Determining how tall your child will be

Child's Height at Age 2 May Predict Adult Height

• By

  Shawn Bishop

  September 24, 2010

September 24, 2010

Dear Mayo Clinic:

Is it true that a child's future height can be predicted when they are 2 years old, based on their size at that time?

Answer:

A child's height at age 2 may be predictive of final adult height. But many factors can affect height. As they grow, children should be monitored regularly by a doctor to ensure they are growing properly and to detect any growth problems as soon as possible.

Doubling a child's height at age 2 can provide an estimate of how tall that child will be in adulthood. (Boys are usually a little taller than that number and girls a little shorter.) That's because by 2 most children have reached the growth chart percentile they will stay on as they grow. The percentile compares a child's height with that of other children the same age. For example, a child on the 50th percentile for height would be taller than half and shorter than half of other children his or her age.

After age 2, most healthy children grow steadily at about 2 inches per year until they reach puberty. During puberty they have a growth spurt, and shortly after that growth ends. Generally, most girls grow only about 2 inches more after they have their first menstrual period. Boys, by the time they need to start shaving and their voices deepen, have usually almost finished growing.

Genetics plays the biggest role in a person's final adult height. The best predictor of height is parents' height or, more specifically, midparental height. You can calculate midparental height by adding the mother's and father's height in inches. Add 5 more inches for boys or subtract 5 inches for girls. Divide by two. Most children will reach an adult height within 2 inches of mid-parental height.

Several factors can negatively affect final adult height. A chronic illness can considerably impede growth. Although some conditions — such as hormonal disorders (thyroid disease, growth hormone deficiency) and genetic disorders (Down syndrome, Turner syndrome) — are specifically linked to reduced adult height, any significant illness can decrease growth. Medications such as corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone or cortisone) can also reduce a child's growth and final adult height, especially if used in high doses for long periods.

Being underweight can impact final height, too, particularly during stages of rapid growth such as infancy and puberty. Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa often affect teenagers and can prevent the normal growth spurt that should occur during puberty. Unfortunately, once puberty is complete, the bony growth plates are closed, and there's no opportunity to get back the missed growth.

Keep in mind, though, that eating in excess will not help a child grow taller. Children who are obese are often taller when they are younger because obesity can affect the body's bone maturation, causing more rapid growth at a younger age. Heavier grade school children may be tall, but they often finish growing sooner than their peers. Eventually, those children have the adult height that would normally be expected in their family.

If a child is healthy, they should grow at a rate of about 2 inches per year, from age 2 until puberty. If your child isn't growing at that rate, see your pediatrician or family physician. Even healthy children should be seen by their doctors at least every two years to check that growth is normal. If a child is well into puberty and a treatable growth disorder is discovered, there may not be much that can be done to change final height. If discovered earlier, however, some excellent treatments are available.

— Siobhan Pittock, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

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Predicting a Child’s Adult Height

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Parents often wonder how tall their toddler or preschooler might be when they grow up. Gradeschoolers and young teens may ask, "How tall will I be?" It is a natural question for parents and children, and besides being a little fun to try and predict how tall a child might be, pediatricians also find it helpful to make sure a child is growing as expected. While no one has a crystal ball, there are ways parents and pediatricians can make an educated guess. Read on.

How is a Child's Adult Height Predicted?

The most accurate method of height prediction comes from using a child's "bone age," determined by an X-ray of the hand, but there are several methods you can use at home to get an idea of how tall your child will eventually become. The most common way to estimate a child's adult height is to base it on the parents' heights.

Two Years Times Two Method

Did you know the earliest growth spurt, from baby to toddler, actually accounts for roughly half of a child's adult height? A simple method to predict adult height is to double the child's height at age 2. Girls develop more quickly, so doubling their height at 18 months old can also be used as an estimate of how tall they will be as adults. While this method has been around for a long time, no research exists to demonstrate its accuracy.

Mid-Parental Method

A slightly more complex method of predicting your child's height is known as the "mid-parental method." Add together the measured heights of the mother and father in inches and divide by 2.

• For a boy: add 2½ inches
• For a girl: subtract 2½ inches

Note: This is just a very rough estimate of the average height of how tall a child will be when fully grown. You can expect a margin of error of about four inches up or down. The taller the parents, the taller the child is likely to be; similarly, the shorter the parents, the shorter the child.

Growth Charts

Regular measurements of a child's height, weight and head size and plotting them on a growth chart are a good way to see if your child is growing as expected. Pediatricians use standardized growth charts at each well-child visit. What many people don't realize is that growth charts are also helpful for judging the onset of puberty in an older child. As you may know, puberty is occurring at an earlier age these days. The onset of pubic hair or breast budding in girls can occur normally as early as age six! Growth charts can help pediatricians determine whether your child's early development is in the normal range.

Family History & Genetics

Height and growth patterns usually run in families. Your child's pediatrician may ask about your own height, since your genetic make-up is the biggest factor in how your children grow. You may also be asked how tall other family members are. Additionally, you may be asked how fast and at what age you grew during your childhood (i.e. your growth pattern). Were you short in grade school but kept growing after all of your friends stopped? Did you go through puberty early or late? These may be important clues for your child's pediatrician.

What Else Affects Your Child's Height?

While genes play a huge part in predetermining how tall your child will be (e.g. short parents usually have short children) other factors have an impact on how much your child grows. These include:

• Nutrition: A child who is overweight is often taller than classmates, although that does not necessarily mean that he will be taller as an adult. Children who are very underweight might be shorter than expected for age.
• Hormones: Hormone imbalances, such as low thyroid or growth hormone levels, lead to slower than expected growth and can result in children who are either shorter or taller than would be expected if not diagnosed and treated. Review red flags to help you tell if your child is growing normally and will reach his predicted height or if he might have a growth hormone problem.
• Medications: Some medications, particularly chronic use of corticosteroids (like prednisone), can slow growth.
• Health conditions: Children with some chronic illnesses, such as severe arthritis, untreated celiac disease, or cancer may be shorter than expected.
• Genetic conditions: Children with some genetic conditions can cause either short or tall stature. For example, those with Down Syndrome, Noonan Syndrome, or Turner Syndrome tend to be shorter than other family members, while Marfan Syndrome can cause someone to be taller. 

Additionally, exercise, pollution, sleep patterns, climate, fitness, diet, and psychological well-being can also impact growth.

If You Have Concerns about Your Child's Height:  

If you are concerned about your child's height or think that your child may be growing too fast or too slowly, talk to your pediatrician. If needed, your pediatrician can order further tests. A simple x-ray of the hand and wrist may show how much growth your child has left. Lab tests can also help find the cause of growth problems and how to treat them. You may also be referred to a pediatric endocrinologist, pediatric geneticist, or other pediatric specialist for further evaluation and treatment.

Don't delay!

Remember, once your child finishes puberty, growth stops. A short teenager has little or no time to catch up on growth, while a younger child still has time to be treated and grow taller.

Last Updated

1/27/2016

Source

Section on Genetics and Birth Defects (Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics)

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

How to find out how tall a child will be when he grows up: calculator and growth rates

Health

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pediatrician

In the first year of life, children literally grow by leaps and bounds hours and grow 25 centimeters by their first birthday. Growth hormone is produced in the endocrine gland, which is located in the brain. This happens when the baby is sleeping, which is why healthy and restful sleep is so important. nine0003

“From one to three years old, a child on average gains 10 centimeters a year,” says pediatrician Marina Fedyushina. - From three to six years, the growth rate decreases: the mark on the stadiometer increases by about 4-5 centimeters. Until the age of 10, there is a slight slowdown, and already from the age of 11 (for girls) and from 13 years (for boys) there is a sharp jump in growth rates. After 40 years, we begin to decrease a little. This is due to fluid loss from the intervertebral discs.”

Place of birth matters

Obviously, growth is due to heredity. It is the genes that determine whether your son will be teased by Gulliver, and your daughter by Thumbelina. Not so simple.

“In 2014, American scientists conducted a large-scale study on the influence of genes on human growth,” says Doctor of Biology Antonina Volkova . - The project was carried out by specialists from 300 institutes, and the number of participants reached 250 thousand people. The experiment proved that human growth is influenced by various gene variations, and there are about 300 hundreds of them. It is important what were your ancestors (not just parents), from whom you got a certain appearance. nine0003

The scientists also found out that the northerners are much taller than the inhabitants of the southern regions. For the first time, the German biologist Karl Bergman told the world about this, he said that a hot climate contributes to a slowdown in growth processes.

Photo

Photo Alto/Legion

Growth Formulas

Doctors have come up with a few simple formulas that can be used to predict where in the ranks your child will stand in physical education classes.

1. The most common formula

Boy height (cm) = (Mother's height + Father's height) * 0.54 - 4.5 (cm)

Example: (165 + 183) * 0.54 - 4.5 (cm) = 183 .4 (cm)

Girl's height = (mother's height + father's height) * 0.51 - 7.5 (cm)

Example: (159 + 173) * 0.51 - 7.5 (cm) = 161.8 (cm)

2.

An employee of one of the largest private medical centers in the world, the Mayo Clinic, proposed the following calculations:

The boy's height is = (Father's height + Mother's height): 2 + 6.4

Example: (183 + 165): 2 + 6.4 (cm) = 180.4 (cm)

Girl's height = (Father's height + Mother's height): 2 - 6.4

Example: (173 + 159): 2 - 6.4 (cm) = 159.6 (cm)

Boy's height = (Father's height + Mother's height * 1.08): 2

Example: (183 + 165 * 1.08): 2 = 180.6 (cm)

Girl's height father * 0.923 + mother's height): 2