Patient's question:
He hasn't grown since then; now he's 76cm tall and weighs 19 pounds. His hair has started to turn a bit yellow, and there are still bumps on the back of his head. Recently, he caught a cold and now he has diarrhea. Six months ago, he had pneumonia twice. Sometimes he also gets colds and fever, and he has to be given intravenous drips.Doctor's answer:
Hello baby, from birth to adulthood, it grows approximately 110-130 centimeters. However, some babies grow slowly, even though they eat well and sleep well, they are not as tall as others. Why is this? There are many factors or causes of short stature.First, there are genetic factors, such as parents being short or both families having overly short members, in which case the baby will not grow tall. However, these babies do not show any diseases, are lively and adorable, and can normally develop secondary sexual characteristics during puberty, but their height after adulthood is often lower than that of their peers.
Second, short stature caused by some diseases is not uncommon. This type of short stature is mainly due to endocrine system diseases, the most common being "pituitary dwarfism," where the pituitary gland secretes insufficient growth hormone. These babies show a trend of slow growth starting from 3-4 years old or even earlier, growing less than 3 centimeters per year. They have round faces, high-pitched voices, fair skin, and well-proportioned bodies, looking like normal children several years younger than their actual age. In addition to being short, their bone development is delayed, and their sexual development during puberty is also delayed, but they are very intelligent. Even with growth hormone treatment, their final height is still lower than that of normal people.
Another type is cretinism caused by hypothyroidism, often due to regional iodine deficiency or underdeveloped thyroid glands in children. In addition to short stature, the most prominent feature of these babies is intellectual retardation. If detected and treated within 3 months of birth, the intellectual retardation can be corrected. If treatment begins later in childhood, the results will not be satisfactory, even though their height may increase, their intelligence will not improve.
However, most babies with short stature do not have any specific factors or causes; they simply do not grow as expected. This requires a case-by-case analysis. Long-term mental stress can cause growth stagnation (e.g., single-parent families, excessive academic pressure); chronic diseases can lead to malnutrition and affect growth (e.g., leukemia, malabsorption syndrome); and metabolic diseases can also cause short stature (e.g., primary ovarian hypofunction, glycogen storage disease, diabetes).
Early puberty has been on the rise in recent years. Children grow rapidly in early life, but once they reach maturity, their growth stops, resulting in a final height lower than their peers.
In summary, there are many factors or causes of short stature, but to identify the specific reason for your baby's growth issues, you need to have a detailed medical examination to receive targeted treatment.
How can babies grow taller?
Statistics show that the average height of Chinese men should be 1.80 meters with a weight of 80 kilograms, and women should be 1.68 meters with a weight of 58 kilograms. Based on current adult height trends, there is still some way to go. So, what methods can help babies grow taller?
Although height is determined by many innate and acquired factors, parents who may be concerned about their children's height can create favorable conditions for growth during their developmental period by providing sufficient and balanced nutrition, improving sleep quality, and increasing physical activity to minimize unnecessary regrets.
### One: Don’t Be Picky About Food
The growth process generally has two peak periods: one during infancy, when the growth rate is fastest, and by the time the baby is 1 year old, they have almost doubled their birth height. The other is during puberty, when the baby can grow 10 centimeters per year. After the late stage of puberty, around the age of 20, growth slows and eventually stops.
Height increases due to the continuous growth of the epiphyseal cartilage at the ends of long bones. The growth of this cartilage depends on two factors: first, the body absorbing enough nutrients, including inorganic salts, calcium, and phosphorus; second, the regulation of endocrine hormones, such as growth hormone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, and sex hormones. With this continuous growth, a person becomes taller. Growth stops when the epiphyseal cartilage partially closes between the ages of 20-25.
Promoting growth requires a foundation of proper nutrition. It is essential to provide babies with sufficient and balanced nutrition to meet their developmental needs. Encourage them to eat foods rich in various nutrients, such as soy products, eggs, fish and shrimp, dairy products, lean meats, vegetables, and fruits rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, and inorganic salts like calcium. Calcium is particularly important, as babies have a high demand for it. Therefore, adding appropriate amounts of calcium and cod liver oil to young children and school-aged children is very beneficial for their growth.
### Two: Don’t Be a "Night Owl"
Fitness experts often say, "If babies sleep well, they grow taller." Scientists have found that growth hormone peaks during sleep and remains at a high level for a long time. Therefore, adequate sleep is a crucial way to promote growth. Some parents complain: "Our baby doesn’t eat less at three meals a day and sometimes goes out with us for 'delicious meals,' but he’s still shorter than the children next door. What’s going on?" Experts explain that growth hormone reaches its peak secretion after 10 p.m. Some parents take their babies out for late-night outings, which means the baby misses the "golden sleep period" for growth hormone secretion. On the surface, it seems like "a good meal," but in reality, it may increase factors that hinder growth. Therefore, if parents want their babies to grow taller, it’s best to ensure they go to bed before 10 p.m.
### Three: Choose the Right Exercises
Exercise is another important factor in promoting growth. If babies regularly participate in physical activities, it can enhance metabolism, improve blood circulation, and provide more nutrients to the epiphyseal cartilage, promoting bone development and natural growth. However, the activities should be light, lively, and allow for free stretching, such as swimming, dancing, badminton, table tennis, and parallel bars. Heavy, contracting, or compressive exercises, such as weightlifting, lifting dumbbells, using resistance bands, wrestling, and long-distance running, are not beneficial for height growth.
### Four: Positive Emotions Are Essential
If a baby’s life is filled with academic pressure, extracurricular activities like tutoring, computer lessons, and music lessons, even though it meets parents’ expectations of success, there is less time for rest, which inevitably affects growth. Pediatric experts say that one of the key hormones affecting growth—growth hormone—is secreted more during sleep and exercise but less during low moods. If your baby is constantly under academic pressure, has delayed bedtime, and is in a bad mood, it’s easy for them to "fall short" in height.