takes after them!

Same my kids started on the 50th line and one is now 7th percentile and one is 2nd. My dd dropped off the charts but now on the 20th. Have another child who's on the 97th kids just do whatever kids do

We had the opposite - I’m average height and so is DH. DS has always been off the charts tall, and at 7 he’s 5ft2 and wears 11-12 trousers as he has such long legs. They did run some tests on him to make sure it wasn’t anything unusual, and he’s fine. All DH’s family are about 5’4 including his dad, and he’s 6ft, which is giant compared to his parents so we figure it’s just genetic from DH somehow.

My son is small. He has always been around the 5th percentile. He was born a week late but was less than 7lb.

He's in year 4 now and he's the smallest in the year. It's beginning to get to him a bit as the difference is quite noticeable. It's not just his height, his entire build is smaller.

When he was a baby, a health visitor said it was nothing to worry.

I don't really know if this helps you, sorry.

My First DD was 6lb3oz when born and my mum had to rush out and buy some tiny baby clothes as nothing we had fit her. She was always bottom of the growth charts and art one stage almost fell off the bottom. I'd take her to the GP but he said she's fine, just petite. She was never a big eater and I'd struggle to get any milk in her. No idea who she took after as neither me or DH were small. She's 26 now and still very petite, size 6, but very healthy and lots of energy.

Same.. mines almost 1 and in 3-6 months clothes still

Be aware that the population sample they used for those red book graphs was tiny.
And if it helps, my ds was between the 2nd and 9th centile all the way to adulthood and is now 5'10" and stunningly handsome.
It's probably wrong to say that it seems better for a girl to be petite than a boy.
Try not to worry, as long as she's happy and healthy in all other respects.

Wow only 7? Your ds is going to be massive when he's older ! I bet you're forever buying trousers!

As long as she's been checked over by a health professional and they're not concerned then I wouldn't worry.
I had a dinky dot who is almost 8. Not long ago I found her in a 12-18 month dress. It by no means fitted her, and was obviously like a top not dress, but I was shocked that she got it on. She was petite from my very first scan and caused me no end of worry in pregnancy but she is perfectly healthy, just small. She hit all her milestones and is a bright little girl. Occasionally she mentions being the smallest in her class but majority of the time it doesn't bother her.

My son was small very small and slim hollow even at school he was the shortest.
When he got to year matayom i dont know what happened in that year but he shot up.
Now hes 6"2 and big built its not in the jeans as in only 4foot his dad was just over 5foot.

My daughter was small. Turned out she had Coeliac disease. She didn’t have any bowel symptoms, her main problem was malnutrition and her iron was extremely low so she was always tired.
1:100 people have Coeliac disease but only 1/3 of them are diagnosed. Average time for diagnosis is 13 years.

www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease/coeliac-disease-in-children/

My 3 yo only weighs 24lb and is only just in 18-24 month clothes. She’s tiny born 4lb 9oz

My daughter was the smallest child in the school for three years. When leaving year six she looked as if she was about to start year three. When she started school, her shoes were size 6 toddler shoes. At 11 1/2, starting year seven, she took size 13 1/2. She is now an adult and a petite 5’1” - shorter than average, but not excessively so and wears size 2 shoes. Neither DH or l are particularly tall. Try not to worry @Chazzi. The chances are that your little girl will have a growth spurt when you are least expecting it and catch up, or even overtake her peers, especially if you are both tall.

We went to Florida just after she’d turned 2 and she wore 9-12 month shorts. I reckon she’d still fit in them now. She has been seen my a GP and although tiny, perfectly healthy. Genetic testing was mentioned at one point but nothing since

You need to get her checked if you haven’t already. Some children are just small but if both you and you DH are taller than average then your dd is small for what would be expected. 9-12 month clothes at 20 months 1st percentile is very small. It could be a condition, or diet, or it could be nothing but better to get checked as if it is something then there could be treatments available.

I was 14 before I even made it onto the charts. I’m now average height and (ahem) probably above average weight.

My DD is similar and she was 8lbs at birth.

Try not to worry, providing everything is in proportion and she’s meeting the milestones, she’ll be fine.

My foster son came to me at almost 6. He was on 2nd percentile for height and 3rd percentile for weight. I don't think he had been fed much because he tried to eat so much he was sick several times. He had a coat in ages 2-3 years. Over time he very gradually caught up. I gave him plenty of milk to drink. By the time he was 10 he was on 10th percentile which I was worried about but the nurse told me he'd made great progress. Now at 18 he's in the 40th percentile for weight and his height is 5 ft 7. His biological Dad was short so he probably took after him. But he's very fit and strong and goes to the gym 3 times a week and he's outstanding at sports. As long as your DD is eating ok and happy she should be ok. I'd get that celiac test though to be on the safe side.

I was on the 1st centile as a kid and under the hospital. I'm totally normal as an adult, just small! I'm 5"1 with short legs!

My baby on the other hand is big! She weighed 18lbs at just 7months, not sure what she weighs now at nearly 9 months.

Some kids have to be first centile, just like some have to be 99!

DD1 was 6lbs 1oz born n 5th centile. Moved to 9th and stayed there. Just looked in her red book and at 15 months she was 17lbs 3 and 75cm so likely similar to your daughter at 20 months, possibly a bit taller.

I am average height DH is tall. I was a very slim child and as an adult I am under 9 stone.

DD is almost 5 now and average height I would say but slim did her age. Wears mostly 4-5 clothes.

She has boundless energy, she's very clever and doing very well at school. Try not to worry DD is likely just petite. Look at all the different shapes and sizes adults come in xx

Our son is around the 5th percentile at age 2.5. He had IUGR and stopped growing around 28 weeks, was born at 5lbs and 1% on the chart. I hope he has some kind of growth spurt, but I think he is just going to be small. His sister somehow ended up on the 98% percentile at the same age. Both myself and DH are small so I guess he makes sense than she does.

Thanks for all the responses.

We've never taken her to the GP because no one has ever said we should.
When she was born she was 5lb14 at 38 weeks which was above 2nd percentile. I was induced early because my bump stopped growing towards the end.

DD was obviously seen a lot for the first few months as all babies are, I always told of my concerns that she was small but was always told not to worry as she was following her curve.

I continued to take her for weight checks every couple of months and again was told she was perfectly following her curve for height, length and head, and that she was small but perfectly in proportion.

I haven't taken her since her 12 months check, which ended up happening closer to 14 months so about 6 months.
But nursery have never raised any concerns, says she eats and sleeps well and have said she's advanced in terms of speech.

DH's niece is also a dot, and his mum is short so possibly this has come from my MIL.

I know I should stop worrying, but it's hard not to.

My DD is 3 and is tiny, at the same age as yours she was in the same size clothes. We've had all the tests, under a paediatrician and no underlying cause. She weighs 18lb7 and is teeny, but happy and healthy.
It's hard because I get quite stressed with it, worrying if she's eating enough etc and she's quite a fussy eater 😢