<p>My nephew and first son stayed 16 in looks for a long time. S still looks a bit younger than he is, whereas nephew at 30 is finally looking like he is on the other side of 21. They both looked very 16 even before they were that age. S2 looked 18 at age 13. S3 is 14 and looks anywhere from 12-14, very gawky, unfinished. He just made a major change in size and looks after 8th grade. You would be hard pressed to pick out his 8th grade pictures from his 7th and 6th grade ones, he changed so little in those years. I can’t even always tell. So again it so depends on the individual growth pattern. My daughter has been the one who has changed the most in the last 2 years. You would not recognize her from any of her early college, highschool pictures at all.</p>
<p>What can I do to maximize her chance for growth? The height predictor said she’d be 5’5 but right now she’s a tad short of 5’4. I’ve suggested lightening her backpack, etc…, drinking more milk, taking more vitamins, getting more sleep, and praying that her growth plates is NOT close(
What else can a mom do? Other than start preaching advantages of being short( just in case she does not grow anymore!)</p>
<h1>1 would be sleep</h1>
<p>Gosh, I never really thought of myself as short and I am about your D’s height. We never spoke much about height in our house though S1 as an athlete would do pull ups and other exercises in hopes of getting taller. The only concern we had with growth is when the kids injured their growth plates and the growth of that particular limb was compromised. We never really even noticed that D was 5’9" until recently. Yes, she was tall but we just never paid that much attention. </p>
<p>I don’t know if one can influence height outside of growth hormones and even their impact is debated. I know some kids who have been on the medication as they are slated to be very short, given their growth curve to date. Well, it’s not like those kids ended up that tall anyways and it is entirely possible they could have ended at that height without the medication. Who can say? My very close friend is barely 5’0 and her husband is 5’6. One of his son’s from a previous marriage who is grown is only 5’4 and he deeply resents his size and wishes he ahd been put on such therapy when he was younger. Which puts my friend in a quandry as her son who is now 14 is very small for his age and given his growth chart is not going to be taller than her husband. Given that the stepson’s mother was taller than my friend, she feels he could well end up not even hitting the 5’4 of his half brother. So they have been looking into this option. The daughter, too is very tiny, has always been, for her age and it is a consideration too. One of my adopted little ones is small for age due to a number of issues, and hormone therapy may come up as an option for him in the next few years, but I am loathe to consider it even with an extremely small stature. I certainly would not think about it for a girl who is already skirting 5’4. I think that is a perfectly fine size!</p>
<p>From the research I did when my sons were younger due to their very, very small size: growth hormone is excreted during times of deep sleep or intense exercise. So to maximize their potential (but can’t make them taller than their genes allow) stress a good night’s sleep, daily exercise and good nutrition. Many families who came to the U.S. had an increae in the size of their children beyond what would have been expected due to the better nutrition found here than the country they came from.</p>
<p>Janimom, 5’4 is not short(I’m only 5’1.5) but I wish my daughter to be taller because it is so inconvenience been short(shopping for clothes is one). I had to wear high heels a lot in my younger days and that was not good for my body in general hence my deep desire for her to be taller. My daughter did complain that she lacked sleep period. Somehow, starting high school she had a lot more homework and with playing a team sport (waterpolo) she does not have a lot of time after school. She often had to stay till 1-2 A.M to do homework. I suggested dropping all the honors class(she liked honors science) and she said if honors geometry(the killer for homework) were dropped, she would be dropped off honors science. Seems like tons of homework is the problem for lack of sleep. I’m thinking of complaining to the high school, but I worry that it has a negative effect in high school. Any suggestions on that?</p>
<p>SusieQ, if you are 5’1 then your daughter is doing pretty well to be 5’4" at her age, and 5’4" is NOT short nor will it ever be an inconvenience to her. I really can speak from experience because my daughter was about 5’ tall when she entered high school – and she definitely felt short then – but now she is 5’3’ and even though many of her friends are taller, there are also many who are her size or smaller. My daughter does like to wear heels – but I really think that for a woman, the range of 5’3" to 5’6" would be considered “average” – 5’7"+ would be tall. Right now, my daughter is 16 but she keeps getting mistaken for being much older – and she really does look older than her best friend, who is 5’8" … it isn’t all about size, a lot is simply the way she dresses and carries herself.</p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t think that there is anything you can do to help your daughter grow, other than focusing on good nutrition and plenty of sleep – but good nutrition+sleep are things that all teens should have whether or not they want to grow; unfortunately it is something that few teens get … so it is probably something we parents always stress over. At this stage, your daughter is probably going to reach whatever her genetic potential for growth is, no matter what you do. </p>
<p>I think that you are making a mistake in projecting your own frustrations about being short on your daughter – who already is almost 3 inches taller than you. I certainly would understand your concern if your daughter was a few inches shorter, but I did some quick internet research and found that in the US, the average height for a 15 year old girl is 63.8 inches, so basically your daughter is slightly above average in height for her age.</p>
<p>My daughter hasn’t grown a centimeter since she was 13. She is now 16 and 5 feet 3 inches if she stands up verrrrry straight. She grew maybe another inch after getting her period. My son is 14 and 6 foot 4 and still growing, sometimes as much as a half an inch in a month. Mootmom, I often have visions of him being 6 foot 9 someday. Ironically, I’m 5 foot 8, husband is 6foot 1, so neither kid seems to have matched us in terms of height.</p>
<p>damm right 5’4" is not short!
I am 5’3" and 3/4 ( or I am after a good massage)
My oldest who has bigger bones than I do despite handicapped in the womb by a knotted umbilicus is 5’2 and her sister is 5’5" and still growing.
I should agree that while it is important to get enough sleep especially for teens who need more not less than adults, trying to be taller should not be the reason.
we are not short we are environmentally correct! ( we eat less, use less resources- my daughter even gets her shoes in the childrens dept- same styles less money!)</p>
<p>SusieQ2007,</p>
<p>My daughter is literally a “milkaholic.” I have never in my life seen anyone drink as much milk as she does–for years I would say 3 gallons a week, easily. And she’s only 5’3 1/2" and has been that height since she was 14…so I don’t think drinking milk helps any! I’m the same height and my husband is 5’9".</p>
<p>Calmom-- “plus it’s possible that I’m shrinking.”</p>
<p>LOL…lately I’ve been thinking that our kitchen counters seem higher and I have come to the same conclusion…it’s me shrinking!</p>
<p>Wha? 5’4" is average height for an adult female in the US. Nothing to be worried about if she stays that height. All you really can do is make sure she’s eating and sleeping well. Genetics will do the rest. How tall are you and your husband?</p>
<p>aim78, I’m the run of my family(5’1), ate a lot of junk food when I was younger, hence the guilt and my husband(6’). There are tall genes in my family however, I have a brother who is 5’10 and a nephew 6’2. Height predictor said she would be around 5’5 so I just want to maximize her chance. She’s medium thick bone and somewhat muscular(wt 120)(plays waterpolo since 4th grade),so it will take her body a lot of energy to produce one inch.</p>
<p>I don’t think my daughter slept much at all in highschool. We rarely saw her as she was so busy in many activities and she is the type of student who needs to study a little extra, particularly in the maths and sciences. I guess that was why we didn’t notice how tall she had become; she was always a “big girl” but a bit heavy as well, and did not focus much on her physical appearance. When she was wearing heels and a dress and standing next to my nephew who is about 5’10, we realized she was taller than he. </p>
<p>Sleep can be a big problem with active highschoolers. But I feel they should be active because for some of them to get into the habit of sleeping alot it can be an issue when they get to college. I know my son found it a bit easier going to a tough college and being an athlete since he was accustomed to long days from high school. Young people love their sleep and it can be addictive. Heck, I love my sleep but feel entitled at this point in my life.</p>
<p>Your daughter’s height is just fine. My niece is barely 5’1 which is your height, and she finds that a disadvantage as she wants to be a surgeon. Small female physicians, she says, are at a disadvantage, in getting a following since patients like someone looking more like an authority figure. But we never thought anything about her height when she was at home or at college, and I never really thought of her as tiny.</p>
<p>Sleep is good. Healthy food is important, too. The height differences between ourselves and our ancestors of a couple of generations ago seen to be nutritional. Height can only be fully expressed if the building blocks are there.</p>
<p>janimom, my daughter loves sleep. She is a couch potato(lol) or loves couch potato’s activities such as reading, writing poetry/essay, and listening to music. She is not a slacker even when she is quite young, always studying hard. However lately, she complained about lack of sleep and argue a lot more(may be it’s the hormone thing), so I’m not sure what to make of it.</p>
<p>I happen to be writing a book that has to do with this subject. Most of height is inherited. The rule of thumb about prediction – a formula based on midparental height – is, indeed what doctors use, but it’s a generalization. They’ll give you that target height, then say “plus or minus two inches”. Individual growth patterns are very different, which is one thing that makes height prediction difficult. The individuality of the adolescent growth spurt is what often throws off the predictions. In general, boys and girls grow about equally until they hit that spurt. Girls start the spurt sooner but have a smaller one than boys and also generally stop growing earlier. That’s why boys end up taller than girls on average.</p>
<p>A little above 5’4" is about average for girls in the U.S. For boys it’s a little over 5’9".
It’s not the Danes, but the Dutch who are turning into a race of giants. No one really knows why.</p>
<p>Sleep and nutrition are two environmental factors that do have an impact on growth. Exercise increases growth hormone secretion, though whether it also increases height, I don’t know. (There are other factors involved.) Certain seasons, probably because of the sunshine, also stimulate growth. People are taller when they first get up in the morning – sometimes by as much as an inch. Tell your daughter to measure herself first thing in the morning. She’ll feel better!</p>
<p>Her height is fine. But getting sleep and exercise are important for lots of reasons besides height. Also, obesity has a negative impact on height.</p>
<p>Well I am a girl and I am 6’1" right now as a junior in high school. My mother is only 5’8" and my dad is 6’4" I suppose that explains a few things. Sometimes I feel like a freak, but it sure helps in basketball and lacrosse! I wouldn’t trade it for anything though, I like looking down from above :)</p>
<p>My mom’s 5’4", my older brother’s 5’7", and my dad’s 5’9". I’m 6’. No one in my extended family has ever been taller than 5’9", on either side. I’m also only 17 w/ growth plates wide open - what do you say to that? And for the record, when I was younger I slept very little and exercised less.</p>
<p>Jamimom, tell your niece not to worry. My family doctor is a short woman (maybe about 5’1") who opened her practice in our town about 2 years ago - I think she had the idea of moving to the burbs and working part time while she raised her own family. My daughter was her first patient - my daughter was 14 and uncomfortable about going to the pediatrician, so when I saw a new doctor in town I thought it would be great. Well - it turned out that I liked that doctor, so 18 months later I decided to switch to her - and by that time her practice was so full that she was not accepting new patients – the only reason I could get in to see her at all was because of my daughter was already her patient. Now she has had to hire another doctor as an assistant just to keep up. </p>
<p>The only problem about the doctor being short is that when my daughter first started seeing her, my daughter was very concerned about her height and whether she would grow much more … and it was a little embarassing to be acting so worried about height when she was already as tall as the doctor. </p>
<p>But the bottom line is that these days, its hard to find a good doctor. “Short” was the last thing I was worried about when I chose our doctor – the main questions were whether she would accept our insurance plan and whether we would be able to get appointments quickly. (Nothing worse than being sick and calling the doctor and being told they can’t fit you in for a week, except maybe when you get there on time and end up having to wait for two hours).</p>
<p>i have been done growing for quite some time now. some of the pants i wear are like five years old… as far as who i take after…</p>
<p>my mother is 5ft 5 and 119 lbs
i am 5 ft 5 and 120 lbs</p>
<p>we’ve both weighed the same for the past 4 or 5 years she loves telling everyone i’m the fattest girl in the household if you look at pictures of us when we were young, we look identical. a year or two ago my mom was at the store getting something, and someone recognized her and asked if she was my mom… that’s how close we look to each other. My mom say’s its a good thing - that she must look like a 22 year old!</p>