6Year Old Daughter--HUGE Growth Spurt

It's in the genes. I have big kids too. I wore womens shoes in the second grade and was the tallest girl in the class for many years. I have a giant 3 year old.

Hello J.,

if you're concerned with her hormones, then go organic. specially milk and meats. Good luck and keep at it until you get the right answer for you and your daughter. ~C.~

J.,

Do you give your daughter cow's milk that contains the rBST hormone? I believe that the hormones in cow's milk have a contributing factor in early puberty/growth spurts in children. You should switch her cow's milk to rBST free cow's milk. That is my theory. Of course, there are probably other factors, like genetics, etc. My other advice to you is to keep taking your daughter to specialists. Don't get discouraged if each doctor doesn't help you. Keep researching and take her to other doctors. You might have to take her to 10 or 15 different doctors before you find a good one who knows what he or she is doing. Good luck and start off by switching her milk to rBST hormone free!

When it comes to our children, it's natural to turn into the protective mom & then second guess the situation. You, however, know your child best. Has the doctor plotted her growth on the growth chart over the years? For example, it can be helpful to see if she has been on the low side of the chart and then suddenly it kicks into gear. The endocrinologist should be able to determine through blood tests if this is a serious long term health issue. Try to be calm about the situation b/c kids pick up on our fears. With school starting soon she'll be back with kids & adults who speak before they think, so be prepared to offer suggestions on how to handle these. Maybe visit the school counselor to alert them to this new change in case something comes up during school. I know it's hard- my daughter was small for her age due to a genetic thing and family members mentioned it more than they probably should have. It is a frustrating thing to be different from the other kids. Maybe you'll meet up with another girl or two who have been growing up recently. Good Luck!!

This is a long shot, but I saw a show on TLC about impossible to diagnose medical issues. This woman had an overactive petuitary gland. Maybe the endochrinologist looked into that already, but you didn't list it. I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I know your worried. Good luck!

My son turned 7 in May, and he is at the top of his charts. He wears a size 3 shoe and almost weighs 60 lbs. We buy milk at Brahm's that doesn't have all the hormones and yet is a lot cheaper than organic milk. I try to buy meat that is free of all the additives, etc., but I often buy the other cheaper stuff. (My kids are more into dairy than meat.) I think it helps a bit, especially with girls. I had a big growth spurts at times, but one of my brothers had a series of growth spurts. This was back "in the old days" when we didn't have all this stuff in our meat and dairy or at least we didn't know about it! This brother would hit a plateau with growth and then stay there for a long time, but then shoot up all of the sudden. His growth charts looked like someone drew stairs on them! He's completely healthy, and is actually the shorter of my two brothers. I think he's about 5'10 1/2". I share all this just to encourage you. I think you are wise to get it all checked out, but don't be too surprised if they all say it's just a growth spurt. The only thing I would add is being careful with dairy and meats. It's one thing to have growth spurts, but maybe by avoiding meat and dairy with hormones you can help her avoid starting her period too early. I haven't checked into all of the medical research to verify the connection between meat and dairy with hormones and girls maturing early, but it makes sense to me. On another note, sometimes the really tall kids and the really small kids, the extremes, get teased a lot. Maybe you could encourage your daughter to take dance or martial arts to build confidence and learn to stand tall and proud. My kids are tall and that is one of our strategies to help our kids feel good about themselves (and their height).

When I was in the first grade I shot up 6 inches in about a 9 month period. My mom took me to a doctor and they ran tests and said it was just a grwoth spurt. I was always one of the tallest kids - I've been 5'8 since the 7th grade - but never got any taller than that! It was rough being one of the bigger kids - so I'd definitely be sensitive to that. I'd also suggest making sure she's drinking organic milk and meats - why make the issue any worse with any excess hormones.

She is maturing early. Our daughter who is now in her 40's was the Abe Lincoln of her class (tall and big boned). The boys caught up in high school and she stablized, but is about 5 foot 8 inches tall. She started her period when she was 9 and just developed early. I don't think it's anything to worry about, just continue to help her to increase her self esteem and never mention her growth spurt. Keep it as normal as possible. If anyone says anything in front of her you just say, "Isn't it wonderful, she has had such a growth spurt over the summer?" Some children mature quicker than others. Not to fret!

Encourage her strengths, growth spurts are not a weakness unless deemed so by parents and other people. You can't put a book on her head to keep her from growing and as far as the teeth - - that is pretty normal too for people maturing earlier. .

Sandy

It sounds like you are doing everything you can. I would just talk to your pediatrician and make sure everything is okay and she is healthy. Maybe she just had a huge growth spurt or is hitting puberty very early. I wouldn't worry about her losing her teeth. My stepdaughter is turning 6 in Sept and has already lost 4 or 5 teeth. Good luck and hopefully everything is okay with your daughter.

Oh, gosh. If you have gotten everything checked out, then i wouldn't worry. My brother had the biggest feet that didn't match his body for the longest time around this age. Also, I remember a friend of mine at this age that got boobs. I wasn't even near getting any sort of bumps. She came over showing me her bra at age 7-8! It is good that you are visiting with a dietician it certainly couldn't hurt. I think you are doing everything right as a parent - seek advice from the experts. And if everything is normal, the hardest thing may be to make sure that your child knows this is normal.

Hi J.,

My daughter is now 14 and very healthy and strong. When she was 7 she went through a huge growth spurt and again at age 9. I remember at the beginning at both of those summers buying her new sandals and by the middle of summer her feet were hanging off of both ends. She grew so fast that she actually has a stretch mark on her knee. There was nothing physically or medically wrong with her. Some kids just grow faster than others. I do remember being amazed and worried at the time though. That is the good thing about doctors and tests.

You have received a lot of good advice.

First of all, I would rule out anything by having her checked out by her pedi and endocronoligst (sp).

That said, she might just grow faster than others and nothing is wrong.

I don't really buy into all the organic and hormone stuff going all over the news. There have been studies that it is no different.

For the record, I have a 14 yr old daughter in great health. I, like you worried myself sick because at age 4 she started losing her teeth. By age 10 she had lost all she was supposed to plus got her 12 yr molars. To top that off, they were all perfect and no orthodontics necessary.

Our pedi dentist told me that some girls that lose teeth early will go through puberty early. I was always watching for it. She was still 11 when it really started and 12 when she had her first period.

Granted, she has always been very active and a great eater as far as helathy foods.

SO. there is good news...maybe nothing is "wrong", she could just be an early bloomer.

I suggest being very open minded with her on the lines on communication and keeping those lines wide open for all of her questions and conversations she will have with someone, HOPEFULLY you.

Best wishes.