Need Advice on the Growth of My Daughter

Updated on February 07, 2010
A.G. asks from Reston, VA
6 answers

My 8 yr. old daughter is 5 ft. tall weighs 115 lbs. and wears a size 8 shoe in ladies. She is very active and eats healthy, with occasional junk snacks. She is growing in all three ways very fast and I am worried about her. I do not want to have her hormones checked if this is normal, but I do not want to get down the road and there be a growth hormone problem. She is around the size of 11 year olds in her school. She is not showing any signs of puberty starting. Should I check into this or am I being an overly crazy mom. I would appreciate any advice good or bad.

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.P.

answers from Portland on

Are you and her father tall people? Perhaps its a family trait? If not, I was one of those tall girls that was head and shoulders taller than my peers until puberty, then I stopped growing. My parents were worried until then, but there was nothing else wrong with me. My weight was good, I was in great health, no other signs of puberty had started...I was just a tall girl (and the center of rec. basketball, LOL!). Now, I am a 37 year old woman that has been 5'9" since 6th grade...ha-ha! If her doctor doesn't see anything out of the norm (perhaps there's some blood tests to check her hormones and thyroid), I would think she's just one of those tall beautiful girls that every class seems to have (and most supermodels were as well).

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I would check with the doc. Could be a horomone or thyroid problem. My friends' kid is about the same age / size and their pediatrician put her on a specific diet / lifestyle change. She's already lost over 20lb and even she says she feels MUCH better.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.A.

answers from Seattle on

I am not sure what advice I can offer other than talking to your daughter's pediatrician about your concerns. I really wanted to comment though, to tell you how much I can relate! I was quite tall around this age as well. Just before my 9th birthday, I was over 5 feet tall (2 or 3 inches, hard to remember anymore!). I went through this very awkward stage of being so tall and skinny, and having huge feet earlier than any of my classmates and I remember hating being different than my classmates. I hate it that is, until my mom signed me up for the local parks & rec youth basketball league where I excelled as my teams star center and learned to love the gift I had been given, of height! My classmates eventually caught up to me, and I grew some more as I started puberty. My next big growth spurt was between 15 - 16 and by age 17 I had reached my adult height of 5 feet 9 inches. It is hard to stick out at that age, but you can definitely encourage her to embrace the social opportunities that come along with being tall!

My mom and dad, and their families are all quite tall, so no one ever questioned my height. I have an 11 month old son who is taller than most of the 2 year olds in our playgroup! The last time we measured him he was 34 inches tall! Height is obviously something that runs in the family for us. Are you and your daughter's father tall? That's usually a pretty good indication!

Good luck, I hope you get the advice you're looking for :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

There are so many possibilities that it's hard to give you advice. As others have said, If you and your husband are tall ... OR there are tall people in either side of your families it could be simple genetics. It could be an off kilter hormone of some sort. It could simply be that she's just gotten near her adult height sooner rather than later.

My best friend since elementary was over 5 feet tall when we were in 4th grade .... thing is ... she only grew another inch or so from then till she stopped growing. I started out several inches shorter than she was (and I was tall for my age) and am now a good 3 inches taller than her.

The best way to know if there is a problem is to talk to her pediatrician about it. If she's following her own particular growth line then there probably isn't anything to worry about. But her doctor would know best.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.F.

answers from Washington DC on

I wouldn't worry about it - kids grow at different rates and she sounds healthy enough. For her height, 115 lbs doesn't seem overweight - and the size of her feet seem to say that she is going to be very tall....which could be a good thing! You can always ask the doctor about it, but unless there's a particular concern you have about her being too tall, etc, she will probably just grow into her body later on.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Hello! First how tall are you and/or your husband? If either/both of you are tall there you go. She may also just be growing fast and may stop. The same way there are some kids that stay small/short for a long time, then sprout up, there are kids who grow tall fast then stop growing at 10-11 yrs old and stay that height forever. Since she is not showing signs of puberty I would not think it was a hormone problem. My daughter had/has a pitutary (spelling?) problem which caused her to grow faster than normal. She was also heavier than average, grew at an abnormal rate both in height and weight. I am talking about a few centimeters a month, and according to the endocrinologist, is very rapid. She was going through puberty at a very young age, called precocious puberty, and was at risk for certain issues, nothing major, in the future. Nothing you have described sounds like what she was going through. I would not worry about it, if I were you. If you have any more questions pls feel free to send me a private message. Relax and Good luck!

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions