No growth spurt in 14-year-old: should we worry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok fact check. Most (not all) boys are done growing taller by 16. Google it. Ask your doctor. There are plenty of outliers as described on this thread and if your son hasn’t had a solid multi-inch growth spurt yet, then he’s probably just a late bloomer and a kid who will grow past 16.

+1. It is uncommon for boys to grow after 16, despite what people are saying on this thread. Most boys have completed their growth by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he also demonstrating signs of puberty? Look at the Tanner scale. My son in the last year has shot up over a foot (he’s coming on six feet now) and he’s still not fully through puberty - some hair growth in the expected places, skin still very clear, has some wispy facial hair but no beard, no chest hair, etc. I wouldn’t worry too much, but of course bring it up at his next physical.

He has a bit of armpit hair, and his pediatrician says there's pubic hair. No change in voice; no adam's apple or facial hair/zits yet (but he's got his dad's fortunately clear complexion). His chest has broadened a bit. So it's a mixed picture.

If he’s not really hit puberty yet then he’s not done growing. I’d just wait for the next physical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where the hell did you read that? Boys grow beyond 16. Its girls who stop growing at 16.

Sooner than 16, usually

[Anonymous]

Boys stop growing taller at around 16; girls 14-15. Obviously their bodies continue to change and fill out. Our ped told us to expect growth spurt a few months after 13th bday and he was spot on. Your son might be a late bloomer but I would definitely get it checked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boys stop growing taller at around 16; girls 14-15. Obviously their bodies continue to change and fill out. Our ped told us to expect growth spurt a few months after 13th bday and he was spot on. Your son might be a late bloomer but I would definitely get it checked out.

I think if the boy is showing puberty signs in MS, chances are, he will stop growing at 16.

But, OP's DS seems to not be showing too many signs of puberty. As a PP stated, check the tanner chart.

https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/stages-of-puberty#acne

In boys, stage 5 usually starts around age 15. .. By age 18 most boys have reached full growth.

There are 5 stages. My 16 yr old is in stage 3 to 4 -- late bloomer.

OP can determine what stage their DS is in, though some of the markers may be kind of hard to find out from their DS.

[Anonymous]

Boys growth can be astronomical when it gets going. My son went into COVID shutdown at 5 ft 5 and 14.5. Not quite two years later, he’s 16 and 6 ft 2. For us it was the voice change and absurdly fast growing feet that came right before the rapid growth in height. Interestingly, my DS was tall (90 percentile) as toddler and young ES then gradually fell way off that when others grew before him. But he’s going to end up tall like his early size would have predicted, which predicted 6’3” or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to an endocrinologist. My cousin's son is 16 and 5'3" it isn't looking like he'll grow more. They regret not seeing a doctor about it.

Poor kid! That is so short for a man. Agree, OP needs to take DS to endocrinologist ASAP.

Poor kid? Because he’s shorter than average? What the hell is wrong with you?

What is wrong with me?

Nothing. I’m tall, and so is my spouse.

But if you think the dating market is kind to short men, well. . . OK. You can believe whatever you want to believe I guess.

You’re concerned about his dating prospects? Maybe you should know that there are plenty of other things more Important than height. Jeesh, how shallow can you be?

My concern wouldn’t be his dating prospects, but the difficulty in finding adult clothing and shoes in his size. It’s much harder to shop when you are outside the norm. Same concern for a man who is 6’8”.

[Anonymous]

I have consulted a pediatric endocrinologist about my 10yo son, who is tiny, and he ordered a hand x-ray to determine his “biological age”. We are both short so he will be short as well, but he is younger than his years based on bone/cartilage, and the later puberty hits, the taller he’ll get within the range determined by us parents genetic make up (range can be fairly wide 3-4 inches or so in both directions). He also told me that barring a growth hormone specific deficiency, daily injections of GH can get you at best an inch or so…cost being painful daily injections and “pathologizing” a normal if unwelcome short stature. He also explained to me that by plotting height over years based on pediatrician records you may be able to tell if he fell off his growth percentile curve, which may indicate a problem. The longer his puberty takes, the likelier it is he’ll grow taller. Tall parents + late puberty = taller; short parents and early puberty= Shorter …not sure if info is useful to you, but either way, talking with a ped endo may be useful to know you checked all possible issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have consulted a pediatric endocrinologist about my 10yo son, who is tiny, and he ordered a hand x-ray to determine his “biological age”. We are both short so he will be short as well, but he is younger than his years based on bone/cartilage, and the later puberty hits, the taller he’ll get within the range determined by us parents genetic make up (range can be fairly wide 3-4 inches or so in both directions). He also told me that barring a growth hormone specific deficiency, daily injections of GH can get you at best an inch or so…cost being painful daily injections and “pathologizing” a normal if unwelcome short stature. He also explained to me that by plotting height over years based on pediatrician records you may be able to tell if he fell off his growth percentile curve, which may indicate a problem. The longer his puberty takes, the likelier it is he’ll grow taller. Tall parents + late puberty = taller; short parents and early puberty= Shorter …not sure if info is useful to you, but either way, talking with a ped endo may be useful to know you checked all possible issues.

And apparently first sign of puberty is “enlarged testicles”, which a doc can figure out but as a mom l wouldn’t be quite able to determine exactly 🙃

[Anonymous]

OP What is above average height to you. I find people on this forum have varying ideas of what average height is.


Also, feel free to bring it up with your pediatrician, but more than likely if there was an actual concern with your son's height it would have been flagged by now.

Not everyone ends up 6'2".

[Anonymous]

I was a late bloomer. I entered my junior year of HS at age 17 (I had a birthday just after the cutoff and was always one of the oldest in my class) and was 5'2". Between September and April, I had four separate growth spurts and ended the school year (age 18) at 5'8". Back then, to save money, my mother would buy me extra long jeans and then would hem in the pant legs and let them out as I grew. I remember the end of my junior year, I had four lines on my pant legs from letting the pants out during/after each growth spurt. From 18-20, I grew one more inch to my current height of 5'9". For many years, up until about the last 10 years, I was the average male height in the US. It's only the last 10 years or so that the average male height in the US has increased to about 5'10".

OP, do not worry and let your son know that some boys do not reach their full adult height until 18-20 years old. It is not the average, but it is definitely not uncommon. Over the years, I've met many men who had late growth spurts to reach their final adult height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP What is above average height to you. I find people on this forum have varying ideas of what average height is.


Also, feel free to bring it up with your pediatrician, but more than likely if there was an actual concern with your son's height it would have been flagged by now.

Not everyone ends up 6'2".

Op here. I’m 5’8”; his dad is 6’2”. So we are somewhat taller than average but not much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP What is above average height to you. I find people on this forum have varying ideas of what average height is.


Also, feel free to bring it up with your pediatrician, but more than likely if there was an actual concern with your son's height it would have been flagged by now.

Not everyone ends up 6'2".

Op here. I’m 5’8”; his dad is 6’2”. So we are somewhat taller than average but not much.

OP, how tall are your parents? Do you have an outlier who is much shorter among them? Anyway, I would bring it up with the pediatrician, just in case.

[Anonymous]

Both my dad, who was 6’, and my husband, who is 6’3, were on the small side until @15. Both grew several inches between 17-18 as well.

[Anonymous]

Both my dad, who was 6’, and my husband, who is 6’3, were on the small side until @15. Both grew several inches between 17-18 as well.