Would you go to the Drs? DS very small for age

[Turquoisesea]

My DS turned 15 in November. He has always been on the small side and is very slim. I keep waiting for him to have a growth spurt but it hasn’t happened yet. He is very light for his age and is about 5ft 2” tall. All the other boys are towering over him. I wouldn’t be as worried if he was heavier as I know children often fill out before they shoot up. His appetite is OK but he doesn’t eat enough imo and my 11 year old DD eats more. He seems perfectly healthy in every other respect and for context my DH is very slim and he takes after him physically. It’s just the fact he really is noticeably smaller and slimmer than all his friends and is in aged 11-12 clothes. He has started puberty as there are some signs but still looks very young. Would you take him to the Drs for a check up?

Yeah - I would to check. Make sure you have both yours and your husband’s heights. I believe they take the mid-parental height and do an adjustment depending on if a boy or girl. They may need to do a personal exam (eg testes).

I guess the important thing is to make sure he isn’t worried or stressed about it, but reassure him that you are just checking to make sure puberty is progressing alright. It’s probably more relevant the size and build of relatives rather than his peers?

Have you checked his height & weight on the nhs website?

My dh was small & skinny until he was 18 then filled out in the shoulders then got taller!

I hardly recognise him as a teenager in photographs.

Also I know it might be irrelevant but my 7 year old eats more & weighs more than my 11 year old. Different body shapes, 1 of them is 5th percentile, the other is 50th percentile - guess which is which!

Have you plotted him, he might just be small, no harm in getting checked out though, most of the major growth spurts would have happened by now.

Thank you. Yes I don’t want to stress him out over it and I’ve just taken a wait and see approach so far but he just looks so much smaller than other boys his age. I’m 5 ft 5 and my DH is 5ft 10 so am hoping he will grow some more. I think it’s that people always say how hungry teenage boys are too and he really isn’t! He’s very light and just wondered if they had to get to a certain weight before they would start growing!

I’ve just checked the BMI calculator and he’s not even on it weight wise, it says less less than 1%. He’s always been very slim but used to be between 5th & 9th percentile. I think I will take him to the Drs just to get checked out.

I would, yes.
DA is tallest out of his friends but the shortest (at 15/16) is around 5ft5 - but with a more stocky build.