Hi Mom - My son is 6, almost 7, years old. I'm concerned with his growth. He was born at 9 lbs, and as an infant was in the 90th+ percentile for height and weight. As he aged, he started to come down on the growth chart. 2 years ago he was in the 15th percentile. And as of his last checkup he was barely charting.
The shoes he wears now, a pair of Crocs, I bought for him in Jan, 2009 before our Disney Vacation. He still wears them every day. His feet have not grown. I thought maybe it was just b/c they were Crocs and maybe they were stretching with his feet. I took him shoe shopping, and the next size up were falling off his feet. The summer clothes I have him wearing, are the same clothes he has worn for the last 2 summers. Year after year, everything still fits.
His sister is 2 years and 1 week younger than him. They look like twins, and most people think she is older. He has become increasingly sensitive about his small stature. He eats well. A nice balance of healthy stuff with some junk thrown in, he is a kid after all. :) We are an active family. We walk everyday as a family, and he gets plenty of exercise.
Nutrition is a little tricky b/c he is allergic to a lot of things. I make sure he eats a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and he drinks soy milk, and yogurt. He eats well, until he is full. I let him snack as much as he wants. I give him full fat dairy and soy.
I have an appt to meet with our pediatrician next week specifically for my concerns about his growth. I have spoken to her before about this, and we kinda had a lets wait and give it some time attitude. My husband was a small kid, my brother was always the smallest kid and he is now over 6 feet tall. Part of the issue might just be genetics.
What made me the most concerned his that his feet arent growing. What little boy wears the same shoes for 2+ years?? That just really makes me worry.
Any advice, or words of wisdom from the moms??
Thanks!
I'm just going to throw this out there for you to bring up to his doctor, what about an Endocrinologist? Maybe there is a hormone that is out of sync.
My brother just went through the same thing with my niece. She was always in the upper percentiles as a baby but started dropping off around age 4. The pediatricians kept saying that she is just petite. Women in our family are petite but my sister in law had in the back of her mind that something was not right. When she went to her 10 year old check up and she was not even on the charts and had not been for over 2 years she went looking for help. They took her to a growth specialist and had lots of tests done. One was and MRI to look at her growth plates. They discovered that her body does not produce enough growth hormones and she now receives a daily shot. She has been doing this for 4 months and they have seen a difference. She is finally growing. The biggest concern is that if there is a problem and nothing is done before they hit puberty the problem can not be fixed. Definitely go with your gut instinct and insist on having this checked out.
Hope this helps out. If you want more information on who they went to and what kind of tests were done I can find out for you.
Good luck!
Has anyone talked to you about Celiac's disease? I don't know which foods you are avoiding due to the allergies, but many kids who fall off their growth curves have an intolerance to gluten. I would ask your doctor about this. They can do a blood test and if it is positive they do a biopsy by endoscopy to confirm. If it was not Celiacs an endoscopy could give you other answers. A close friends daughter was just not growing even though she ate very well and it turned out to be Celiac's. Once she was on a gluten free diet she started growing and caught up quickly. Good Luck!
Definitely talk to your pediatrician.
BUT some kids DO stall out. I remember O. phase where my son wore the same shorts for 2 summers! I thought he would NEVER wear his "age" size!
What they look for is an overall "trend" or "curve" of growth--the percentile is not as important.
Good luck!
yes my son pretty much wears the same clothes for 2 years and shoes last a long time, too. No allergies for us though, fairly picky, and genics arent' on our side. the post about celicacs was interesting as we have some family history. I would love to hear what you find out if you don't mind PM ing me.
Yes, speak to your Pediatrician
Just letting you know, that I have many friends, with sons'... who are that way too. They seem the same size/height. They feel like how come they are not 'growing.'
They are regular healthy active boys.
But, I betcha, they will SPROUT up, real quick, later.
Or, get your Pediatrician to refer you to a Nutritionist. Since he has many allergies.
That way, the Nutritionist WILL give you dietary info, menus, food ideas, per your son's allergies and make sure he is eating balanced for his age.
That is what, I would recommend.
I was this way at just his age. I wore the same size clothes and shoes for nearly three years! My mom was just as worried as you are now, but now I am a healthy 5'6.
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You didn't mention what size he wears? did you check with other friends to see if maybe he's not that off from the size their children are wearing providing that their close in age range. Don't panic until you speak to your pediatrician. Also keep in mind that some stores differ and their clothes are actually alot bigger than the tag reads. I shop in Crazy 8 a store I love for my 7yr old I have to buy a size 5/6 in that store because everything is too big. He will be fine, however I will say if your pediatrician doesn't feel the need to do anything about it and your still concerned I would get a second opinion. Good luck
My son wore the same size shoe from 6-9. he was very thin but tall for his age. I was a bit worried but at 9 he finally went up one size. My 14 year old son on the other hand went up 6 (six) shoe sizes in one year!!! he is 6ft4in at 15 yr old!! Feet dont scare me any more. However I think you should express your concerns to your Dr. and if you are not satisfied please get another opinion. Sounds like you're doing everything right buy I'd be worried if is not even on the chart when he started out at the top of it. Good luck. I'd like to hear what the Dr says. Please share the info.
What is his nationality?
I was really surprised at how slowly my kids grew. But my husband is Filipino, and only 5'7"
Talk to the doc if you are worried, it may be very normal :)
It may be normal and I would definitely discuss with the pediatrician. You should make sure he doesn't have a gluten allergy (celiac), which sometimes slows down growth....
Hi I am in this exact situation now. My son is the oldest in his Kindergarten class but also the shortest by at least an inch. We have an appointment coming up with a pediatric endocrinologist. How did things work out for your son has he caught up?
