Is My Son Too Small?

Don't be concerned. My son was so small and still is one of the smallest kids in his class. He is 6 and just hit 40 punds about a couple months ago. As long as he is eatting properly there should be no reason for worry. Even though, as moms that is what we do. I still worry about my son. He is one of the smallest kids in the 1st grade. My ped. told me that if after awhile that he hit 0% on the charts and he stayed that way for a year or so then there should be cause for concern. All kids grow at different rates. He'll have his day and then you will be wishing he were a little tyke again.

I can't remember exactly and I could look it up but my son was approximately 18 mos old, 36" and stayed that way until he was just over three years old. He is now 21 and 6'5" tall. Don't worry, everyone is different

M.,

I was also always worrying that my son was too small. He too is 3 1/2, will be 4 in Jan. He weighs only 34 lbs and is only 36" tall. His doctor is not at all worried about it though. He says he is "perfect", lol...I think that maybe it all evens out in the end. My son was born on his due date and weighed 9lbs, 21" long, he gained weight rapidly and it worried me he would be too big...now look at him.
Your son sounds healthy to me...don't worry!

M.,

My daughter in law told me that when the doctor said my grandson was in the 50th percentile for weight, it was normal. Seems like so many kids are overweight that 50th is good. The 75th percentil is proably overweight. So don't worry if the doctor isn't worried. Your son isn't as low as you think he is.

Hi M. i wouldn't be too concerned..I am a mother of a 3 year old little boy as well and he is as tall as your boy...
they will soon reach their growth spurt...all my kids are a little on the short side but they too have had growth spurts..just give it a little more time.... good luck and don't worry so much it will happen soon..take care

I have the opposite problem with my 14 month old. She has always been in about the 85-99% for height and weight, even though she is definitely not overweight. She is just a big, tall kid. At a year she was 27 pounds and 33 1/2 inches tall, wore 18 month clothes and size 6 shoes. She just measured for a size 7 shoe this week, and I'll find out how much bigger she is on Friday. The doctors have always told me that as long as the child seems healthy, is eating well, and is growing, that everything is okay no matter which end of the curve they are on. I wouldn't worry about his size as long as he is eating and continuing to grow. He'll probably catch up to the other kids in puberty. My brother was always short and small until he hit 9th grade and had a huge growth spurt. He's at least 6 feet tall now! I think we all get too worried about our kid not being average- some kids are just big (I get that all the time!) and some kids are more petite. Don't worry- and rejoice that you don't have to buy him a new wardrobe every 3 months! =)

I wouldn't worry too much... My twins are both smaller than that. At age 3, my son was 28lbs and 35 3/4inches. This week he turned 4 and he weighs 31lbs and is 38 1/4 inches. HIs sister went from 25lbs to 30lbs this past year and also grew 2.5 inches. I would say as long as he is developing normally in other areas, he is doing fine. At their 3yr appointment the pediatrician said we could give my daughter a can of pediasure a day for extra calories as long as it didn't affect her eating. We would give them to her on days that she didn't eat well. Only did this maybe one or two times a week for a few months. Around 3y 8m or so, she found her appetite.

I hope this helps.
M.
mom to William and Emily, 4 years old

My son was the same way. When he was 2 1/2. I pulled out his winter clothes from the year before, when he was 12 months old, and he still fit into them perfectly! He was always in the 10-15th percentile for height and weight. They put him on Pediasure, which didn't work. They said to bring him in every 6 months and they would chart his height and weight. As long as he was taller and heavier each time, not to worry. So after a year, I saw he was growing, just slowly. the dr. then told me that some kids don;t have huge growth spurts. they grow slowly like adults. Instead of growing 2-3 inches over a month, he'll grow 2-3 inches over a year.

He finally had a growth spurt when he was 5. I bought him all new clothes for school and by October, they were all too small. He is now 10 yrs. old and an average sized kid. I wouldn't worry too much, just keep track of his weight and height and keep the dr. on his toes about it as well. Good luck!

Hi M.,

My daughter is 6 and only weighs 45 lbs. However she is very tall for her age, thanks to Dad. My one year old is very tiny like me she weighs only 20 lbs. Both of my children eat very healthy and normal and both seem to be right on the money when it comes to the mental side of developing. As far as I am concerned size doesn't make that much of a difference. All people are different and as long as they eat and act healthy or don't get overly skinny or anything drastic I think they are fine. Good luck to you!

Hi M.,
My daughter was the same way and now she is taller than many of the kids in her class. My son is the same way currently. He will be 4 in April and he is only 30 lbs. He is about the same height as your son as well. Don't worry at all. He is just fine.

M.,
I can symphatize with you. I have 4 children and they are all smaller than average. (in the 5th-10th percentile) Growth spurts do happen, though.
When my oldest was a baby, the doctor's performed numerous tests to determine if he had a medical reason for being small. It was found that he had nothing. I was told that as long as he wasn't losing weight and was healthy not to worry.
One thing that always helps me deal with the comments is that my husband and I are on the short side also. The charts used by the doctor's go by national average, not by hereditary. I think it is important to consider your family history.
Basically, don't worry. He will grow. My children are, and even though I get tired of telling people that my son is NOT a first grader, I know it is just normal for my family. :)

M.,

I sympathize with your concern. You'd probably feel the same way if he seemed "too big."

At 3 or 4, your son's size is really less of a concern than his general health. Does he eat well? Is he physically active? If he's healthy and is progressing cognitively as a child his age should, then my advice would be not to worry. I know not worrying is difficult, but if it would make you feel better, feel free to get a second opinion from another pediatrician. If his size is still a concern when he hits his "tween" years (8-12), then there are things that can be done to assist his development.

My advice would be to continue to make sure his diet is balanced and that he gets lots of physical activity and nature will take care of the rest.

Best of luck to you!

Wow..my 3 year old daughter is 36" tall and only weighs 28 pounds! SO if your son is too small..I guess that makes my daughter small too. =)

You should be more concerned about what he's eating. If he has a good diet, then I wouldn't be concerned. Are you and his father small? It may also be genetics. My 6 year old is petite. She weighs about 45 lbs and is 40 inches. My 3 year old is close in size. She weighs about 40 lbs and is 38 inches.

Hello M.,
Wow can I feel your concern. My daughter at her one year check-up moved up to the 4th precentile wooo we were so excited. Then at her 15m this past friday she stayed there!
She weighs 19.4# and is 30 1/4" tall. (still facing backward :)
They keep telling me she is "just petite mom" But when she gets around like a two yr old and almost gets malled at play places by kids her age its scares me. She eats more than I do most days I just don't know why she won't grow. We even started giving her an extra 7oz sippy of milk and a "fatting snack" everyday :)
So my advise is if his doctor is not concerned you should not be. Also I kept stressing about those charts and my daughters pediatrcian does not even record those. They told me at an earlier visit they are not so aquerate for everyone.They said something about the 25th being closer to average.
Plus if you or his father are not TALL he will be average or below.
Good luck don't stress :)
Happy holidays

Hi M.! I did't grow at all for the first couple of years of life, but I was healthy and my parents knew I was eating. They refused to take me to any specialists. Then I started growing and have been fine. Only you know what's best in your situation though. Best of luck!

A.

M.,

My son has always been in the 90th percentile. I was very concerned about his weight and height because he looks so much bigger than the other kids. I spoke to my pediatrician about it, and she said that as long as he is not "overweight" then everything is fine. If you are concerned I would definitely schedule an appt with your pediatrician and talk about it. My suggestion/personal opinion is that as long as he is gaining weight (may not be much) and is still acting like a healthy little one, I would not be concerned at all. Hope that helps.