14 yo boy not growing much

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How tall is he and how tall are you all as parents? Most boys hit puberty by 14.5 so it seems like he’s probably very close to hitting his growth spurt. My son turns 14 next month and is in the same boat. He’s probably around 5’3” tops and mom is 5’6”. We are just waiting on a big growth spurt!

He is about 5’5 I think. I’m 5’7 and DH is average height, 5’10. I would expect him to be at least his dad’s height although he has always tracked tall on the charts (until recently) and has very tall grandparents. Anyway, he should be average height at least. Aside from the height though is the lack of strength and development compared to other boys, and his voice still sounding like a young kid. The doctor did not mention any concerns and I didn’t think to ask. I think he grew around 2 inches last year, so no spurt or anything. Just realizing he will be starting high school soon and certainly doesn’t look like it - hopefully he will get a growth spurt in the next few months!

This all sounds extremely normal. A little bit of a late bloomer but nothing crazy. He is 5’5” (not at all short for an 14 year old) and grew around 2 inches last year. To be honest, every single thing you have said points towards “he is going to be tall”.

Later bloomers do have a tougher time in most sports. Not much you can do.

[Anonymous]

My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

[Anonymous]

My son was about 5'6 at 14 at the tail end of his big growth spurt (he was under 5 feet at 13th birthday and looked and sounded 10). He ended up being about 5'10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was about 5'6 at 14 at the tail end of his big growth spurt (he was under 5 feet at 13th birthday and looked and sounded 10). He ended up being about 5'10.

So he grew 7” and then another 4’? That’s a very healthy growth spurt!

[Anonymous]

When my DS dropped on the growth curves, and had a year of no growth at all (at 13), our ped suggested we visit an endocrinologist.

And while it thankfully turned out to just be late puberty, it was reassuring to have the endo visit and a couple follow-ups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

My husband is 6'1" and he wears a 9.5 or 10. I think his feet are on the smaller side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty normal. Some boys grow later.

My son looked like a 12 year old when he turned 14. Weighed around 90lbs, maybe 5’3”ish. Finally started growing as his 15th birthday approached.

He is 17 now, and 6’1”.

No need to worry about it unless the ped is concerned.

Similar here. 5 ft 5 starting HS at almost 15 yrs old (October bday). He grew 5 inches that year and is now 6 ft 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

There is wide variation in growth patterns. Some kids grow evenly, sime do not. Some start early. Some start late. Some have long pauses in between growth spurts, while others don't. There really is not a single "standard growth pattern".

Separately, foot size does not always correlate with height. I am a fully grown man with size 7.5 feet and I am 6' tall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

There is wide variation in growth patterns. Some kids grow evenly, sime do not. Some start early. Some start late. Some have long pauses in between growth spurts, while others don't. There really is not a single "standard growth pattern".

Separately, foot size does not always correlate with height. I am a fully grown man with size 7.5 feet and I am 6' tall.

Those are small feet!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

There is wide variation in growth patterns. Some kids grow evenly, sime do not. Some start early. Some start late. Some have long pauses in between growth spurts, while others don't. There really is not a single "standard growth pattern".

Separately, foot size does not always correlate with height. I am a fully grown man with size 7.5 feet and I am 6' tall.

Those are small feet!

That’s rude. I imagine that smaller feet run in your family. Thank you for sharing. My son didn’t lose his last baby tooth until he turned 14. And was around 5’3” at that time. I’m hoping he ends up having a big growth spurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll be a voice on the other side of this.

Has he fallen way down on the growth charts?

My kid was always 80th-90th percentile. Around age 12 his growth slowed way down so by the time he was 14 it was 30th percentile. He was growing less than 2 inches a year (that's a red flag).

I was very pushy and went to an endocrinologist who agreed the slowdown was concerning. We tested. His IGF was on the very very low side of normal. Still no growing for another 6 months. We did the stim test in a hospital and he did have a growth hormone deficiency. After starting treatment, he started growing again. He's now back at nearly 80th percentile at age 17 and still growing.

He also had late puberty which made this hard for pediatricians to diagnose (they just kept saying he's a late bloomer). Growth hormone treatment only works before/during puberty, so you want to make sure you catch it early enough to treat it.

The stim test is not fun (half-day in a hospital hooked up to an IV) but so grateful we had a doctor who took concerns seriously and I was that pushy parent to get it done and then battle the insurance company (a whole other thread on that one).

Interesting, thanks for sharing. His percentile has dropped but not as much as your son. He was also usually 80-90, now I think closer to 50%. To answer the other PP’s question, his feet are like a 9-9.5 but haven’t grown a whole lot in the last year either. His teeth have been late (1-2 molars still not fully in). He did have a hand x-ray for an injury about five months ago and his growth plates looked wide open but it was just a few fingers visible.

Sounds like he has delayed puberty. DS was barely a bit over 5' at 14. He's now 20 and a bit over 5'11". I'm super short, but his dad is tall. All late bloomers.

[Anonymous]

If you’re worried about his stature, get him a gym membership or buy home gym equipment. Most of his friends are probably working out at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

I am 6’0” with size 13 feet. Your kids foot size doesn’t determine his height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a late bloomer with size 7 feet. I can’t tell if that means he’s going to be really short or not.

I am 6’0” with size 13 feet. Your kids foot size doesn’t determine his height.

+1 DH is 6'2" and a bit; DS is 5'11" and a bit. Both wear an 11.

[Anonymous]

His height sounds typical. My son was 5’3” at 14. Now 6’ at 16.5 and I think he will grow another 1-2”