Children’s height development is divided into three stages , which are also the golden periods of height growth. These three golden stages are preschool, pre-adolescence and late adolescence. I will introduce the specific ages of each stage later. Before that, it is recommended that parents refer to the latest height standard comparison table to compare their children’s actual situation:
| Age (Years) | Boys’ Average Height (cm) | Girls’ Average Height (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 95-102 | 94-101 |
| 4 | 102-109 | 101-109 |
| 5 | 109-116 | 109-116 |
| 6 | 116-123 | 114-121 |
| 7 | 123-130 | 119-127 |
| 8 | 128-135 | 124-134 |
| 9 | 134-142 | 130-139 |
| 10 | 140-147 | 136-144 |
| 11 | 145-153 | 143-150 |
| 12 | 150-160 | 149-157 |
| 13 | 156-166 | 155-162 |
| 14 | 162-171 | 158-164 |
| 15 | 167-175 | 160-166 |
| 16 | 170-178 | 161-167 |
| 17 | 173-181 | 162-168 |
| 18 | 175-183 | 163-169 |
If you want your child to achieve the maximum height growth, for example, to reach the ideal height of 180 cm, you need to manage his height well during these three golden stages.
1. The first stage: before 3 years old
The growth rate in the first year after a child is born is the fastest in his life. The child can grow 25cm in height. In the second year, the child can grow 10~15cm in height. The height of a 2-year-old child can generally reach 85~90cm.
Infancy is a period of rapid growth for children, and height growth is mainly regulated by nutritional status and thyroid hormones .
During this period, nutrition and growth hormone play a major regulatory role in the baby’s height. If the baby has developmental problems (half a head shorter than peers or the child has abnormal physical appearance), early examination and intervention are necessary.
Specific suggestions:
1. Ensure adequate nutrition supply and continue breastfeeding until the age of 2. After one year old, appropriate supplementary clothing can be added. In addition to 3 regular meals, 1-2 snacks can also be added.
2. Ensure 11-14 hours of sleep every day, because the most secretion of growth hormone is during sleep, so it is important to let the baby sleep well. Children under 3 years old should ensure 11-14 hours of sleep every day, which is conducive to the adequate secretion of growth hormone and promote growth.
3. Do some simple outdoor exercises twice a day, 1-2 hours each time. The joints and lower limb muscles of infants and young children are not fully developed yet. Parents can do some passive exercises such as baby exercises, massage and touch for babies under 1 year old. After 1 year old, the baby’s body coordination ability is stronger and he is full of curiosity about the outside world. You can take your child to do some appropriate outdoor exercises.
2. 3 years old – before puberty
During this stage (girls are about 10 to 12 years old, boys are about 12 to 14 years old) , children can grow 5 to 6 cm taller each year.
During this period, height growth is mainly regulated by growth hormone.
The child’s growth rate has been relatively stable over the years, growing an average of 5 to 6 cm per year.
It is recommended that parents manage their children’s height before the onset of puberty (girls at 9 years old and boys at 11 years old): for example, measure the bone age every six months when boys are around 9 years old and girls are around 8 years old to understand the child’s height, sexual development, etc., to avoid premature development and to detect growth deviations early.
Specific suggestions:
1. Ensure the supply of basic nutrients and calories and establish good eating habits. During this stage, children’s outdoor activities increase, so it is necessary to ensure adequate nutrition supply.
2. Ensure 10 hours of sleep every day. After the age of 3, the secretion of growth hormone decreases during the day and increases during deep sleep at night, with two peaks: 20-24 o’clock and 4-8 o’clock. For children of this age, parents should let them go to bed before 9 o’clock in the evening as much as possible, and try to ensure 10 hours of sleep every day to ensure adequate secretion of growth hormone. 3. Do more stretching exercises such as jumping and ball games for more than 1 hour.
3. Start from adolescence to late adolescence
During this stage ( girls are about 12 to 22 years old, boys are about 12 to 24 years old), girls start menstruating, boys experience voice changes and nocturnal emissions, and this is their last period of accelerated growth.
After entering puberty, children’s growth rate will accelerate again, and they can grow 7-10cm each year.
Boys can grow 25 to 28 cm during puberty, and girls can grow about 25 cm during puberty.
During this period, in addition to growth hormone playing a dominant role in height growth, sex hormones also promote children’s growth. At the same time, sex hormones also promote precocious puberty and epiphyseal closure .
Once the epiphysis is completely closed, the child’s height will stop growing.
Puberty is the final “sprint” stage of children’s height growth. How can children at this stage be helped to grow taller?
Specific suggestions:
1. The diet should be balanced and diverse, ensuring the intake of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. During this period, children’s needs for various nutrients increase sharply, and the need for minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron that affect bone development is extremely high. Lack of minerals will hinder the growth of children’s height. In terms of diet, attention should be paid to ensuring balanced and diversified nutrition for three meals a day.
2. Ensure 8 hours of sleep every day. Adolescents face huge study pressure, but they still need to fall asleep before 10 o’clock. Don’t stay up late, go to bed early and get up early, and ensure 8 hours of sleep every day. 3. Do some jumping exercises for 1-2 hours a day. In particular, vertical exercises such as high jumps, rope skipping and pull-ups are beneficial to the growth of height.
Parents should manage their children’s height at every stage of their growth, especially during the three golden age periods of height growth mentioned above. Parents should start with diet, sleep, and exercise to help their children grow to their ideal height. The growth process of children is irreversible. If you miss the golden growth period, your child may lose the opportunity to grow taller.
That’s all for today’s sharing. If you have any questions about your child’s growth and development, you can leave me a message or send me a private message, and I will do my best to answer them. If you find the article useful, please like, collect, forward and share it. Thank you for your support!
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