What parents need to know about their children's growth

Every spring is called the growing season. For children, spring is the golden period for growth. So, besides genetic factors, what other factors affect height? For parents, how should they judge whether their children's height is normal? How can we make children grow taller scientifically?

What factors affect height?

Generally, 70%-80% of a person's height is determined by genetic factors. People of the same race and family have similar puberty development at different times. The mother's nutrition, mood, uterus and placenta during pregnancy, whether she has gestational hypertension, diabetes, etc. will also affect the child's innate height to a certain extent.

In addition to genetics, there are also disease factors, education factors, nutrition, exercise, sleep, psychology and environmental factors in life. The height of children born to the same parents may also vary. Therefore, if the parents are tall, the children may not be tall in the future. Height monitoring is necessary.

How to judge whether a child’s height is normal?

According to Li Yuchuan, deputy chief physician of endocrinology, genetics and metabolism at Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, 0-2 years old is the first peak period of height growth for infants and young children. After the age of 3, children usually grow at a rate of 5-7 cm/year until before puberty.

Girls usually start puberty after the age of 8, with an average age of 9-10. Boys usually start puberty after the age of 9, with an average age of 11-12. The entire puberty development process takes about 1.5-6 years, with an average of 4 years. During this period, the growth rate of children's height is twice that of the pre-puberty period.

Why are there sayings like "early growth" and "late growth"?

Yuan Chunqing, a height management expert at the Aviation General Hospital of China Medical University, said that the age at which each child stops growing in height is different. Some children can grow to 17 or 18 years old, while some children stop growing at 15. However, the bone age at which all children stop growing in height is the same. Generally speaking, boys stop growing in height at the bone age of 16 and girls stop growing in height at the bone age of 14.

Is there an intrinsic connection between bone age and age? Under normal circumstances, the difference between bone age and actual age should be between ±1 year. If the bone age is more than 1 year older than the actual age, it is "early growth", otherwise it is "late growth". If a child is obviously shorter than his peers, or much taller than his peers, parents should pay close attention to the child's growth status, take bone age films at regular medical institutions, and take corresponding intervention measures under the guidance of professional doctors.

Children who don't grow tall should be careful of dwarfism

Many parents do not understand the growth and development patterns of their children. When they find that their children are obviously shorter than their peers, they have already missed the best time for treatment. They think that their children are just developing late and will be able to "grow up" in the future, but in fact, their bones have already closed...

Cao Bingyan, deputy chief physician at Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that it is important for parents to find out that their children are short early and measure their height regularly. Generally, after the age of two, if the child's annual growth rate is less than 5 cm, and during adolescence, the annual growth rate is less than 6 cm, then it is necessary to go to the hospital for treatment.

Primary school students who grow taller should be alert to precocious puberty

Gao Xueting, deputy director of the Children's Health Department at Northwest Women and Children's Hospital, said that most parents have heard of precocious puberty and know that it can harm their children. So, how can parents detect abnormal development in their children early?

Appetite suddenly improves, and height and weight growth accelerates. Most children will have a better appetite after entering puberty due to faster metabolism, but if the child's height and weight growth rate is obviously faster than before, and the clothes and pants quickly become smaller and shorter, you should be vigilant.

The parents are not tall, but the child grows taller in primary school. This may be because the child develops early, and when other children enter the growth period and start to grow, he "stops growing". In this case, we should be vigilant. When we find that the child is no longer growing, the best time for intervention has been missed.

How can families help children grow taller?

Sleep

Growth hormone is an important hormone that promotes height. It usually reaches its peak secretion during sleep at night. Parents should let their children go to bed before 10 pm, and preschool children should go to bed before 9 pm. In addition, enlarged adenoids and tonsils leading to snoring at night can also affect children's sleep quality. If you encounter such a situation, you should seek medical attention in time.

diet

At the same time, try to choose nutritious foods for your children, avoid high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt foods and overeating, eat regularly, and slow down the eating speed.

sports

Jumping and stretching exercises such as dancing, skipping rope, swimming, ball games, and plenty of outdoor exercise every day can help children grow taller.