Here’s What You Really Should Be Asking Your Healthcare Professional About Your Kid’s Growth and Development
How often have you arrived home after your kid’s healthcare professional’s appointment only to realize that there’s more information that you wanted? Or perhaps you asked a host of questions, got a lot of information but didn’t quite understand what it all meant? When it comes to understanding your kid’s growth and development, it’s important to streamline the questions to ask their healthcare professional. This ensures that you leave the clinic with clarity and the information that you need and makes communication easier for both of you. So, to make this easier for you, we’ve identified 3 important questions to ask about your kid’s growth and development, as well as some terms that you should be familiar with.
- Can You Explain the Measurements You’ve Taken?
Healthcare professionals have vastly different approaches. Some may take the time to explain everything in detail while others may not. They may be under the impression that you are in the know. For you to have a clear and thorough understanding of your kid’s growth and development, you must understand the measurements that your kid’s healthcare professional takes and what the numbers mean.
These are some of the measurements that they may take to track your kid’s growth:
- Length/height: This should be done with a stadiometer for kids above 3 years of age.
- Arm span: The length from the tip of one hand to the other with outstretched arms
- The ratio between your kid’s upper and lower body measurements
To help get a better understanding of your kid’s growth and development, it’s good to ask your healthcare professional why these specific measurements are taken. You can also ask them if your kid is on par with what is expected of their age and gender.
- Has My Kid’s Percentile Changed, and Does that Suggest An Issue with My Kid’s Growth?
You’re probably familiar with the use of the term percentile. But what does it mean if your kid is in the 5th or 50th percentile? And what does it mean if your kid’s percentile changed from the last visit? The main purpose of percentiles is to illustrate how your kid’s measurement compares2 to other kids of the same age and gender.
Don’t hesitate to speak to your healthcare professional to find out what percentile your kid is in and what that says about their growth and development. They are usually more than willing to give you a detailed explanation.
- What Are Some Common Causes for Lack of Growth and What Can I Do?
If your kid’s growth and development isn’t on track, don’t worry just yet. It could be due to different factors, including hormonal imbalances.
Your healthcare professional can provide you with a detailed explanation of the possible causes and how to go about addressing them. If the solution lies in lifestyle and nutritional changes, your healthcare professional can advise you accordingly as well.
For example, if your kid is not getting all the necessary nutrients from food, due to picky eating, one way to help augment that is with Wyeth Nutrition’s MORE Superior growing-up milk for catch-up growth — ASCENDA® Kid. The NEW ASCENDA® Kid brings your kid’s essential micronutrient levels close to 100%, making it perfect for picky eaters who miss out on essential nutrients. It gives them the advantage they need for a healthier, happier life.
Wyeth ASCENDA® Kid is clinically proven to help deliver faster height growth in as early as 3 weeks!1 With a taste that kids love, it is the ONLY premium growth brand that has the Growth Plus Advantage–-100% dairy protein, high-quality carbohydrates like skimmed milk and lactose (no added sucrose or table sugar), and 38 essential growth and development nutrients that are easily absorbed.
Whatever the reason is, there are steps that you can take to ensure that your kid’s growth and development today is giving them the advantage tomorrow. You can find plenty of information online to give you a general sense but remember to always confirm with a certified healthcare professional.
There you go, moms. We hope that you’ve found this information useful. The next time you visit your kid’s healthcare professional to assess their growth and development, remember to ask these questions for a focused and detailed discussion. Remember, always seek clarification from your healthcare professional to have clarity around your kid’s development.
1. Based on the Oral Nutritional Supplementation combined with dietary counseling promotes growth, nutritional adequacy, and is well accepted in toddlers experiencing growth concerns clinical study by Samuels et al in 2023
2. World Health Organization. “Stunting in a nutshell.” Accessed May 2, 2024, https://www.who.int/news/item/19-11-2015-stunting-in-a-nutshell
