Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Son not growing - really worried.

97 replies

ParkMaiden · 14/10/2025 16:25

name changed because bunch of reasons.. my son is 12 and half. he has always been on the short side but from about year 3 erring on being the shortest boy in class and then just the shortest kid overall. He isn't growing. he is currently 148.3cm and pretty much the shortest boy in his secondary. I feel like almost every second day we run into a kid he went to primary school with and havent seen for a year and they have shot up.
I've been keeping track and for example he grew 1.3cm in the last 6 months (since April) The thing is (name change...) he has very very small private parts. and small feet. I couldn't care less how big his privates or his feet are but I know height especially for men is really important and linked to future success. So im wondering if the small privates is somehow indicative of a problem? my partner took him to an nhs growth specialist about a year ago and the doctor said 'don't worry come see me if things haven't changed by the time he's 14. '
It just seems so unlikely I'm tall for a woman (176cm) and my husband is average (I think 177cm) Any advice or information or experience? he is definitely not started puberty. oh also he wasn't a small baby I think 9 pounds 9oz if I can remember. TIA

OP posts:

Original poster

ParkMaiden · 14/10/2025 20:15

Exactfare · 14/10/2025 19:20

My 4 year old daughter is also tiny, and I get loads of well meaning people say it's fine - well maybe it is but paeds have monitored her growth for a few years and we are now under endocrinology for some investigations

With a teenage boy it's much more time sensitive and critical because if there is an issue the window to sort it is much smaller

The child growth Foundation has lots of info - but you need to work out his mid-parental centile and if he's more than two centiles out it needs investigation - especially if you and his dad aren't particularly small

Also look at his growth trajectory - then get to the GP and discuss

Yes, I’m not being a lunatic my whole life people have said wow you are tall, my brother is 6ft 4. His dad’s not considered tall but average. I don’t want to miss a window where I could’ve helped. Anyhow at the same time he’s an awesome kid and I’ll make sure he has the confidence to take on the world no matter what etc.. plus yes I feel for him being the same size as his younger bro. It’s embarrassing for him when strangers ask if they are twins. He takes it on the chin but I know he cringes inside a little

OP posts:

mutleyschuckles · 14/10/2025 20:18

My son is the same age- just about 130 cm & has just gone into size 1 shoes (I’d say he’s a 13 still but not cool on year 8!)he’s still in age 7-8 clothes & I know he gets teased sometimes but he’s learnt to shrug it off. He does karate twice a week so carries himself confidently & doesn’t seem massively bothered. We are under an endocrinologist for his size but after all the tests they have pretty much said he needs to eat better (he is fussy) & wait for puberty to kick in.
if you’re worried speak to the gp, see if you can get a wrist bone scan & bloods- then depending on those results they may refer you on to endocrinology.

CarraghInish · 14/10/2025 20:29

Omg leave the boy in peace. He will grow when he hits puberty. Lots of boys reach this stage later than girls do, but I was a late girl. I was 15 before I started growing but there were boys in my class who were still not much taller than me at that age! I hope he doesn’t know how much you are fretting over the size of his willy. That would be a sure fire ticket to therapy later in life.

LadyGaGasPokerFace · 14/10/2025 20:33

This is similar to me. Everyone was taller than me. I got the 15 and started growing, then I left school and shot up. I’m now 5’10”.

Brightmoments · 14/10/2025 22:24

My son is 12. He's 145cm tall and has size 3 feet. He hasn't grown for ages but I assume at some point he will have a growth spurt. I wouldn't say he's short for his age...yes some boys are taller but some are shorter. Males and females on both sides of the family are tall (around 6ft).

Bufftailed · 14/10/2025 22:29

DC was only just over 5ft until around 14.5 years. Now 16 and shot to 5 8/9. I was v worried too.

Tryingatleast · 14/10/2025 22:40

He may grow, he may not, but you have to stop freaking out- there’s no way he’s not noticing your reaction on top of how he feels. I know that’s easy to say but …

TheMeasure · 14/10/2025 23:38

My son was like this. He didn’t start puberty until 15 and was on the 2nd centile throughout. I wish I’d trusted that chart more because it was pretty accurate, predicting his adult height to be 5’8.
I am 5’7 and he is in fact now 5’10.
DH and most of his family are all short but all the men in mine are well over 6 foot.

I did panic a bit in his early teens wondering if I should have got him checked earlier in case anything could have been done but I suppose I was thinking he’d just be taking after dh’s side. Then, he suddenly shot up and has ended up the same height as those friends who towered above him in year 7.
They just hit puberty earlier. It all evened out in the end.
What we did make sure we did was to try to instil confidence in himself, along with strategies to bat away any teasing he might get at school. It seemed to work - he was very into music and drama and got loads of parts in productions which also helped.
What does the red book chart say for your boy?

Original poster

ParkMaiden · 15/10/2025 05:27

Yep you are all right I should let it go, although will be checking for Coeliac and chrons (have ordered home tests) make sure he’s well fed and give vit D and calcium. Also try switching to whole milk (this is a very good idea as I’m there to see he has a healthy brekkie.)

OP posts:

HappyAsASandboy · 15/10/2025 07:52

My son was always one of the shortest in his year, shorter than his twin sister (significantly, since before school started), always wore clothes a few years younger than his actual age.

During Year 9 he stared to grow, slowly. During the summer between Year 9 and October Year 10 he shot up in height (still very very slim!) and is now taller than me (I’m 5’8”), and taller than his twin sister (who is also taller than me). I couldn’t tell you how tall he is because of the floating I’d face that he’s taller than me

The GP said don’t worry until 14. That means the GP isn’t concerned until 14, and certainly wouldn’t explore medication until 14. Try not to worry, and hopefully by 15 your son will be taller than you!

Owly11 · 15/10/2025 07:56

He is 12.5? His biggest growth spurt is yet to come. Seriously, why are you so worried about this, it doesn't seem healthy.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 15/10/2025 07:58

My brother didn't really hit puberty until he was in his late teens. On his first day of 6th form he got into trouble with a new teacher for not being in school uniform, and when he explained that he was a 6th former the teacher didn't believe him and thought that he was in year 7.

He caught up eventually and is a normal sized adult now.

VikaOlson · 15/10/2025 08:33

ParkMaiden · 15/10/2025 05:27

Go to the GP and get proper tests done!

DoNoTakeNo · 15/10/2025 08:34

@ParkMaidensorry to nag but re my post upthread - does he have a sense of smell?

Original poster

ParkMaiden · 15/10/2025 10:17

DoNoTakeNo · 15/10/2025 08:34

@ParkMaidensorry to nag but re my post upthread - does he have a sense of smell?

Hey well after your post I made him smell and orange and he did smell it. Sorry I didn’t @ you. Will further investigate his sense of smell.

OP posts:

turkeyboots · 15/10/2025 10:24

If its any reassurance I was told the later a boy grows, the taller he will end up. It was true for my Dad, DBro and DS. All slightly taller as small kids, all the boys shot past them aged 13 and 14. And then age 15/16 my male folk all shot up past 6ft and became the tallest of all.
I was worried about DS has he wasn't growing due to his out of control Crohn's disease, but he followed the family pattern.

ComfortFoodCafe · 15/10/2025 10:33

I wouldnt worry yet, my son was the shortest in primary school. Got to 13 & just shot up in height, he is now 6 foot 2’. Litteratly I spent 12 months having to buy him new shoes every single month!

Pancakeflipper · 15/10/2025 10:50

My eldest was one of the smallest throughout secondary school. Then when he was 16 he grew. In the summer hols he just didn't stop growing. Everyone couldn't help remarking "wow,you've grown" drove him.bonkers. Now 5ft11.

I was late with puberty and so was his father. And our other DC have all seemed to wait until they are 16.

Don't make it an issue to him. He'll be fully aware he's smaller than his peers.

DoNoTakeNo · 15/10/2025 12:39

Thanks @ParkMaiden I’m only insistent cos it’s a serious but very manageable condition once diagnosed (though it is rare!) Trick is to let him test a foul smell & wait for his reaction!

Best wishes with it all

HailtotheBop · 15/10/2025 12:55

We had a couple of years where my eldest son was shorter than his brother, who's two years younger. We had all the 'twins?' comments. Eldest was just slow to grow, whereas his brother was quick. They're 21 and 19 now and both fairly tall (1m80 and 1m 82). Like the doctor says, give it time, but get things checked at 14 if you're still concerned.

TheLivelyViper · 15/10/2025 14:14

ParkMaiden · 15/10/2025 05:27

Home tests kits aren't going to do much, but the GP is not (responsibly) going to order a colonoscopy because he's short. Does he have any other symptoms, pain, bowel issues etc? If they said they aren't concerned till 14, they're unlikely to do anything till then, which makes sense. If he needs to see endocrine at that point them he will, once the GP does the preliminary and looks over everything.

But home kits aren't as accurate as the proper tests, if you want to do them, there's no harm. PP have mentioned where their kids had no other symptoms but I have seen a few where those children were autistic and sometimes that means they don't communicate their pain, bowel issues as well. But ask him if he doesn't have any of the other issues, the GP is unlikely to do a Calprotectin test, as it just isn't warranted. You may get somewhere with coeliac though.

Just make sure he eats well, vitamin D won't hurt, and most of a give it time. There's a reason why the doctor mentioned 14 and having very little growth up to that point. So wait and see what happens, there's nothing else to do, till he hits puberty.

Waitingfordoggo · 15/10/2025 18:11

MaggieBsBoat · 14/10/2025 19:58

I have three sons. When my second son was 12 he wore age 5-6 underpants and was so small/thin that I couldn’t get proper trousers for him for school (high school has specific trouser spec).
At around 14 puberty hit and wow, the speed! He literally ate constantly. He is now in his twenties and is 6‘2“
I wasn’t so worried as his older brother was slow to shoot up but without that I would have been. Wait until puberty OP, try not to stress overly.

I was astonished at the rate of growth in puberty- nothing could have prepared me for feeding and clothing a teenage boy 😂 We had a DD first- she was a slow grower and a grazer, and stopped growing aged 13 at 5ft 1!

But the boy was something else.
Bread, cereal, 4 pint bottles of milk, 1kg of chicken wings…all gone in a day or so and back to the shop I’d go, thinking ‘might as well pick up some new school shoes and trousers while I’m there as he’ll have grown out out of his current ones by the time I get back’. 😂

Flip

1 2 3 4