How child grow

Growth and Your 6- to 12-Year-Old (for Parents)

As kids grow from grade-schoolers to preteens, there continues to be a wide range of "normal" regarding height, weight, and shape.

Kids tend to get taller at a pretty steady pace, growing about 2.5 inches (6 to 7 centimeters) each year. When it comes to weight, kids gain about 4–7 lbs. (2–3 kg) per year until puberty starts.

This is also a time when kids start to have feelings about how they look and how they're growing. Some girls may worry about being "too big," especially those who are developing early. Boys tend to be sensitive about being too short.

Try to help your child understand that the important thing is not to "look" a certain way, but rather to be healthy. Kids can't change the genes that will determine how tall they will be or when puberty starts. But they can make the most of their potential by developing healthy eating habits and being physically active.

Your doctor will take measurements at regular checkups, then plot your child's results on a standard growth chart to follow over time and compare with other kids the same age and gender.

Helping Your Child Grow

Normal growth — supported by good nutrition, enough sleep, and regular exercise — is one of the best overall indicators of a child's good health.

Your child's growth pattern is largely determined by genetics. Pushing kids to eat extra food or get higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients will not increase their height and may lead to weight problems.

Accepting kids as they are helps them build self-acceptance.

Puberty

Puberty — or sexual development — is a time of dramatic change for both boys and girls. The age at which the physical changes of puberty normally begin varies widely.

For both sexes, these hormone-driven changes are accompanied by growth spurts that transform children into physically mature teens as their bodies develop.

Breast development, usually the first noticeable sign of puberty in girls, may begin anytime between ages 8 and 13. Events in girls as they go through puberty:

• Breasts begin to develop and hips become rounded.
• The increase in the rate of growth in height begins.
• Pubic hair begins to appear, usually 6–12 months after the start of breast development. About 15% of girls will develop pubic hair before breast development starts.
• The uterus and vagina, as well as labia and clitoris, increase in size.
• Pubic hair is well established and breasts grow further.
• The rate of growth in height reaches its peak by about 2 years after puberty began (average age is 12 years).
• Menstruation begins, almost always after the peak growth rate in height has been reached (average age is 12.5 years).

Once girls get their periods, they usually grow about 1 or 2 more inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters), reaching their final adult height by about age 14 or 15 years (younger or older depending on when puberty began).

Most boys show the first physical changes of puberty between ages 10 and 16, and tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls. By age 16, most boys have stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.

Other features of puberty in boys include:

• The penis and testicles increase in size.
• Pubic hair appears, followed by underarm and facial hair.
• The voice deepens and may sometimes crack or break.
• The Adam's apple, or larynx cartilage, gets bigger.
• Testicles begin to produce sperm.

At the Doctor's Office

Despite data collected for growth charts, "normal" heights and weights are difficult to define. Shorter parents, for instance, tend to have shorter kids, whereas taller parents tend to have taller kids.

You may worry if your child isn't as tall as other kids that age. But the more important question is whether your child is continuing to grow at a normal rate. If your doctor finds a problem — such as a growth rate that had been normal but has recently slowed — he or she may track growth carefully over several months to see if the pattern suggests a possible health problem or is just a variation of normal.

If it's found that your child is growing or developing too slowly, the doctor may order tests to check for medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, or other things that can affect growth.

If you have any concerns about your child's growth or development, talk with your doctor.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: June 2019

Your Child's Growth (for Parents)

What Is Growth?

Physical growth refers to the increases in height and weight and other body changes that happen as kids mature. Hair grows; teeth come in, come out, and come in again; and eventually puberty hits. It's all part of the growth process.

What's Normal?

The first year of life is a time of amazing change during which babies, on average, grow 10 inches (25 centimeters) in length and triple their birth weights.

Given all the growth that happens then, new parents might be surprised when their child doesn't continue to grow so fast after the first year. But no child continues the rate of growth of infancy. After age 1, a baby's growth in length slows quite a bit. By age 2, growth in height usually continues at a fairly steady rate of about 2½ inches (6 centimeters) per year until adolescence.

No child grows at a perfectly steady rate throughout this period of childhood, though. Weeks or months of slightly slower growth alternate with mini "growth spurts" in most children. Kids actually tend to grow a bit faster in the spring than during other times of the year!

A major growth spurt happens at the time of puberty, usually between 8 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years in boys. Puberty lasts about 2 to 5 years. This growth spurt is associated with sexual development, which includes the appearance of pubic and underarm hair, the growth and development of sex organs, and in girls, the start of menstruation.

By the time girls reach age 15 and boys reach age 16 or 17, the growth of puberty has ended for most and they will have reached physical maturity.

At the Doctor's Office

Beginning in infancy, kids will visit a doctor for regular checkups. During these, the doctor will record height and weight as they compare with that of other kids the same age on a growth chart. This valuable tool can help the doctor determine whether a child is growing at an appropriate rate or whether there might be problems.

How Can Parents Help?

You can do a few things to help your child grow and develop normally. For their overall health and wellness, kids need:

• Enough rest: Sleep patterns vary by age and individual child. But most kids need an average of 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Sleep gives growing bodies the rest they need to grow well.
• Good nutrition: A balanced diet full of essential vitamins and minerals will help kids reach their full growth potential.
• Regular exercise: Because obesity is a problem for many kids, parents should make sure that their kids exercise regularly. Bicycling, hiking, in-line skating, sports, or any enjoyable activity that will motivate kids to get moving will promote good health and fitness and help them maintain a healthy weight.

Talking to Kids About Growth

Kids differ in growth and development during childhood. And as with adults, some kids are taller or shorter. Generally, girls hit puberty earlier than boys, though some girls might lag behind their peers in breast development or getting their first period. All of this is usually normal.

Try not to compare growth among siblings or other children. Drawing attention to height, for example, will only make kids feel self-conscious about their size. Encourage your kids to accept their own growth and development. Explain that some kids grow and develop at different rates — and late bloomers usually catch up eventually.

Kids have many questions about growth, from why their teeth fall out to tough or embarrassing topics like breast development or sweating. Answer questions honestly and even start talks about growth to help kids understand the many changes they're facing. This will help them accept the changes positively.

If you're uncomfortable discussing these topics, your kids may think there's something shameful about the changes they go through and might be less likely to bring their concerns to you.

Kids who are short often face teasing by peers and may need help coping. You can help by supporting your child's self-esteem. For example, it might be hard for a small boy to make the football team. But focusing on alternatives, such as soccer or tennis, may make him feel better about himself and what he can do. Try to understand your child's feelings and keep the lines of communication open.

Another way to boost your child's mood is to encourage activities that don't focus on height or weight. Special skills and individual qualities, such as musical talent or a love of literature, are things to be proud of too.

What Should I Do if I Think There's a Problem?

Some parents worry about their child's growth and development. So it can be reassuring to know that most kids who are short or delayed in development are healthy and normal. Shorter parents tend to have shorter children, for example,  and not all kids develop at the same rate.

If you have concerns, talk with your doctor. The doctor can examine your child, ask questions about your family history and, if needed, order tests to see if there's a medical condition affecting growth. The doctor may check your child's growth more often or refer your child to a pediatric endocrinologist (a doctor who treats growth disorders).

Reviewed by: Madhu Desiraju, MD

Date reviewed: June 2022

Grow, grow, baby - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Important dimensions

Indeed, height, body weight, and also the size of the circumference of the head and chest are the main indicators by which the physical development of the newborn is assessed child. Small or, conversely, large weight, the ratio of the circumference of the head and chest, the height of the baby are not just dry numbers, they can be used to suggest or exclude some diseases of the newborn. That is why, as soon as the baby is born, it is immediately measured, weighed and entered into the medical record. Then, in the first year of life, the height, weight, circumference of the chest and head of the child should be measured once a month, since the baby is growing very rapidly at this time. nine0005

Term newborns are usually 46-56 cm tall. Boys are generally longer than girls, but if the parents are tall, a newborn girl may be significantly taller than the average newborn boy.

What happens to the growth of children in the first year of life? During this period, the child grows most intensively - by as much as 20–25 cm! In the future, such a significant increase in growth will no longer be.

After the first year, the growth rate decreases slightly: in the second year of life, the child grows by 8-12 cm, in the third - by 10 cm. After three years, it is considered normal if the child grows at least 4 cm per year.

It is known that the height of children increases unevenly, jumps. For example, there are seasonal and daily dynamics. Many parents notice that during the summer the child stretches more than at other times of the year. The first growth spurt usually occurs at the age of 4-5 years. The next usually falls on adolescence - the beginning of puberty. At this time, children grow very quickly - up to 8-10 cm per year and even more. Moreover, this happens in boys and girls, at different ages - girls “start” 1–2 years earlier, but then boys catch up with them and overtake them. nine0005

Interesting fact: those parts of the body that are farthest from the head grow faster (that is, the baby’s foot grows faster than the lower leg, and the lower leg, in turn, faster than the thigh), this is due to the age-related change in body proportions child.

What affects height

How a child will gain weight and grow in length depends on hereditary data, on his nutrition and on the quality of life in general. If mom and dad are tall, then the height of their son or daughter will most likely also be the same. Moreover, boys usually grow up in the same way as their dad (or a relative in the male line - uncle, grandfather), and girls follow the scenario of the "female line" (mother, grandmother, aunt). So if the father of a child up to a certain age was the last or penultimate in physical education in the ranks of his peers, and as a teenager he grew sharply in one summer, then it is likely that his son will also have the same growth rates. nine0005

There are formulas that can calculate your child's genetic height. However, , depending on some other factors, the height of the child may be more or less, differ from the calculated one up to 10 cm!

Girls = (father's height in centimeters + mother's height in centimeters)/2 - 6.5 cm. 5 see

And, of course, the quality of a child's life is of great importance: if he grows up in good living conditions, often goes out into the fresh air (sunbaths are especially important), if he is taken care of a lot, pays attention to health, then growth and an increase in weight will correspond to the norm for his age.

It has also been established that children grow up in their sleep. Growth hormone is released into the blood at night when the baby is fast asleep. Most of the hormone is produced between 22 and 24 hours, and only during deep sleep. So in order for the child to grow well, he must sleep at this particular time, and not just sleep - his sleep must already be deep. In addition, sleep should still be long enough: up to 12-14 years old, a child needs to sleep at least 10 hours, teenagers - at least 8.

The child's growth must be closely monitored. There is such a condition as growth hormone deficiency (somatotropic insufficiency) - often this is a congenital disease. A child's pituitary gland produces very little growth hormone (GH) from birth. A child is born with normal height and weight, and then begins to grow poorly: at 2 years old, instead of the average 80–85 cm, he has a height of 78–80 cm. By the age of five, this lag is more and more noticeable, and every year the child is more and more lags behind peers. If such a child is not treated, then as an adult he will have a small stature: men are less than 140 cm, women are less than 130 cm. he is growing well. nine0005

Record your baby's growth about once a year at the same time. If a child grows 4 cm per year after 4 years, this is normal, but if less, then this is a cause for concern.

When getting the results of measuring your baby, you need to remember that all children are different, and it is not necessary for every baby to reach the average height by a certain age. It is necessary to take into account growth at birth, as well as the rate of increase of these indicators: for example, a newborn with a height of 48 cm can differ significantly in anthropometric indicators from a child born with a height of 55 cm and a weight of 4000 g. And this is completely normal - it’s good when there are diversity! nine0020