Should I Worry About My Child’s Height?

Though growth charts are meant to help parents and pediatricians assess a child’s growth and development, they can also become a source of worry when children don’t seem to be measuring up to their peers. Before parents start to lose sleep over their child’s height, growth and development, they should understand the purpose of the CDC growth charts and some typical issues that may arise in tracking a child’s growth.

CDC Growth Charts

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, growth charts were first used by pediatricians in 1977 to determine if a child’s growth was adequate; the charts were revised in 2000. The current version helps pediatricians track a child’s growth and development from birth, and includes percentiles for children in both height and weight. For example, a child may be in the 90th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight at birth. However, children are unlikely to stay on the exact same curve on the growth chart throughout their infancy and childhood.

Growth Spurts

One reason a child may experience a fluctuation in his height percentile is a growth spurt. The Mayo Clinic notes that a child who is an early or late bloomer may suddenly deviate markedly from his peers on a growth chart. A child may suddenly jump from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile in height one year, but then settle back down to the 50th percentile the year after, when his peers have caught up. In this instance, parents shouldn’t be concerned about their child’s height.

Parental Height

While it’s not uncommon for a child to be shorter or taller than Mom or Dad, parental height is an invaluable resource when assessing a child’s height. Concern about a child in the 10th percentile for height may be a bit misplaced if Mom and Dad are both just over 5 feet tall.

Thriving

As long as children continue to grow and thrive, parents shouldn’t be concerned about minor fluctuations in a child’s height or weight when compared with statistics on a growth chart. If a child does have a sudden and marked change in her percentile, it may help clue your pediatrician in to other areas of concern. Failure to thrive may be the culprit. Medline notes that failure to thrive may be the result of emotional, socioeconomic or underlying medical factors. Therefore, if failure to thrive is suspected, parents and pediatricians should follow up with a complete medical history and further assessments, if necessary.

If questions or concerns arise concerning a child’s height or weight, consulting your pediatrician should be your first step.

Sources:

www.healthychildren.org/Documents/tips-tools/Growth%20Charts/Girls_Age_2_to_20_Growth_Chart_CDC.pdf

www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/background.htm

www.mayoclinic.com/health/child-growth/AN01610

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000991.htm