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Anyone else's preschooler not grow much heightwise?

Jen&LenJen&Len
in Pre-School and Daycare

I guess I never realized how short DS was until I took a picture of him with his classmates today on their Field Day.  He is the shortest one in the class, almost a full head shorter than most of his classmates (including the girls).  Granted, DH and I are not super tall (I'm 5'3, he's 5'10), so I'm not expecting a super tall child, but he was noticeably smaller than the rest of his class.  I looked up his stats and he has been dropping down on the growth curve quite a lot.  At 1.5, he was still in the 85%ile for height, but it started dropping down from there.  At his last visit a few months ago, he was down to about 35%ile. He has grown maybe an inch a year over the past 2 years or so.  He's right around 37-38" now...probably closer to 37".

The weird thing is that he has always been very lean, with his weight hovering around 25%ile at 2 years and he's now up to about 45%ile, which is no easy feat for a preschooler who is running around all day.

Is it odd that he's gaining weight pretty well, but not really growing height wise?  

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Re: Anyone else's preschooler not grow much heightwise?

  • Court0026Court0026 member
    This happened to me when the kids were on stage for parent appreciation day.  Holy cow.  Owen is probably the 2nd shortest in the class.  And I thought he had grown so much this year!  He has gained 2-3 pounds since he turned 2 (he is 3.5).  I know he IS getting taller, but I am shocked at how short he is.  I am curious to see where he falls on the growth curve for his 4 year check.
    O 10.08 & MJ 6.10
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  • Meg&JesseMeg&Jesse

    DS is less than 1% on the charts.  We started seeing an endrocronlogist when he was 18 months.  DS is definitely the smallest of his peers.  Honestly, it bothers DH and I more than it does him.  He is a confident and happy little boy.  There are times he may talk about someone being taller than him, and it is a good opportunity to talk about how we are all different and special in our own ways. 

    If you are really concerned I would ask your pedi.  As long as there is nothing medical it is just a matter of letting things be how they will!

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  • LoCarbLoCarb member
    DD gets a growth spurt each summer and then I swear she stops growing the rest of year. Right now she is short compared to others in her class. I was told she was in the 40% for height at her wellness check.
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  • shouldbworkinshouldbworkin

    this happened to DS1.  He was 75+% at 1 y/o and fell to <10% by 3 y/o.  Some of it was just things evening out and we suspect that he has a growth delay now as well.  This doesn't mean that he won't reach his full potential, just more that he's a late bloomer and will continue to grow after his peers have stopped.  I've requested a bone growth xray to see if this is the case. 

    But, as a PP mentioned, it bothers us more than it bothers him.  He's a tough cookie that can hold his own, but I think the other kids see him as sweet and funny so he's never had any problems.  We're very careful not to make it an issue for him too, though. 

    DS1 age 7, DD age 5 and DS2 born 4/3/12
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  • Meg&JesseMeg&Jesse
    imageshouldbworkin:

      I've requested a bone growth xray to see if this is the case. 

    Yes, you can do this if you are concerned.  We initally had blood tests to rule out any medical disorder.  Both times we have done a bone growth xray they have shown that DS's bones are 6 months behind.  He will likely be a late bloomer and catch up somewhat during puberty, although if some of that is genetic as well he will probably go through puberty later than his peers. 

    Agree though not to make it an issue for your child.  DS and I have our conversations about this issue in private.  And we use every opportunity to talk about how special each person is.

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  • Jen&LenJen&Len
    So I asked DH when he hit puberty since physically, DS looks like DH's mini-me.  He said 16!!!  He was small until then as well.  I guess that explains that!  He is now average height at 5'10".  I'll still ask the pedi at his 4 yo visit if we should be concerned.  We never talk about his size really.  I was actually under the impression that he was tall for his age because he was always on the taller side.  He is one of the youngest in his class, so I always shrugged off the height difference for that reason.  It wasn't until I took that photo of all the kids in a line that I realized!
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  • AgrippaRidesAgainAgrippaRidesAgain member

    imageJen&Len:
    So I asked DH when he hit puberty since physically, DS looks like DH's mini-me.  He said 16!!!  He was small until then as well.  I guess that explains that!  He is now average height at 5'10".  I'll still ask the pedi at his 4 yo visit if we should be concerned.  We never talk about his size really.  I was actually under the impression that he was tall for his age because he was always on the taller side.  He is one of the youngest in his class, so I always shrugged off the height difference for that reason.  It wasn't until I took that photo of all the kids in a line that I realized!

    This is my DH.  He was always the shortest in his class, had late growth spurts, and then had a HUGE one in his late teens that put him at average height.  He actually has stretch marks from growing so fast.

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