Another summer vacation, children grow another year, “children grow taller quickly” is the common wish of parents. However, there are some children who have grown in age, but always lag behind their peers in height. Experts point out that parents should regularly measure and record the height and weight of their children from birth, and consult with the pediatrician and endocrinology departments once they find a trend of growth retardation in their children.
How to determine whether your child’s height is normal: Some parents are not sure about their child’s growth, such as how many centimeters their child grows in a year? Studies have shown that if an infant under the age of three grows less than 7cm per year, or less than 5cm per year between the age of three and pre-puberty, or less than 7cm per year during puberty, the child has a growth retardation problem. Parents can also compare with children of the same age. If the child’s height is significantly shorter than his or her peers, or if the child was previously at a normal level but has gradually slipped to the lower-middle level, it indicates that the child may have growth retardation. 3-12 years old is the “golden period” of height growth for children, and it is also the best time to help people with dwarfism grow in height. With early detection and treatment, the child can reach normal height.
Parents have common misconceptions about their children’s growth: Misconception 1: It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t reach the height standard now, he or she will grow taller in the future anyway.
The growth potential of a child is determined by the bone age, not the age. Therefore, when a child is found to be short, parents should take the child to the appropriate specialist at a regular hospital and seek the specialist’s advice. Otherwise, the best time to treat your child may be delayed, causing tragedy to your child’s life.
Myth 2: Children who do not like to eat, picky eaters and do not like to exercise will lead to short stature, and as long as nutrition is supplemented, children’s height will definitely be normal.
Children who do not eat, picky eaters and do not like to exercise will definitely not grow well. However, if your child is caused by this reason, before the age of 3, it is possible to make up for it through nutrition, exercise and care; if it is after the age of 3, simply by supplementing nutrition and strengthening exercise cannot make the child reach the lifelong height standard; because after the age of 3, the key factor regulating the child’s growth is no longer nutrition, but growth hormone.
Myth 3: The key to a child’s growth is calcium?
Calcium only makes the bones hard, and it has nothing to do with the child’s growth.