Growing Pains in Almost 4 Year Old?

My son went through this for years! tell him to eat a banana every night for snack. it REALLY helps with the pain. pottassium!

My daughter has growing pains too. Mostly in her foot. I took her to the doctor and hers are somewhat related to her feet being almost flat. But he also said it is quite common for children to have growing pains at that age. She started them around 4 and still has them on occasion at now almost 6. I usually give her a dose of tylenol and rub her foot or put a little ice on it just to make her feel better. She is really tall for her age and her foot has grown and entire size per month since she turned 4. She has huge feet for a girl her age. I'm sure it's a growth spurt, and yes, they do have growing pains at that age. I had them when I was little too, so it can be hereditary (according to doctor). Sometimes a warm bath before bed time and some stretching before bed can help, or have him walk around a little when he wakes up with them. Most of all, just be there for comfort. I remember when I had them my parents would ignore my cries and say I was just trying to fight sleep...it was awful to suffer through it alone. No matter how tired I am, I always go to my daughter and at least comfort her through it, even if I have a feeling she is being a little dramatic, I can't take the chance that she really is in pain. Good luck, hope he grows out of them soon. ((hugs)).

My son's first major growth spurt happened just as he turned 4. His arms and legs (long bones) would sometime ache so bad it would wake him up in the night. A warm bath seemed to help sometimes, and the Dr said it wouldn't hurt to give him some Tylenol, which sometimes helped, sometimes didn't. He shot up 4 inches that year. He's been through this three times now (not every year, more like every other year) and I'm expecting another big growth year any time now. He's 11 yrs now, 5' 3" and he'll be taller than me before he's out of fifth grade. If your son's anything like mine, he'll be growing out of his clothes much faster than he'll be able to wear them out.

I am going through this with my 3 year old. He wakes up in the middle of the night every so often crying because his feet hurt. (This never happened with my other 2 children.)

I asked my doctor and he said, "Yes, it is growing pains but we are learning that it is worse in children who need more calcium!" Try adding a calcium supplement. I have seen a marked improvement in my son. I know my little one was probably not getting the 800 units per day that are recommended.

I also like the idea of giving a banana. They are so rich in potassium and that is needed for proper muscle function. Remember, your heart is a muscle, too!!

Good luck.

My daughter had this once or 2ce a week during the middle of the night/ at bed time or in the morning at several ages during growth spurts. I believe that it is just different parts of their legs, ankles, tendons, muscles, etc, growing at differnt paces and adjusting. I massaged her where ever needed with lotion while she rested and tried to go to sleep. If during or after the massage, she expressed she needed more "treatment" I would use a gel ice bag/pack with a cloth or a heat pad. Whichever she felt would be most comforting. I think mostly to validate their aches and baby your baby is the best way to handle those times. It isn't easy growing up and stretching up and out SO fast. (Let alone all of the mind, emotional and personality changes during a relatively short amount of time! UGHHHH! LOL- ) It really is amazing how quickly their bones change during the growth cycles! :) Good luck with your 'baby who is growing up way too fast!!' :)
A.

Yes , people say it is a myth but my legs used to ache every night when I was around this age (maybe a little older) and it was agony. After this went on for so long my mum took me to the Dr and he said it is probably growing pains. I think it happens when they have a significant amount of growth in a short period of time. I am fairly tall so could be one of the reasons.

Yes this is very common in toddlers. My youngest still has them today and he is now 6. He still wakes up in the middle of the night and says his legs hurt, when they are very active during the day usually at night when they are sleeping and their little bodies are relaxed. Tylenol and Motrin do the trick or you can use warm cloths and rub whatever part of the leg hurts. Usually it is behind the knees, calf area and legs... Good Luck. Some children have it worse then others.
KRW. :)

As a kindergarten teacher I hear this all the time, "My legs hurt, my feet hurt, my arm hurts." Some just want to go to the clinic for the crackers and ginger ale but others are in pain. One child several years ago was in so much pain everyone thought something else was wrong. Parents took him to the doctor and WOW it was just bad growing pains. I was surprised because the child was clearly in a lot of pain but the doctor said some children will get far worse pain than others.
What a joy to watch our children grow! Good Luck on your journey with your child.

Growing pains in a 4 year old are very common. All four of my kids had them, including the one who just turned 5. His are almost always in his shin bones and in his feet. The other three kids had theirs centered more around the knee area. A little tylenol or children's icy hot goes a long way and keeping socks on at night to keep the feet warm seemed to help my kids too. This too shall pass :-)

My son had them. His would usually be in his knees, his thighs and hips. Tylenol or Motrin or Advil seemed to work. He complained the most usually around the time I'd have to buy him new clothes it seemed overnight but he also complained sometimes just after a long day playing and he was finally relaxing. Good luck. Even though its something expected and minor it still hurts to see them hurting.

My youngest daughter has this. I've found that Milk (Calcium), a Banana (Potassium), and a warm bath is the answer. It literally disappears by the time her bath is over. However, if your not sure, or if this does not solve the problem, be sure and check with a doctor. It could be an injury or something more severe.

our son will turn 4 in Dec. and he also complains about his leg hurting when we know he hasn't injured it. My husband says it is growing pains. It has seemed to get better, he hasn't said anything about in a week or so. Hopefully that's all it is with yours.

absolutely! i have a 6 and a 4 year old. they've each had a couple of bouts with these pains that the doc says are just growing pains! they are both in the top percentiles for thuer height. I too can remember as a child having aweful growing pains and my parents giving me tylenol or motrin and them massaging my feet, legs and ankles til i fell asleep (i myslef am 6ft tall!). so that is what i did with my little ones. (they really only seem to have these pains at night.) extra calcium and potassium are good advice as well.
Don't worry it will pass. good luck!

Yes! My very tall 4 year old complains every 4-6 months about leg and knee pain, and then after a month or so, she has grown 2-3 inches!
She is in the 100+ percentile for height at 4 feet tall and 55 lbs.

yes. i had it and my cousins kid has it. also could be after a hard day of playing that his bones or muscles ache at the end of the day. try a hot bath or heating pad and some tylonol. works great.