My 18-month old daughter’s height is always an issue in the household – Is she getting taller? I don’t think so… Hmm. I bet she got her height from her mom (who stands barely 5 ft). Her pediatrician said we can never really tell what her height would be since a lot of factors may contribute like nutrition, genes, or hormones. Even if I constantly tell them that toddlers may seem tall today, they will experience growth spurt in puberty (starting at 8 years of age).
Because of that I’ve researched here and there – from books to the internet – how to determine a child’s normal growth. Here’s an interesting article I read from Reader’s Digest Family Guide to Medicine and Health:
Growth is governed by a mixture of genetic, nutritional and hormonal factors. The heights and weights of children of the same age vary considerably and it is only when a child falls outside the normal range that there may be a cause of concern.
Normal Growth
There are 3 phases of growth: infancy, childhood, and puberty. Children grow most rapidly during the first two years of life. There is then much longer period of steady but slower growth, before a short, sharp period growth during puberty.
Girls are usually the first to begin their pubertal growth spurt, about two years earlier than boys. In boys, the slower the childhood phase continues until the second half of puberty when they grow for a longer period and end up being on average 12.5cm(5in) taller than girls.
A child may be said to have slow growth if he or she is growing more slowly than would be expected for a child of his or her age with a similar lifestyle.
Growth Charts
The weight, height, and head circumference of a child under five years are normally monitored at a child health clinic. The measurements are enterede into a child’s personal health record book and compared against the national average for children of the same age using a centile or growth chart. The national average is represented on a centile chart by a line known as the 50th centile.
A child whose growth falls below the third centile or above the 97th should be referred to a doctor, but as children vary a great deal, the chart is never considered in isolation from a child’s general health.
Predictions can be made as to the height a child will attain in adulthood. Generally, give or take a few centimeters, a boy will eventually be twice the height he is at 2 years, and a girl twice the height she is at 18 months.
Pediatrician also said that you cannot always rely on growth charts. Kids’ height are also determined through her length during birth. On average, babies grow 10 inches (25 centimeters) in length while tripling their birth weights by their first birthday. My daughter is born 47cm (about 18 in), now at 18 months she’s 78cm (31 in). So what do you think? Maybe I should try Human Growth Hormone Enhancements.
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now expert will check on kids how much they drink the milk, then check their age to find out if they have normal growth. most of them then ask you buy their milk powder.
it’s too early to tell nga.. at least walang gaanong point of comparison, ang hirap ung first and second ko, magkasinlaki halos so lagi nila ni ko compare..