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Home › Expert Q&A › Growth and Development › I'm worried that my son is too small for his age. Could that change at some point in the future, or is growth rate pretty steady and predictable?

Expert Q&A

 

By Michael F. Wasserman
General Pediatrician

I'm worried that my son is too small for his age. He's about 30th percentile for both height and weight, and he's been in that range since birth. Could that change at some point in the future, or is growth rate pretty steady and predictable?

Growth tends to remain consistent. Children tend to be between the heights of their two parents, closer to the height of the parent of the same sex. One factor that is not clear in this situation is the onset of puberty. If the child is destined to have a late entry into puberty, there is a longer period for the child to grown (the situation of some boys continuing to grow once they enter college).

Perhaps your son will continue growing longer to achieve a greater ultimate adult height. To begin to look into this, your pediatrician could have a bone age X-ray done. There are many growth centers in the numerous bones in the hand and wrist. Normals have been established for ages from infancy to adulthood. Your pediatrician could conceivably learn that although your child is 8 years old, he has the bones of a 5-year-old, leaving him more time and room for growth.

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