Is my kid too short for his age?
Moms, are you worried that your kid is shorter than most kids his age?
As a parent, it is normal to be concerned about your kid’s growth. You don’t want your kids to be teased or bullied by other kids about their size. More importantly, you want to make sure that there are no underlying health issues because your kid’s growth is one of the best indicators of his overall health and well-being.1 You want to ensure that you are doing everything you can to help your kid grow today so that they can have the advantage tomorrow.
Picky eating can exacerbate these concerns. When children are picky eaters, they may not get enough nutrients, leading to micronutrient deficiencies. This can make them more prone to illnesses and stunted growth, potentially resulting in your child being shorter than their peers.
So how do you know if there is a real problem? How short is too short for a kid of a particular age?
Let us examine the factors that influence a kid’s height, and how growth problems can be identified.
What factors can influence my kid’s height?
Genetics is an important factor in determining a kid’s height. Tall people tend to have kids who also grow up to be tall, and vice versa.
However, the most common causes of suboptimal growth are poor nutrition and inadequate intake of energy, protein, and micronutrients, which can negatively impact overall health2-6.
Some kids have what’s called a “constitutional growth delay,” which means that they hit puberty and experience its accompanying growth spurt later than their peers. So while these kids might be short for most of their childhood, they will eventually grow to be about the same height as their parents.
Then again, in some cases, the cause of poor growth may be “idiopathic,” meaning that there is no specific cause for the short stature, and the kid is otherwise healthy.
Sometimes there might be a medical reason behind a kid’s short stature. It may be due to hormone deficiencies such as hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, and diabetes, which impact hormones necessary for normal growth.
Other medical reasons for poor growth include illnesses that affect the whole body, illnesses that affect the digestive tract, kidneys, heart, or lungs, or genetic conditions such as Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Silver-Russell syndrome, and Noonan syndrome.
How do I know if my kid is growing well?
The first thing to understand about your kid’s growth in terms of height and weight is that all kids grow and develop at different rates. Kids usually have growth spurts that they go through, alternating with periods of slightly slower growth.
Parents, it is important to understand what is considered "normal growth" for your child. You can utilize the World Health Organization growth chart to track their growth. This will help you monitor their development and ensure they are progressing within the expected range.
Do note that this is just a general guideline. It is also important to observe whether your kid is lagging behind in his developmental milestones such as slow development of physical skills, like standing, and walking
Diagnosis and Treatment of Growth Problems
As parents, it may be difficult to determine whether your kid is naturally short or not growing well. If you have any concerns about your kid’s growth, it is important to bring your kid to a healthcare professional.
They will most likely do a complete analysis of your kid’s health and growth over several months, and determine how well they are meeting the developmental milestones for their age. They will also check for a family history of height issues, and any history of genetic disorders.
They will also enquire about your kid’s diet, sleep patterns, and if they have been experiencing any significant stress.
If your healthcare professional diagnoses your kid as being too short for their age, the first step is to address any underlying medical conditions that may be the cause. The doctor may recommend diagnostics tests such as:
- Blood tests to rule out hormone, chromosomal, or other disorders associated with growth failure
- A scan of the pituitary gland, which produces and regulates growth hormones to detect abnormalities
- An X-ray of your kid’s hand or wrist to compare bone development with height and chronological age and determine growth potential
Treatment will depend on the exact cause of the short stature.
If your kid’s growth is restricted or delayed because of a hormonal problem, growth hormone injections may be necessary.
If there are signs of malnutrition or a condition where proper absorption of nutrients is not taking place, your kid may need nutritional supplements or treatment.
If there is no major condition causing the short stature, there are a few things you can do to help your kid catch up. Ensure that your kid has a well-balanced and nutrient-dense diet to support their growth and activity levels. The secretion of growth hormone occurs during deep sleep, so make sure that your kid gets adequate sleep.
If your kid is a picky eater, they may not be able to get the nutrients they need from diet alone. Picky eaters usually have lower consumption of fruits, vegetables, and meat, as well as lower intake of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals which are important for healthy growth and development.
In this case, supplementation with a nutritionally balanced formulation7-11 can help ensure that he does not miss out on key nutrients necessary to support his growth and learning.
Wyeth Nutrition’s MORE Superior growing-up milk for catch-up growth — 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!12 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.
Moms, it’s hard not to worry about your kid’s growth especially if they are a lot shorter than all the kids in their class. But by identifying the root cause and treating the problem early, and by focusing on the healthy habits you can control such as diet and sleep, you can help your kid grow today so that they have the advantage tomorrow.
References:
1 Haymond M, Kappelgaard AM, Czernichow P, et al. Early recognition of growth
abnormalities permitting early intervention. Acta Paediatrica. 2013;102(8):787-96.
2 Sullivan PB, Goulet O. Growth faltering: how to catch up? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010;64(suppl 1):S1.
3 De Onis M, Branca F. Childhood stunting: a global perspective. Matern Child Nutr. 2016;12:12-26.
4 Kar BR, Rao SL, Chandramouli BA. Cognitive development in children with chronic protein energy malnutrition. Behav Brain Funct. 2008;4(1):31.
5 Loveridge N, Noble BS. Control of longitudinal growth: the role of nutrition. Eur J Clin Nutr.1994;48:75-84.
6 Prendergast AJ, Humphrey JH. The stunting syndrome in developing countries. J Paediatr Child Health. 2014;34(4):250-65.
7 Ghosh AK, Kishore B, Shaikh I, et al. Continuation of oral nutritional supplementation supports continued growth in nutritionally at-risk children with picky eating behaviour: A post-intervention, observational follow-up study. J Int Med Res. 2018;46(7):2615-32.
8 Huynh DT, Estorninos E, Capeding MR, et al. Impact of long-term use of oral nutritional supplement on nutritional adequacy, dietary diversity, food intake and growth of Filipino preschool children. J Nutr Sci. 2016;5(e20):1-11.
9 Huynh DT, Estorninos E, Capeding RZ, Oliver JS, Low YL, Rosales FJ. Longitudinal growth and health outcomes in nutritionally at-risk children who received long-term nutritional intervention. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015;28(6):623-35.
10 Sheng X, Tong M, Zhao D, et al. Randomized controlled trial to compare growth parameters and nutrient adequacy in children with picky eating behaviors who received nutritional counseling with or without an oral nutritional supplement. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014;7:NMI-S15097.
11 Alarcon PA, Lin LH, Noche Jr M, et al. Effect of oral supplementation on catch-up growth in picky eaters. Clin Pediatr. 2003;42(3):209-17.
12 Based on the Oral Nutritional Supplementation combined with dietary counseling promotes growth
