Is the child not growing well? Children's growth standards. Why the child grows slowly and how to help him

Dear moms and dads! As a pediatrician for over thirty years, I encounter stunted children every day. In the last 10 years, we have a very good medicine. A growth hormone. Contact the All-Russian School of Growth at the Children's Clinic of the Endocrinological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for any consultation by making an appointment by phone +7 495 500-00-90 or through the website to make an appointment. Our doctors and I will try to help you. You can write me a letter with questions to the address: Moscow, st. Dmitry Ulyanov, house 11. Professor Valentina Alexandrovna Peterkova

Video. How growth hormone helped a child become taller

Previously, if the child did not grow up, then he became a dwarf or a midget. To survive, they created their own circuses and theaters. Nowadays, if you start treating a child from childhood, he will grow up healthy and tall. The treatment is very simple. A child who does not have his own growth hormone is simply injected with this hormone as a medicine.

Photo. A - When Vanya came to the Institute of Pediatric Endocrinology, he was a little over 80 cm and lagged far behind his peers. B - Vanya grew by 22 cm in 22 months. It was then that Academician Dedov said that in adulthood Vanya is guaranteed a height of at least 170 cm. C - Vanya is only 12 years old, but already his height is 145 cm. Over 6 years of treatment, he grew at 60-65 cm.

How to determine if a child has normal growth

A full-term baby at birth has a height of 48-54 cm. During the first year of life, he adds 25 cm and in a year, his height becomes 75 cm. During the second year, growth increases by 8-12 cm. Subsequently, the child usually grows at 5-6 cm per year, but NOT less than 4 cm per year.

How parents can understand that their child is stunted

The child per year should have a height of 75 cm, BUT babies born prematurely or with low birth weight don't get it. Then you have to wait up to 5 years. If the child adds less than normal and is significantly behind his peers, then you should definitely consult a doctor. At this age, it is already possible to make a diagnosis of whether the child has enough growth hormone or not.

Does the height of the child depend on the height of the parents

To determine what your child's height will be as an adult, you need to add the heights of the parents and divide in half. Then add 6.5 for a boy to this figure or subtract 6.5 for a girl. For example: Mom's height is 164 cm, father's height is 176 cm, in total we get 340 cm, we divide in half, we get 170 cm. For the daughter, the average final height will be about (170-6.5) = 163.5 cm, for the son 5) = 176.5 cm. The final height of the child may be 3-5 cm more or less than the calculated one.

Does the growth of the child depend on nutrition

Due to diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver or pancreas, food is poorly absorbed, and the child does not grow well.

How sleep affects growth

Growth hormone is released into the blood at night when the baby is fast asleep. Important!!! To grow up, you need to go to bed before 10 pm!

Why is the child not growing?

Growth Hormone is produced in the pituitary gland of the brain. This substance causes the acceleration of human growth. If little growth hormone is produced, then the child is born with normal weight and height, and then begins to grow poorly and by the age of 2 does not reach 85-88 cm, but has only 78-80 cm. Every year the child is more and more behind in growth. If he is not treated with Growth Hormone, then in adulthood he will have a dwarf growth - men are less than 140 cm, and women are less than 130 cm. Important!!! All children who have growth hormone deficiency need to be treated with Growth Hormone.

How to determine if a child has enough Growth Hormone

To do this, make a special test. The child is given a drink or an intravenous drug that stimulates the production of growth hormone. Usually it is clonidine or insulin solution. Before taking the pills and every half hour for two hours, blood is taken from a vein for growth hormone. Based on the results of the test, the doctor will determine whether the child is producing enough Growth Hormone. If the secretion of Growth Hormone is reduced, the doctor will prescribe Growth Hormone.

At what age can you grow up, and when will you not grow up

Until the growth zones close, a person can grow. The most fertile age is 6-15 years. After puberty, it is almost impossible to influence growth. Growth zones are examined on the X-ray of the hand - the so-called "bone age". In healthy people, passport and bone age coincide. With a lag in growth, bone age lags behind or, conversely, is ahead of passport age.

Who Should Prescribe Growth Hormone

If there are problems with growth, then you should consult an endocrinologist, and do not use this drug on your own.

What is Genetically Engineered Growth Hormone

Previously, Growth Hormone from the pituitary gland of deceased people was used for treatment. Now they use genetically engineered Growth Hormone, which is synthesized in a test tube. Growth Hormones in Russia — Humatrope, Genotropin, Saizen, Norditropin, Biosoma. All drugs are safe and have the same growth effect.

Can I inject Growth Hormone every other day

It is possible, but growth will increase less than if injections are given daily. My advice: if you want to grow up - do injections daily!

How long to take injections of growth hormone

Injections should be given for several years in a row until growth is sufficient or until the growth zones in the bones are closed. In the adult state, it will be necessary to continue to be treated, only the dose will be 7-10 times less.

Why should a person who has reached a height of 170 cm continue to take injections

Growth hormone is needed not only for growth, it is also needed for the heart to work properly, for there to be strength in the muscles, so that excess fat is not deposited, so that the bones are strong.

What dose of Growth Hormone is usually used to improve growth

The dose is determined only by the doctor. But most often the dose for each day is 0.1 units per 1 kg of the child's weight. You can calculate the dose by week. Then it will be 0.5-0.7 U / kg per week. If a child weighs 15 kg, then the daily dose is 1.5 units, if 22 kg - 2 units, and if 28 kg - 2.5 units.

Are There Growth Hormone Complications?

They happen, but not often. Usually, immediately after the first injections, swelling of the eyes appears, sometimes slight stiffness when bending the fingers, sometimes swelling in the legs (very rarely in children). But this should not be scared. Growth Hormone has earned, which has increased metabolic processes. The swelling usually subsides in 2-3 weeks.

Do I need to interrupt injections for SARS

You can not do injections for 2-3 days, but as soon as the temperature drops, you need to start treatment again. You can continue to give injections despite the high temperature, if this does not cause much concern to the child.

How much does a child gain in height when treated with Growth Hormone

Usually in the first year of treatment - 10-12 cm (from 7-20 cm), in the second year of treatment - 8-10 cm, in subsequent years the child grows in the same way as his peers, 5-7 cm per year. We have children who have become 187 cm, 184 cm, 168 cm, i.e. no one was a dwarf.

What tests should be taken during the treatment with Growth Hormone

once a month it is necessary to check blood sugar;
once a year, take an x-ray of the hand to determine bone age;
once every three months to examine thyroid hormones.

If the child is NOT deficient in Growth Hormone, but is not growing well

Growth Hormone is used for a number of conditions associated with growth retardation. For example, in chronic renal failure, Russell-Silver syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Down syndrome, Shershenevsky-Turner syndrome and others.

Mom and dad are short. Can a child be large if treated with Growth Hormone?

This condition is called constitutional short stature. These children produce a sufficient amount of Growth Hormone. There is no need for additional administration of Growth Hormone. But all over the world they try to treat such children. Sometimes it is possible to increase the final height by 8-10 cm. This is not as much as with a deficiency of Growth Hormone. Yes, there may be more complications. However, after weighing the pros and cons with your doctor, you can try this treatment.

What is constitutional retardation of growth and sexual development

Some boys lag behind their peers. Most of their peers make a big growth spurt at the age of 13-15 years, and these boys make such a breakthrough at 15-18 years old and catch up with their peers by 18-20 years old. Usually either dad, or brother, or uncle grew up like that. You don't have to be afraid of this. In these cases, Growth Hormone is usually not prescribed.

Now d growth hormone is treated nonunion fractures, congenital bone diseases, severe dystrophies, various genetic syndromes accompanied by short stature.

The individuality of each child is manifested in everything, even in hair growth. So some children have beautiful chic curls almost from birth, while others have hair that grows poorly or does not grow at all. All the causes of poor hair growth, ways to solve this problem, as well as the opinions of experts on this topic are collected in the article.

Why a child does not grow hair: all the reasons for slow hair growth in children 1-2 years old

Various factors affect the rate of hair growth in a child:

Individual characteristics of the organism can be manifested in poor hair growth. It should also be borne in mind that before the age of three, the change and growth of hair occurs quite slowly, so you should not worry too much about this.
Hormonal background . It affects the color, growth rate and volume of hair. Hormone levels fluctuate throughout life. So in children born with hairs, they soon fall out, the hair that grows then is also not the main one, they soon also change, and the hair color may also change. The main hair grows by 10-11 years.
Heredity. If there is a genetic predisposition to thin, slowly growing hair, then no manipulation will change the situation.
Nutrition. The condition of the hair directly depends on the health of the body as a whole. An unbalanced and inadequate diet can cause slow hair growth, brittleness and even hair loss. This should also include diseases of the digestive system, because if the digestive system does not function properly, the body does not receive a lot of nutrients and vitamins.
Care. Incorrectly selected shampoo, jewelry and hair accessories, improper comb and tight weaving injure curls and can lead to poor growth.
stress. If a child is subject to stress, experiences, then his hair grows worse than in stress-resistant children.
Diseases. Small children quite often suffer from such a disease as. The causes of its occurrence is a lack of vitamin D. Most often, this deficiency occurs as a result of a lack of sunlight. The result of this disease is hair problems. Also, hair problems are associated with diseases such as ringworm, alopecia, fungal diseases and trauma to the hair follicles, etc.

The child's hair grows poorly: what to do?

There is an opinion that shaving baldly promotes better hair growth in children. However, it has been scientifically proven that this is a myth. Shaving is not necessary and may even cause hair growth problems in a child.

Chmelenko Galina Anatolyevna, trichologist:

“During shaving, the top layer of the skin (and not the hair follicles) is injured, so after this procedure, the hair does not grow for a long time or grows unevenly. However, after a certain time, the dermis will recover and hair growth will normalize.

Examination and treatment of a child with poor hair growth by specialists

To establish the true cause of poor hair growth in a baby, an examination of the child by the following specialists will help:

First you need to visit pediatrician. He will check the condition of the gastrointestinal tract and find out how the baby's digestive system functions. If the reason is in it, then the doctor will help adjust the baby's diet and prescribe vitamin and mineral complexes.
If necessary, he will give direction to endocrinologist in order to determine the level of hormones, the specialist will prescribe the necessary drugs if abnormalities are detected.
Trichologist can determine if the problem is caused by improper care of the baby's hair.
If the pediatrician determines that slow hair growth is provoked by stress factors, then it will be necessary to turn to neurologist for help.

Balanced diet to stimulate hair growth in babies

Feeding Tips for Children with Slow Hair Growth:

Diversify your child's diet , enriching it with vegetables and fruits. Include in the child's diet foods containing vitamins A, D, C, B, calcium, as these substances stimulate hair growth.
Avoid carbonated drinks and fast food and others .
To prevent vitamin D deficiency in children Get outdoors regularly and eat leafy vegetables : sorrel, cabbage, spinach.
Include red-orange vegetables and fruits in your baby's diet which contain a lot of vitamin A and beta-carotene. For example, pumpkin, carrots.
The use of omega-3 fatty acids has a positive effect on hair growth , so prepare meals for your baby with foods containing a large amount of these acids (linseed oil, salmon, walnuts).
Since hair is made up of 70% protein, It is important to include meat, milk, eggs, legumes and nuts in your child's diet.

Folk remedies for hair growth in children

There are effective folk remedies to improve hair growth. They can be used to treat children only after consulting a pediatrician.

Herbal teas to stimulate hair growth

Rinsing hair with decoctions of burdock, birch or chamomile has long been used to stimulate hair growth. However, these funds can be used by children older than 2 years. It is first necessary to exclude the possibility of an allergic reaction in a child to plants used to prepare decoctions.

To prepare decoctions of herbs 2 tbsp. l of dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and kept in a water bath for 15 minutes. Then filtered and used warm to rinse hair.

Mask with sour milk / kefir

Apply sour milk or kefir on the baby's head, put on a light cap or scarf. Leave on for 15 minutes and wash your hair.

Mask with castor or burdock oil

Before going to bed, apply castor or burdock oil to the baby's head. Put a hat on your head and put your baby to bed. Wash your baby's head in the morning. Do the procedures every day for 7 days.

Hair Growth Shampoo

Mix 4 tbsp. spoons of carrot juice, 1 raw yolk, 20 g of vegetable oil, 20 g of lemon juice. Use the resulting composition instead of shampoo.

Proper hair care for babies

To wash your baby's head, use baby shampoo with a pH of 6 (neutral medium) without aggressive additives.
Wash your child's hair with settled, warm water.
Rinse the shampoo well from your baby's hair.
Blot your hair with a soft towel instead of drying it.
Use a comb with soft bristles made of natural material to comb the hair of a small child, and for children over 2 years old, use a wooden comb with wide teeth and blunt ends.
Comb dry hair.
Part your hair every time in a new place.
Do not use tight hairpins and elastic bands.

Doctors' opinions

Pediatrician O.V. Butuzova about the causes of poor hair growth in children 2-3 years old:

Hair is primarily genetics. Do your parents have thick hair? Grandparents? The second point is anemia and lack of iron. The third point is protein. Does the child eat meat, cottage cheese, cheese every day? Are there any digestive problems? The fourth point is the lack of certain microelements, zinc, for example. What I am writing all this for is that the problem with hair comes from within, so no hair oil will solve it. Masks and treatments are all great, however, if there is an internal problem and it is not solved, they will not help. In this situation, the most ideal option is to visit a trichologist, a hair specialist, who will prescribe a complete examination to look for internal causes of poor hair growth. I don’t really believe in oil for rubbing into the head, you can try herbs, just keep an eye on the condition of the scalp at the same time. Sometimes they cause dryness, which is not very good.

The opinion of the trichologist T. Tsymbalenko on the advisability of shaving a child baldly to improve hair growth:

In any case, we cut only the dead shaft, and hair cutting cannot affect hair growth. In a year, the natural first change of hair occurs, when the vellus is replaced by thicker ones. Often a mother sees that the child's hair is starting to fall out, shaves it, does not see the hair falling out anymore and thinks that the haircut helped. In fact, this is just a transitional moment of hair maturation, which will pass by itself, regardless of whether we shave the child or not.

A child's height and weight are important criteria for assessing his development. Therefore, if a child grows poorly, lagging behind in physical development from age norms, then other aspects of his development suffer.

The rate of human growth changes throughout life. Adults are often not interested until a certain point in the features of the growth processes of babies.

If the child is the first in the family, then this is understandable and natural. But it is often difficult for parents of two or even three kids to find out whether the child is growing correctly, because the development of each baby has its own characteristics.

All children are different. Even twins (fraternal twins) often grow quite differently. Therefore, it can be difficult for parents to assess whether it is normal for a child to stop growing at some point as rapidly as before.

Most often, moms and dads ask this question after the end of the next so-called growth spurt, when it was customary for them that the child quickly grew out of clothes. And suddenly growth suddenly slowed down, as if standing still.

Also, one of the reasons for concern for parents is the fact that their child is smaller than all the other children on the playground, in the kindergarten group or in the school class.

Let's talk today, when you can really talk about growth retardation in a child. Let's discuss which specialist should be contacted in this case.

You will learn how the intensity of growth of children changes in different periods of life. And also in the article I will give data on what indicators of height and weight, depending on the age of the child, the World Health Organization considers to be the norm.

How the child's growth rate changes (growth spurts)

It is known that the intensity of human growth varies throughout life.

A person grows actively mainly in the first quarter of his life. Gradually, growth processes slow down, and then stop altogether.

The most intensive growth of the child occurs in the first year of life.

The length of the baby's body during the first year of life increases:

1 quarter (first 3 months of life) - +3 cm monthly

2 quarter (age 3-6 months) - +2.5 cm monthly

3 quarter (6-9 months) - +2 cm monthly

The main reason for slow growth is problems with the endocrine system. However, there are also non-endocrine reasons.

Child not growing due to endocrine or non-endocrine problems

Non-endocrine causes include the following:

prematurity and a number of intrauterine problems;
heredity;
rickets - lack of vitamin D;
chronic diseases - asthma, anemia, gastritis, heart disease;
malnutrition, malnutrition;
side effect after taking the medicine;
lack of growth hormone resulting from brain injury;
impaired action of growth hormone;
decreased levels of thyroid hormones;
an excess of adrenal hormones;
diabetes.

In any case, slow growth is a signal from the body that some problems have arisen. Be sure to take the child to the pediatrician, and the pediatrician will prescribe all the necessary studies and give directions to narrow specialists.

What to do if the child is not growing

If the child is not growing, you can help him. To begin with, include a normal amount of protein in his diet. It should be both vegetable and animal protein. Make sure your child gets the full range of vitamins. Together with your doctor, choose a good vitamin complex for him.

Moderate physical activity is required for normal growth. Enroll your child in the sports section.

Calcium is one of the most important elements for normal growth. Children aged 6-10 years should receive at least 800 mg of calcium per day, and those over 10 years old should receive at least 1200 mg. Iodine is another important element as it is part of the thyroid hormones. Children need about 150 mg of iodine per day, and adolescents need at least 200 mg.

The amount of sleep is also important. Children should sleep about 10 hours, teenagers about 8 hours. Make sure that the child falls asleep no later than 22.00, since growth hormone is actively released from 22.00 to 24.00. Even if you follow all these recommendations, still consult a pediatrician regarding the growth of your baby.

Most importantly, don't panic. Remember that all people are individuals. Slow growth at an early age does not mean that the child will always be too short. Just help him get back to normal growth.

Hello, friends. My daughter has always been much shorter than her peers. For this reason, we even went to school a year later. At first, like any parent, I was worried about this, however, over time, everything went back to normal.

No need to worry about the fact that the baby is still lower than his peers. This is quite fixable if certain things are done from early childhood. Let's help our kids grow up.

If you think that the growth of a child cannot be influenced in any way, then you are mistaken. Of course, in most cases, how tall the baby will be depends on heredity. And if in the family both parents are small in stature, then it is unlikely, and the child will outgrow them much.

It is important to what extent all the reserves of the child's body will be involved in the process of growth. You need to try to use them as much as possible, and this process depends more on the mother. This does not mean at all that you need to run to the pharmacy and buy expensive drugs that should affect growth, no. The main thing is that the baby receives enough tenderness and attention.

Parenting Helps You Grow

For example, if we talk about newborns, then those children who are not deprived of affection, who are often lulled and held in their arms, develop much better physically. This has been proven by many ongoing experiments, so these are not empty words. Although it seems that newborns still do not understand anything at all, their nerve endings, which are located in the skin, record all the gentle touches of their mother and send them to the brain.

Namely, the pituitary gland is located in the brain, which produces a growth hormone called somatotropin. Then, this hormone, with the help of blood, is distributed to all cells of the child's body, to where it is needed. Thanks to this, the process of growth of the child takes place.

The Importance of Sleep

You have probably heard more than once that children grow up in a dream? There are certain grounds for such an assertion. The fact is that while the child is sleeping, his pituitary gland is working hard, while producing growth hormone (about 70 percent of the daily requirement is produced).

Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the child's sleep pattern, he must sleep the number of hours that is considered the norm for his age. But, at any age, this figure should be no less than 8 hours. Sleep during the daytime will be of particular benefit to the baby.

Impact of stress

Stress greatly inhibits the production of growth hormone. And children, believe me, no less stressful situations than adults. It can be problems in kindergarten or school, quarrels with peers, problems in the family. All this has a strong nervous effect on children, and leads to inhibition of the growth of babies.

Teenagers are especially worried if their parents, because of the small stature of the child, treat him as if he were small. It is important to understand here that due to the wrong attitude, the child can be very traumatized.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that if a child “grows up” very early in the psychological sense, then often he has a slowdown in the growth process.

Proper nutrition

The fact that proper and nutritious nutrition plays a very important role in the growth of children is a fact. Every day, along with food, vitamins and minerals in the right amount should be supplied to the baby's body. Especially important is the intake of vitamins A, C, D, vitamins of group B, folic acid.

For example, one of the reasons for slow growth may be an elementary lack of vitamin A, which enhances the action of growth hormone.

You also need to get enough protein. The fact is that in the process of digesting food, it is protein that supplies the body with amino acids, which are the main building component.

And, of course, do not forget about minerals. Without fail, iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorus and fluorine must enter the body.

Steep growth over the years

During the first 20 years of a person's life, at different periods, growth hormone affects the bones and cartilage of the skeleton in different ways. During this time, the body grows and the limbs increase, but this happens unevenly, but in jumps.

The most intensive growth occurs immediately after birth. At birth, the body length of a newborn is about 50 centimeters. At the age of one year, the growth of the baby increases by about 50% and is approximately 75 cm. By the age of two, the baby grows by another 10 cm.

At the age of 4-6 years, the second stage of rapid growth is observed. This stage is so abrupt that some children may even complain of pain in growing arms or legs, which, although unpleasant, is not dangerous to health. In such a situation, a warm compress and light massage will help the baby.

The third growth spurt occurs in adolescents, during puberty. This is a very important stage in development. For girls, this is the age of 10-14 years, for boys - 13-16 years.

In the future, growth gradually slows down. Growth stops completely at about 25 years of age in men, and at 18-20 years of age in women.

Calculator of weight and height of a child up to 5 years

Years 0 1 2 3 4

months 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Table Height of a child from 1 year to 18 years

Approximate growth rates for children are presented in the table:

Age (years)	Girls (height in cm)	Boys (height in cm)
1	70-80	73-83
2	79-92	81-94
3	87-102	88-104
4	94-110	96-112
5	102-118	102-119
6	107-125	107-127
7	113-132	113-133
8	117-138	117-138
9	122-145	122-144
12	138-159	137-163
15	153-173	157-182
18	153-172	161-187

If there is a lag

Have you read the table of norms and found that your child is not growing well? If its lag from the norm is more than 7%, then I recommend that you consult an endocrinologist.

The doctor, based on an x-ray of the wrist and palm, will determine the bone age of the baby.

There is no need to immediately panic if the baby has a little (up to a year) delay in the process of ossification. And if, suddenly, a rather large lag is found, then it will be necessary to check the level of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland and the level of growth hormone. To do this, you will have to undergo an examination.

If after the examination it becomes known that the problem is in the low level of hormones, then treatment is carried out, which, as a rule, gives positive results.

However, medications will only help if the treatment is carried out after puberty.

Scientists cannot explain the fact that climate change has a very good effect on the growth process of a child, accelerating it. A trip to the sea or to the mountains contributes to a higher release of growth hormone. And it happens absolutely at any age of the child.

If a child is very serious about gymnastics, then, as a rule, he does not have growth spurts. Such children grow more evenly than their peers.

There are some sports that can significantly slow down the growth of the baby, they are contraindicated for children. These are such power sports as weight lifting, bodybuilding, classes with heavy dumbbells or a barbell. Kayaking is also not recommended. When doing these sports, a large load acts on the child's spine, due to which growth begins to slow down.

Based on the previous paragraph, we will name safe sports for children. These include swimming, ball games, cycling and running. Regular sports activities have a huge positive impact on the development of the muscular and skeletal system of the child's body.

How much does your child's school bag weigh? It is established that its weight should be no more than 10% of the child's weight, in order not to overload the spine.

Motor activity is an important factor in the daily routine of the child. A long sitting position is very harmful for the spine, especially for children.

If a child's sexual development occurs early, then this will also inhibit growth. And early sexual life has a particularly harmful effect on growth and the entire child's body as a whole.