If your children/tweens were in the top percentile across their childhood what age did they start puberty?

[justanotherneighinparadise]

I’m watching my (huge) eight year old at the moment who seems to be growing in front of my eyes and wondering if they’ll hit puberty before secondary school. They have tracked the 96th percentile since they were one and over Christmas we took height and weight and we’re just over the 97th percentile for both.

Is there any correlation between these stats and puberty being earlier? Or are the two completely separate?

My dd in y6 just turned 11. Shes 8st8 and 5ft1 and size 7 shoe. Signs of puberty no period

Dd1 was always tall through primary school, and was a big baby etc. She reached 5ft6 around the beginning of year 8 and stopped. Periods started at 12.5.

Dd2 small baby and quite short through primary until y5 when she shot you and grew boobs over night. Periods started at just 11, but now at 13 is 5ft 2 and seems to have stopped growing. She is now bigger built than dd1, she’s an adult size 10 and DD boobs.

So my smaller young child was my earlier developer, but seems to have ended up shorter, but more womanly than her tall skinny sister.

ds(16) is 6ft2in with size 12 feet.

He was always head and shoulder above friends in his class until secondary, then he stopped and they all caught up. It is only in the last year his voice had very noticeably deepened and he now has underarm hair.

I was a true late bloomer though, I was 17 before I started my periods and had barely any boobs until I went on the pill at 18.

99th percentile here, and he was well into puberty at 12. By 12 he had a lot of body hair, broken voice (very deep indeed), some facial hair, substantial muscle mass, and he face had changed a lot in that his jaw became very square. He is currently 13 yrs old; 5.ft11 and seems to have come out the other side of puberty. It's pretty good for his image, he dominates in sport and (even though he is very sweet and gentle) no one at school would ever mess with him. However I also feel protective of him in that people treat him like he's 16, because he looks 16, but he is actually just a child still. We've always had this - once I was stopped in the street and told that he shouldn't be in the buggy and shouldn't have a dummy, because he was a 'big boy' . . . . .but he was only 2!

My son was always on the top end of the scale, and he started puberty at 11/12. He’s nearly 14 and is 6ft tall, size 11 feet. Has been this size for the majority of 2020, but he seems to have stopped growing in recent months thank God! He cost me a fortune in clothes and shoes last year the growth was so rapid.

Dd was very heavy and well-built, always on the 98th percentile plus. All through primary she was the tallest (and ‘biggest’ - not fat but chunky, large hands and feet etc). She started her periods a couple of months before 11.

This also meant she stopped growing sooner than I did (started periods at 12), so she’s actually not tall now - 5 foot 4, smaller than me!

Ds was more like 75th percentile, a bit slighter although tall, and was 14 in the summer. He’s got facial hair, his voice has broken etc. He’s desperately hoping he’s not stopped growing at 5 foot 10!

DD2, 85th percentile-ish, turned 10 in mid October started her periods in August, 4.5ft, size 4 feet, 11-10 yr old clothes

DD1, same percentile, turned 11 in September almost 5ft, size 5 shoes, size 6-8 clothes no periods.

I was early with my periods too so I think DD1's are just around the corner.

DD is tiny in both height and stature, started her periods aged 9. GP told I we must be mistaken as there was a minimum weight for the body to be able to start

DS has always been taller than his peers, he started with a few changes at the end of Y5. Hes now Y7 and still bigger than everyone else with hair all over the place
DD was tall but slim, she started her periods the day she left Primary ironically but then stopped growing so while she was one of the tallest in Y7 by Y 11 she’s one of the shorter ones at 5ft 3

wingsandstrings I feel you!
I was often asked why my 3 year old son wasn’t at school. He’s now 12 and bigger than me in both height and width. He could pass for 14/15 and with his face mask on probably older.
His sister took him shopping just after his 12th bday and he was fumbling with his wallet etc. He apologised saying he hadn’t been shopping on his own before and according to his sister the sales assistant then seemed to assume he had SN of some type and started speaking to him very slowly and clearly until she stepped in and said “he’s only 12”
All his life he’s has funny looks for acting the age he is rather than the age people assumed he was. A supposed 5/6 year old having a 3 year old tantrum gets quite a lot of tutting believe me.

OP, my DS was similar, very tall at 8 also with feet size 3 in year 3.
He went through puberty on the early side, his voice changed in year 7 (although this tracked with his dad's timing of puberty).
He's now 15, "only" 5 foot 11 and size 9 feet, so quite unremarkable.

@TurkeyTrot

OP, my DS was similar, very tall at 8 also with feet size 3 in year 3. He went through puberty on the early side, his voice changed in year 7 (although this tracked with his dad's timing of puberty). He's now 15, "only" 5 foot 11 and size 9 feet, so quite unremarkable.

Really? Wow that is interesting. So he might not end up tall after all?!

I'm the opposite end of the spectrum, Im pretty short (under 5ft) and both my DC have been around the 25th centile for height (although when he was younger DS was on 50th for weight but that has evened out now) I started my period at 14 and as far as I'm aware Ive never had a growth spurt!
DD is 14 and 5'1" and she started puberty at 12 which I think is around average.

DS has always been 97/98 centile.

It was a shock to realise how hairy he was at 11 1/2. Voice broke at about 13. At 15 he is 6’2” and shaves every other day. Due to sports training he wears a men’s L shirt and a 44” blazer, but has a 30” waist.

DDs both tall.

Both in size 7-8 shoes in year 5.

Both started puberty 8.5 (hair etc) and both got period just after 10th birthday (in hols before year 6).

I knew it was coming but I think it's so young to have to deal with it.

The 11yo is taller than me and getting the looks etc. The 13 yo seems to have stopped growing, apparently girls can stop within a couple of years of first period.

So while obviously we get on with it and it's life I feel sad they didn't have more time before it all.

My DD was like this, she started her periods age 13 and a half. I expected them earlier.