When will DS13 catch up?

[olddogsnewtricks]

My DS is small for his age, shortest in his class which seems to be made up of deep-voiced, hairy giants! My DS looks pretty much like he has done for the last few years - is he behind?? He is fed up of being small (his dad and me are both tall and we tell him he'll overtake us sooner or later - but will he?) Should we be worried?

You can check where he is on his growth centile. If you and his dad are tall (75th centile?) and he is way down on the 25th or so, it's worth checking with his GP. It's also good to check how much he grows a year. The Child Growth Foundation are helpful. Some kids grow later than others but it's worth eliminating any underlying issues as, once they stop growing, there's nothing you can do.

Hi olddogsnewtricks,
Children grow at different rates. Boys usually start puberty around 14. Some can start earlier and other even later than that. Most growth happens during puberty. If he hasn’t started it you’ll just have to wait.
But will do no harm to get him checked by his GP and it will put your mind at ease.

Ask your dentist, dental changes in young men who grow slow can often be spotted in x-rays of wisdom teeth.

My DS is also tiny. He's nearly 13 but the size of a 10 year old. Me and DH are average height so I am assuming he'll catch up. And he hasn't entered puberty yet.

I remember all the smallest boys in my class in the first year of high school towered over the girls by the time we got to 3rd year.

What's the connection with teeth? I am asking as my Ds1 has lost all his remaining baby teeth in the last 6 months and grown all his adult teeth and he is 11 but only grown half an inch since June..

Mostly it's a matter of patience.

If there are no previous signs of growth issues and he just seems stuck at age12 when classmates have jumped ahead a few years in a matter of weeks I'd try not to worry.

Some don't shoot up until 15 or 16.

Did you or your husband have later growth spurts? ( Not that his is late yet!) I know it was the case with our families.

And you don't know how long he may carry on growing: my brother still grew a bit AFTER going to university at 18.

My older DB was tiny all through his teens. His legs were like twigs. I was considerably bigger than him for a long time. He suddenly shot up when he was about 16/17. It must have happened really quickly.

He's now a strapping man, but I do think my parents were worried at the time.

based on the jaw and wisdom teeth development (teeth start out as tiny buds) a dentist can usually tell if a child will continue to grow.
a dr. might go on about genetics husband family if your still worried we'll investigate in 12 months kind of answer. but a dentist who you see biannually and usually do regular x rays can tell you a bit more info rather quickly.
both boys needed orthodontics and it was a learning journey for sure.
my youngest was tiny for a long time (but my family are relatively big) his buddies had hairy legs etc. my fellow nothing...for the longest time (he went off to college hairless for what i could see legs/face). then he grew and grew and filled out to a handsome 6'3" fellow.
another young man on his hockey team same thing dad 6'5" sat the pine (with my son on their rep team) many many times....until he grew again late much closer to 16.

My brother was the same, once he turned 16 he had a growth spurt over night and now is 6 foot 3 inches, boys are taller than there mothers, so if your tall then he will be taller than you.

Boys carry on growing until they are 25 I believe. At 13 it's way too soon to start worrying (for a boy).

Ds was one of the smallest when he started y10 but was 6 foot by Christmas. Can your husband remember when his growth pattern. My 2 brothers were 15 when they shot up to 6 foot +

I was only telling my 12 yr old this morning that I think age 12-13 has the maximum spread of heights amongst boys.

On the teeth thing, to an extent it can correlate with growth but both my children have had late teeth throughout but grown relatively early. (Said 12 yr old is probably 5'10" at a guess, nearly as tall as me, though I expect he has several inches to go yet).

What you can tell a boy who is small at this age, is that (up to a point) the later they grow the taller they may end up as they have had longer to grow slowly taller before the final growth spurt. It is tough age 13-14 I'm sure, but very normal and not something to question, in boys, till at least a bit later.