Is there really a test to determine future height?

[luvflorida]

My almost 13 year old has her annual physical exam on Monday. She was hoping for a growth spurt over the summer, but it hasn't happened. She is barely 4' 10", and was hoping to enter 8th grade looking like an 8th grader instead of a sixth grader, (her words). Anyway, several people have told me that once kids hit puberty there is a test that can be performed at the doctor's office that is a pretty reliable indicator of future height. Something to do with measuring a wrist bone, I think? Anyone know more about this? I'll ask the doctor on Monday, but was just wondering if anyone here has any info.

 

[cindala]

Yes, an xray is taken of a bone in your wrist, to see if the growth plate has closed up. While my DD didn't have this test done, she was always small for her age. Now almost 17, she is 5'1". It wasn't until she was 14 that she had her growth spurt. I wouldn't worry about it much. Nature will take it's course.

 

[Mskanga]

I didn't need any test, at two weeks old my mother was told by our family physician that I would be tall and skinny, the opposite of my sister. He hit the nail right on , I'm almost 6' tall and I used to be skinny , until I had my first child, I'm a bit overweight now , but this is after 2 children and 2 c-sections.
I grew until I was almost 18 , so I wouldn't worry too much now with your dd. Best of luck to her.

 

[browneyes]

I've heard there's a test the dr's can do to detemine future height, but I don't know anyone that's had it done. However, my kids' ped told me when they were 2 yo to multiply their height in inches by 2 and that will be how tall they will be. According to that, our dd will be 1/2 an inch taller than I am, and our ds will be an inch taller than his daddy.

 

[peg2001]

I stopped growing at age 13, at 5'3".

Peggy

 

[Emmyfaye]

Perhaps not very scientific, but this might site might give you an idea of your daughter's adult height I don't know whether this link would work, but here are the details: http://www.growingchild.com/height.html

Both our daughters were long, large babies - now in their middle and late teens, they are 6' and 6'1". Hubby is 6', I am a round shaped 5'7".

 

[Emmyfaye]

That website only works for those six or under...I apologize!

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

luvflorida

I was barely 5 ft tall when I entered 8th grade. By the time that year was over, I was 5' 7". That was my final growth spurt (at least height wise! ), so I wouldn't worry too much. My sister finished growing about the same time I did, and she is two years younger than me (and in 6th grade). She also ended up taller than me!

 

[WilmaBud]

Well, I'm 40 years old, and I'm 5'0" (well, almost, anyway). I was about 4'10" when I was 13. I don't see the cause of worry . Maybe your daughter is petite. I've never considered it a problem.

 

[piratesmate]

Our pediatrician told us that DS would never be taller than 5'3" based on his size at age 2 - using that multiply by 2 thing. Even though he was 20" at birth, DS was off the bottom of the chart (below 5%) until about age 8 when he finally hit the 25th%. DS is now 22 & 5'11" - maybe taller.

When I was 11, I was already 5'3" - and at 28 I was still 5'3" when I was finally diagnosed as having a thyroid problem. After a year of taking the thyroid meds I was 5'5". The doctor was shocked! I'd always been told you can't grow after you hit 20.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

One way they determine height is that they follow the curve on their growth chart and estimate the final height.

My 6yo dd is on daily growth hormone shots.
My dd was "leveling" out on her curve. If she had continued like that she would have not reached her height potential. The hormone will not make her bigger than genetically programmed. What it does is make up for a lack of growth hormone her body was not putting out.
Within the first 2 months she grew 1 1/3" and gained 3 lbs!

So bottom line is if your dd is moving normally (gaining height & weight) up the chart on "her" curve everything is probably OK.

 

[4greatboys]

They never did any tests on my ds (s) but when the olest was very young--prob 1 yr, the dr told me he was going to be over 6 ft. Now at 15 yrs he is over 6 ft--wears a size 14 shoe and is still growing, lol. Im 5'3 and his dad is 5'6 but everyone in his dads family is tall. Ds #2 is 13 and prob about 5'2 right now...I dont think he is going to be as tall as ds #1 but Im thinking maybe about 5'10.

 

[binny]

We were told DS would be short and stocky, now he is 8 and taller ( a little taller than average) and skinny! LOL He doesnt have a stocky build at this point at all!

his esitmated height according to that is 6 foot 1.

 

[nsyncraider17]

My orthodontist actually took an x-ray of my hand before I got braces 3 years ago, he said he could tell I wouldn't grow much more because the bones in my fingers were starting to fuse together, or something like that.

Of course, I had already decided that I wouldn't grow much more, I've been short for as long as I can remember (I remember measuring myself nearly every day in 2nd and 3rd grade seeing if I was 4 ft yet!). Now I'm 16 and I'm 4' 11 1/2", maybe 5' if I stretch. Tell your daughter she's not the only one who looks younger than she is...when I eat out with my family they still try to give me kids menus. But I like being short, it makes me stand out from my friends a little bit.

(by the way...I just remembered that my mom measured me when i was 2 1/2, because your final height is supposed to be twice what it is then, or something like that. According to that, I'm supposed to be 5' 6". I don't think that's gonna happen, lol!)

 

[SoonerKate]

Nsyncraider -- if you don't grow too much, you're definitely Mickey height!

 

[helenabear]

I just wanted to add that I am just a hair over 5' and I have been that way since the end of 6th grade (I started 6th grade at 4' 11"). Even if she doesn't grow at all, there is nothing wrong with being that height... and truthfully I don't think height has much to do with what age she would look. There are some great advantages to being short anyway.

 

[luvflorida]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm not really concerned about her height, (I'm just a little over 5'), but it seems to be bothering her lately. I know she was really hoping to grow over the summer, and she's at that age where no kid wants to be different or stand out from her peers in any way. And she is petite and looks younger than her age. I keep telling her she has plenty of time to sprout, and even she doesn't, it doesn't matter.

 

[Towncrier]

I'll bet that my DD would trade places with yours in a heartbeat. She's entering 8th grade as one of the tallest people in her class. At 5' 10", she's taller than a lot of the boys and a lot of the teachers. She seems to take it all in stride. She has been off the top of the height scale on growth charts since she was a toddler.

So my Sarah is entering 8th grade looking like an Amazon.

Here's hoping for a last minute growth spurt for your DD (if that's what will make her happy).

 

[Rexfan]

I was the shortest kid in the class until about 9th grade. All of my friends could give me their outgrown clothes for years. Sometime when I was 14 or so, I shot up to my current height of 5'5".

 

[elgerber]

I'm glad to hear stories of boys who shoot up later. My ds is 10, and about 54 inches, and 58 pounds. He is so skinny, he's impossible to buy pants for. He's quite short as well. My dd who is only 7 outweights him by 6 pounds, she's about 51 inches and 64 pounds. I fear she is going to be taller than him in a year or so.

Erika