My kids want to grow. How can I help them?

[Anonymous]

Posting in elementary, but this applies to my middle school child as well.

My children are not low growth, and we are smaller and shorter on average.

But what are you all feeding your kids? All 3 of mine are eager to grow bigger and taller. The taller thing may not happen lol. The bigger thing..it’s fine that they’re slim. But they are always so much smaller than classmates. They do eventually grow, but then so have the classmates.

I’m getting emotional feelings from each of my kids—they *want* to grow.

Is there more I can do in terms of feeding them?? Should I be doing more to make bigger meals? Already a challenge to find things they like. Once they like it, I still notice them eating smaller amounts. Never finishing a bowl of chili, even though they like it.

[Anonymous]

Nothing.

[Anonymous]

I should say, they’re not picky. They try lots of new stuff.

Issues are:
-finding meals all 3 to like at the same time
-they like it enough, but don’t love it enough to go back for seconds
-occasional meals they don’t like. While they try it, they only take the one bite of each ingredient.
-already challenging as it is, don’t even know that I could do better

[Anonymous]

If the parents are both short, the kids are not likely to grow taller by much. But this sounds like something to ask your doctor.

[Anonymous]

How old are your kids and how tall are they and how much do they weigh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the parents are both short, the kids are not likely to grow taller by much. But this sounds like something to ask your doctor.

+1 If they are extremely short they might qualify for hormone growth therapy but that's about it.

Height is genetic. FWIW, my son was very picky, never had much of an appetite, was average to a little below average until mid HS and now at 20 is 6'2". Taller than all the men in the family. Only thing we can figure is grandma was tall for a woman (5'8") so maybe he got it from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hormone therapy FULL STOP

Looks like this costs at least $10k /year for daily shots over the course of a few years, and should result in 1–3” in growth. Doesn’t sound worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hormone therapy FULL STOP

Looks like this costs at least $10k /year for daily shots over the course of a few years, and should result in 1–3” in growth. Doesn’t sound worth it.

To be clear, it should result in a total maximum growth of 1–3” at the end of treatment. It is not 1–3” of growth per year.

[Anonymous]

Tell them they have to sleep a lot and consistently. Have a regular bedtime, good routine, no screens in room. Sleep is king!

[Anonymous]

So long as they are getting minimal nutrition, height is a function of genetics not meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So long as they are getting minimal nutrition, height is a function of genetics not meals.

+1 you also aren't going to shift how their body looks by slightly changing meals either, genetics play a big role in that too. We could all eat the same thing every single day and our bodies would still look different. if they are naturally beanpoles, that will probably continue. Feed them as best you can with nutritious meals, and let them eat their fill and then stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell them they have to sleep a lot and consistently. Have a regular bedtime, good routine, no screens in room. Sleep is king!

Throw in outside exercise- and make it a win-win by having that be yard work, car washing, window washing etc. but is also helpful to do exercise- may not add an inch, but being most healthy will help body do whatever it could.

[Anonymous]

Both of my kids do not eat much, picky eater, skinny but they are on the tall side because of husband's gene. I try to throw in exercise to make them hungry to eat more, and no, it does not work. They just do not love to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hormone therapy FULL STOP

Only of they're not doing a normal growth curve. Why pump your kid up with experimental hormones that have longterm risks otherwise. Being short isn't a disease that needs to be cured.

[Anonymous]

This thread is bananas.

OP, is your kids' doctor concerned about their size? It is mindblowing to me that you are soliciting advice for how to fatten your kids up, downplaying the unhealthiness of this goal by saying "they WANT to be bigger" and then getting feedback from people that you should try hormone therapy. Absent a medical reason to increase their size, I would suggest that you focus on getting your kids to eat meals consistently.

If your late elementary school kid says they like chili and never finishes their chili, why do they say they are doing that? What is the problem? If they are not picky, go ahead and set some new parameters for meals called "finish your chili" but having the goal expressly so your kids can get bigger is still pretty messed up.