My 15.2 Year Old Son Is 5 Foot 4.5 Inches and Only Weighs 105 Lbs.

My husband was maybe 5’4’’ and maybe lucky if was 100lbs at High School graduation.
By sophomore in college he was 6’1.

Everyone has their own growth map to follow. Check with Ped if you should be concerned.

And people come in all shapes and sizes. There are other features much more important then height, and ones we can control like how we treat others, self esteem, work ethic, etc.

ETA: Does he currently or has he ever taken ADD meds? At 15, his window of growth hormone treatment helping is closing rapidly, I’d insist on that growth plate X-ray and/or a referral to an endocrinologist. If you don’t need a referral, make the appt yourself.

Id ask the pediatrician to check the growth plate in his left wrist via x-ray. That will tell you if you’ve simply got a late bloomer, or if you need to explore the possibility of growth hormones with an endocrinologist. I’d get on that ASAP.

It seems like someone always knows somebody who grew a foot their senior year, or something like that. While it seems a little difficult to believe, my guess is there is enough truth to it that suggests that boys really can have a late, major growth spurt.

Keep in mind that while it seems like so many men are tall, the actual average height for a guy is 5'9.5".

If you kiddos seems healthy and nutritionally well adjusted (and your doctor sees no issues), I'd simply not worry about it, including trying to get the extra calories in him. Remember, healthy eating habits formed now are for life. Encouraging a regimen where he has a high calorie snack or milkshake before bed may seem like a good idea now, but will it be when he is 25, or 30 or 50? My husband's family were big on after school snacks and before bed snacks - he simply cannot break that routine that was established the whole time he was growing up. He is overweight and so are his siblings (but his parents are not - they just had the kids engage in this terrible habit because they were "skinny kids" according to my mother in law). My husband literally cannot walk in the door from work with immediately getting a snack, and cannot go to bed without another snack.

Good luck!

Talk to your pediatrician about it.
You can't compare your son to his friends.
You don't know if their parents/grandparents are tall or short.
Genetics has a lot to do with it.
Nutrition has something to do with it too.

Our son passed my height (5 ft 5 in) in 5th grade when he was 11 yrs old.
He was always one of the oldest/tallest in his class (had to be 5 on or before Sept 30 to start kindergarten and he has a late Oct birthday).
Also Dad is 6ft 1 in.
I have a few cousins that are 6ft 5in tall.

Son is 19 now and is 1 inch taller than Dad.

Some boys grow on the early side and some on the later side.
Some guys really gain some height at college into their early 20's.

Some people are taller than others and some are shorter than others.
He might grow a bit more or not but there's nothing wrong with 5ft 4.5 in.

15.2 sounds like the height of a horse. i've never heard of a teenager's age being presented thus.

you can be as 'impatient' as you want, but you can't force your son to grow faster. what exactly are you looking for here?

your son sounds active and perfectly healthy. but for some reason you're unhappy with the fact that he's small and whippy. what if he ends up staying small and whippy? will you be disappointed in him?

i guess you can go to different doctors and try to get him on growth hormones or something.

or get a hobby to distract yourself from your 'impatience' with his adolescent growth progress.

that's all i got.
khairete
S.

You and his dad are both average height, but when did you hit your growth spurts and puberty? Some kids go through it early and are done growing by 9th grade. Others are much later. One of mine is like your son - but since his dad didn't hit his puberty growth spurt until about 11th grade, we are not worried because we assume my son will be similar. The doctor agrees.

ETA: I fully agree with MilitaryMom about the healthy eating habits. Please don't push high calorie foods on him because he's small (you don't say that you are doing this, but I want to mention it anyway). As long as he is healthy, it won't make him grow faster and it could put him on a path of unhealthy eating habits for life. Think long term.

Boys continue to grow long after the girls have stopped. In your son's case he just hasn't finished growing yet. Nothing to do about it but wait.

He's active, eating well, and doesn't have any issues so let him be and pretty soon you'll be back here complaining that you had to buy him shoes 3 times in a year because he grow so much

What does your Dr. say? If they are concerned as well, they can run tests and check things out. If that does not satisfy you, get another opinion.

If you're that concerned, maybe you should visit an endocrinologist. I assume you're more concerned about his low weight than his height. He may have hyperthyroidism, or it could just be his body type -- some kids are broad and athletic, others are long-limbed. I am pretty sure boys can grow up to the age of 18, and some grow toward the end of that growth spurt period, so I would not be too worried about it. You're both on the tall side of average, I am sure he will end up growing some more. I was always on the short side and hit a spurt around his age and was taller than my classmates -- that didn't last long, as they eventually surpassed me after summer vacation. I am 5'1" for reference. My daughter is pretty short at 4'5" (she is 12). Her father is 5'5" so I am not expecting her to be much taller than me, and that is okay. Bottom line: if his pediatrician says he is healthy, that is all that matters. We all come in different sizes, some kids are tall and lanky, some are short and chunky or broad-shouldered.

That’s a tough one. As someone said, very often boys do have a huge growth spurt later. I guess confusing part is if it means anything he has fallen in percentiles a lot or is the fact he used to be 50% mean greater chances he’s just in a lull. I’d ask the doctor what the tests involve and then what would you actually do if it looks like he’ll be 5’7” versus 6’. 5’7” is below average but is it short enough to have your son take drugs to make him grow more? Doesn’t seem like an obvious yes. I have to opposite problem wondering how tall my daughters will be and worrying they will be too tall. But until there is a sign or some proof they will be over 6’, I’m not going to consider actually doing anything medically so why bother with a bunch of tests? I’d love to know but that’s mainly curiosity so I try to stifle it. I don’t want my kids to thinks it’s a horrible issue and I don’t want unnecessary radiation from x-rays. Even with all that, not sure it’s an exact science anyway. I guess a question would be is if he hit puberty a bit late. If he did, I’d worry less if I were you.

What does he pediatrician say? Are they concerned?

Our son didn't have a growth spurt until 15. In six months time, he grew 6+ inches! It's been crazy. He's still growing. He was on the short side for a long time, so I understand the concern. I think the doctor is right ... wait and see. There is hope he will grow on his own when his body is ready.

My 16 yr old son has friends built like your son. As long as they are healthy, let Mother Nature take over, and for goodness sake, I'm hoping you don't make a big deal of it around him. When I drop off and pick up at high school and look around, especially at all the boys, instead of looking like 14-18 yrs old they look like they range from 12-22yrs old!

Thanks for the supportive feedback. I agree about the healthy eating and not pushing high calories. Thanks for reminding me that these habits can last a life time. Our pediatrician retired last year so I switched him to a general practitioner. I tried to make an appt with an endocrinologist just to have peace of mind but they told me we needed a referral. Not sure why when our insurance doesn't require it. He is going for his well visit soon so I plan on asking for a blood test just to check to make sure his hormone levels are normal and things are progressing.

Updated

Thanks for the supportive feedback. I agree about the healthy eating and not pushing high calories. Thanks for reminding me that these habits can last a life time. Our pediatrician retired last year so I switched him to a general practitioner. I tried to make an appt with an endocrinologist just to have peace of mind but they told me we needed a referral. Not sure why when our insurance doesn't require it. He is going for his well visit soon so I plan on asking for a blood test just to check to make sure his hormone levels are normal and things are progressing.

Updated

Thanks for all the feedback. I am not so concerned about the height but whether or not puberty is kicking in. He is healthy and a great kid and that's all I truly care about. Just wanted to make sure there is nothing I should be concerned about. thanks again for the feedback

Updated

Thanks for all the feedback. I am not so concerned about the height but whether or not puberty is kicking in. He is healthy and a great kid and that's all I truly care about. Just wanted to make sure there is nothing I should be concerned about. thanks again for the feedback

C.

Hello. Welcome to mamapedia.

Your son needs to be seen by an endocrinologist (ensure all hormones are correct and levels are correct) and an orthopedist (to check for bone density, etc.)

Ensure your family history on height is with you - so you can talk with the doctor WITHOUT your son present - you don't need to make him feel bad about his height - especially when there is nothing he can do about it.

Typically boys stop growing at age 21. My oldest son has been 2 inches shorter than his brother. However, in the last six months? He's grown about half an inch - so we'll see.

My son is 14 and his best friend is about the same height and weight as your son. To me it is normal for some boys...quite a few boys are shorter than all their friends and then, bam, they have a big growth spurt. My cousin was always very very short and then his sophomore or junior year in high school he grew to be about 6 feet. He got stretch marks on his back he grew so fast! Looking at males in you and your husband's families...how tall are they? Did any of them have a big growth spurt in high school? I would not be worried about it. My sister is very petite and her husband, who is a great guy, is only about 5'6". I honestly don't really even notice. I think it's ok and you should not worry!!!

Well....what does his doctor say?
I can tell you that my children are HUGE compared to yours...but they also have friends that are significantly smaller than them.
Is your son happy? Is he healthy? Does the doctor seem concerned?
Those are the things I would ask myself.

I would not worry about it at all. My oldest was maybe that height when he was that age and probably close to the same weight and ate all the time. He was in band so he marched and was in good shape. He's about 5'10" and maybe 150 and is pretty much a toothpick. Now my youngest was under 5 foot when he turned 15. He's grown at least 6 inches in the last year and a half. And weighs I think 120 maybe 130 but he is solid muscle. He's a competitive gymnast. But he just recently started putting on more weight and bulking up more. Kids grow at different paces. Try not to stress. As long as he's healthy that's all you need to be concerned with.

My son was a late bloomer. He was about your son's height at that age. He sprouted up when he was around 16 and continued to grow. I specifically remember one of his friends posting on social media "Shout out to *** for growing!" LOL. He is now 21 and 6 feet but still super skinny! My family is all tall and hubby's family is average height. He still looks super young and his friends call him McLovin (LOL). My daughter is 17 and is stuck at about 5'3'' but she is just fine with that.