The height of the child is a concern of every family, but most parents have taken many detours and missed the opportunity to help their children grow taller.
The survey revealed:
More than one-third of parents are unaware that their child’s height needs regular measurements;
70% of parents do not know how much their children grow each year is normal;
1/4 parents are looking for ways to help their children grow taller through the Internet and books;
Almost 80% of parents do not know the optimal intervention plan for their child’s height[1].
Are you getting any of the above? 2 out of 10 short children feel inferior, reluctant to participate in group activities, and some even become emotionally out of control and more prone to anger. Therefore, it is urgent for parents to correctly understand the fact that their children are growing taller.
Source: Tencent Medical Illustrator
In order for our children to grow taller, we must seize the “expiration period” of increased height. So what is the validity period?
Many parents think that girls’ menstruation and boys’ voice change are the long periods of time for their children. In fact, the children’s development is basically mature at this time.
In the first 1 to 3 years of puberty, the growth rate of children will be relatively fast, most of them exceed 7 centimeters a year, and sometimes 10 centimeters. But further down the line, developmental sex hormones cause the skeleton to gradually close, and growth rapidly slows until it no longer grows.
If the parent waits until the child reaches the developmental stage to start helping the child grow, it will become more difficult to increase the height on the original basis.
Source: Tencent Medical Illustrator
So when is the right time to intervene?
General doctors will recommend that you see a doctor when you find your child is short.
It is best to bring your child to a normal height for his age (see table below) before puberty. Adolescence generally refers to 11-12 years of age for girls and 12-13 years for boys.
Source: Tencent Medical Illustrator
Many parents start worrying about their child’s height after puberty. The more eager these parents are, the more they will be deceived by some “secrets to increase height” advertised in the market. Not to mention causing huge losses, sometimes it affects the normal speed of the child itself.
Many parents believe that supplementing their children with calcium can help them grow taller, and some parents even “force” their children to drink milk for calcium supplementation at every meal. So, does drinking milk really help children grow up?
Before answering this question, let’s take a look at what factors affect a child’s growth?
Hereditary factors: Congenital genetic factors will affect 60%~70% of the child’s final height. Parents should not be discouraged. It is relatively easy to increase scientifically by 3~5cm on the basis of genetic height [2].
Nutrition: Nutrition is the material basis for a child’s development. Insufficient or incomplete nutrition can lead to slow growth.
Exercise and sleep: Growth hormone production increases during exercise and sleep, which can affect a child’s height.
Precocious puberty: Once precocious puberty occurs, the child’s growth potential will be overdrawn, the bones will be closed prematurely, and the final height will be shorter than children of the same age. You may ask, will eating royal jelly, pigeon eggs, fried foods cause precocious puberty? In fact, these foods are not high in hormones and cause precocious puberty. But taking too many nutrients can lead to excess nutrition and obesity. A major cause of precocious puberty is obesity, because the accumulated fat in the body Stimulates the formation of estrogen. Therefore, parents should not over-supplement nutrients, pay attention to let their children eat less junk food, and pay more attention to their children’s weight changes [3].
Others: Intrauterine growth retardation, psychological factors, endocrine abnormalities, etc. will also affect the child’s height to varying degrees [2].
Source: Tencent Medical Illustrator
Based on the above, we can see that a child’s height is affected in many ways, and nutrition is only part of it. For these children whose height is affected by calcium deficiency, drinking milk to supplement calcium is indeed beneficial to their height, but milk itself does not directly promote growth.
Cow’s milk is, of course, a good source of calcium, and there are many benefits to getting your child to drink in moderation every day.
Source: Tencent Medical Illustrator
Many parents may ask, is there any way to make the child “grow a little longer”? We recommend that parents pay attention to the following aspects:
Focus on height and weight: Record weight monthly, measure height once a month or 3 months, and intervene in time.
Diet: Make sure to eat a varied diet, not picky eaters, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Avoid blindly eating various supplements, which may cause precocious puberty to backfire.
Sleep: The peak of growth hormone secretion is after 10 o’clock, so it is recommended to ensure that children fall asleep before 10 o’clock and have at least 8 hours of sleep every day[3] .
Exercise: Moderate exercise, bouncing, stretching, and aerobic exercise are all good for your child’s growth. It is not recommended to do moves and barbell strength exercises.
Medicine: Find a professional doctor for scientific interventions, such as bone age testing, growth hormone supplementation, and more.
Finally here, I would like to tell parents that they should pay attention to their children’s height problems in time, seek medical attention as soon as possible to identify the cause, and treat in time, so as not to miss the best time and delay life . In the matter of growing taller, we should believe in science, avoid misunderstandings, and increase scientifically and healthily.
References
[1] Shen Fang; Yuan Quanlian; Li Yaping, et al. Analysis of the status quo and needs of kindergarten parents’ cognition on children’s height growth [J]. Beijing Haidian District Maternal and Child Health Hospital, China Disease Prevention Control Center Maternal and Child Health Center
[2] Shen Yongnian, Luo Xiaoping. Manual of Pediatric Endocrine Genetic Metabolic Diseases [M]. Shanghai Science and Technology Literature Publishing, 2010-4
[3] Hu Yamei, Jiang Zaifang, Shen Kunling, et al. Zhu Futang Practical Pediatrics Eighth Edition [M]. People’s Health Publishing House, 2015
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