small toddlers

[5lilfish]

I have identical twin 2 1/2 year old girls....and 3 older kids (12, 11 and 10). My twins are actually 32 months old now. They were born at 37 weeks via c-section. At birth Bailey was 6 lbs and Taylor was 4.5 lbs. Other than being small, they were healthy. They have continued to be healthy. They've caught typical viruses but nothing extreme and not too often (especially considering they have 3 school aged siblings).

My concerns are with their size. I don't care that they are small...I just want to be sure they are ok. Bailey is now 24 lbs and 34 inches tall. Taylor is 22 lbs and 33 inches tall. Neither of them are on the growth charts. They never have been. Their head circumference is in the 50th percentile...so their brain is growing at a normal rate. They are very verbal (9-10 word sentences) and smart. They know all their shapes and colors. They can count to 12, say the alphabet and are beginning to recognize letters.

So...my questions: Should I give any thought to their size? and... For babies born small (especially twins), at what age should they jump up onto the charts?

I have already discussed this with their Ped (who I love) but I was hoping for some been-there-done-that advice.

Thanks...
Jess

 

[disneybound2010]

Well, I don't have the twin experience,but I do have a pretty tiny little boy!

DS(3) is barely 30lbs and 36inches tall. He has always been on the small side, but according to our ped(I love this man!) he is as healthy as can possibly be. His head circumference is right on target and he is pretty advanced for his age. He just happens to be small.

My nephew,on the other hand, is one week younger than my son, but looks to be at least a year older. He is about 5 inches taller and outweighs him by 10 lbs. He is off the charts, BUT AGAIN, is perfectly healthy and is on par with other children his age.

As long as your ped is telling you they are in good shape and as long as they are showing no signs of anything troublesome, other than being small, I wouldn't be too concerned. They will grow into their bodies. On a positive note, you can enjoy still being able to carry them and cuddle them without breaking your back...my Dsis tells me all the time she wishes her DS was as small as mine!

 

[paintnolish]

Mom of a tiny boy checking in! Check him out on my TR next to his younger sis- she outweighs him by almost 20 lbs. and is several inches taller than him, too.He has always been in the same percentile range, 10-15% for both height and weight. The dr. said he is not concerned about his size- he's just small.

 

[smschex]

Are they following their own curve? By that I mean are they following the curve of the growth chart, just under the 5th percentile? It is less concerning if they are following the normal curve, not falling away from it.

How tall are you and their father? There are no tall genes on either side of our family. Our kids have their own curve. Only one of them has ever actually touched a line on the growth chart!

Maybe they are just going to be petite. They may never "jump onto the chart." It sounds as if everything else is on target to advanced.

 

[laughinplace199]

If you trust your ped and he/she is not worried, then I wouldn't worry either.

At 30 mos, my youngest was 35 inches and 24 lbs. He is now a little over 3 yrs old, 38 inches and 28 lbs. He didn't start out tiny, he was 8 lbs at birth, but once he was born, he just wasn't much of an eater.

We had him tested for some food allergies and celiac, but everything came back normal. My ped is not concerned because DS has been consistently following his own growth curve. His curve parallels the average curve, he's just under it, if that makes sense.

If your DD's are developing and hitting their milestones, I would try not to worry too much. Look on the bright side, at least girls can wear leggings and dresses. I have a horrible time finding pants that will fit DS.

 

[sunnyday123]

DD was 5lbs 12oz 19 in when she was born, she was full term. She gained about 7-9oz a month-we had to go every month for a weight check because of it, and we had to go to a childrens hospital for a check up because her pediatrician was concerned about her sloooooow growth.

At 2 she knew her ABC's, colors, shapes and had a very large vocabulary. (I'm a talker, lol!) Her Dr. has always said she is her healthiest patient, and wanted her to start Kindergarten a year early because she was so advanced ( she didn't ) and she was afraid she would be bored.

She was never on the "growth chart" until I beleive recently-and she's 12. Some kids just grow at different rates and different times. I could wear clothes from the Children's Place until 10th grade, when I refused to do it anymore. My family is just petite. DD's fathers side, well...they are built like linebackers-women included!

As long as your kids are healthy and growing, don't worry and don't compare them to anyone else, or let anyone else make you feel bad about their size. You can hold smaller kids longer!

 

[vettechick99]

DD34m is pretty tiny. She is average height (haven't measureed that lately but she looks normal) but she's only 26lbs. Not super skinny, but skinnier than others her age. Her doctor isn't worried.

BTW, she was born 7lbs-something at 39w. Haven't been in your shoes, but DD isn't far off from your bigger child and she wasn't premature.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have identical twin 2 1/2 year old girls....and 3 older kids (12, 11 and 10). My twins are actually 32 months old now. They were born at 37 weeks via c-section. At birth Bailey was 6 lbs and Taylor was 4.5 lbs. Other than being small, they were healthy. They have continued to be healthy. They've caught typical viruses but nothing extreme and not too often (especially considering they have 3 school aged siblings).

My concerns are with their size. I don't care that they are small...I just want to be sure they are ok. Bailey is now 24 lbs and 34 inches tall. Taylor is 22 lbs and 33 inches tall. Neither of them are on the growth charts. They never have been. Their head circumference is in the 50th percentile...so their brain is growing at a normal rate. They are very verbal (9-10 word sentences) and smart. They know all their shapes and colors. They can count to 12, say the alphabet and are beginning to recognize letters.

So...my questions: Should I give any thought to their size? and... For babies born small (especially twins), at what age should they jump up onto the charts?

I have already discussed this with their Ped (who I love) but I was hoping for some been-there-done-that advice.

Thanks...
Jess

My youngest was born SGA, which means "small for gestational age". She also did growth hormone shots from K-5th grade. Born 5 weeks early and was 4lbs 11oz and 16 1/2" inches long.

Are your twins growing? For example, are they moving up in clothing and shoe size? My dd's shoe/clothing size remained the same for 3+yrs when she was a toddler into K, which is not normal.

Are the twins tracking on their own growth curve? That is the key to identifying a growth problem.

 

[shortbun]

Ok, I'm tempted to tell you to trust your doctor but I've known some great doctors to poo-poo some pretty important things. Are there any development specialists in your area - like a Children's Hospital Clinic or similar? Your kiddies are pretty small, I think the head size is one of the most important, but why not make sure since it has you coming to the DIS. My in-laws had their first ped miss serious gastro problems in their baby and their 2nd pediatrician missed seriously developmental delays in the same child. I'm talking about problems everyone, including the parents, noticed but the doctor soothed their concerns and caused them to miss a really important time for intervention and help in their son's development.

 

[NikitaZee]

I agree with PP's about the growth curve being the most important thing to consider, especially if your pediatrician isn't concerned about their height/weight.

My oldest was 17 lbs at one year - not a preemie - and stayed in the 3rd percentile for a couple of years. Our ped did blood tests to rule out any growth problems - which he didn't have - and at one year put him on Pediasure. He drank that stuff until he was 5! Anyway, he's 9 now and has moved up to the 50th percentile - he just took a while to get there.

 

[MizTink]

my DS16 was a tiny one too. he was born at 42wks gestation, and weighed around 6 pounds (bad mom can't remember exact weight). he was perfect, except he just didn't grow. he was diagnosed with failure to thrive and saw a gastro and an endocrinologist. after lots of tests they decided he was just small and grew at a very slow rate. he never touched the curve on the growth chart. he was developmentaly fine.
like a previous poster said, one benefit was that he didn't outgrow clothes! he wore them out before he outgrew them! he was only 14 pounds when he was almost 2 years old.
one thing one of specialist said made a lot of sense. he was a small man from peru and said my son wouldn't be considered too small in his country. he looked at me and ds's dad (both really short) and said he would be more surprised if he wasn't small!!

the docs had him drink lots of pediasure and i had this powder stuff (can't remember the name) that i sprinkled on all his food to add calories. he ate a lot of food, plus this extra stuff. well, it had no affect. eventually he just started getting chubby, but not taller!!!

 

[golfgal]

Are they following their own curve? By that I mean are they following the curve of the growth chart, just under the 5th percentile? It is less concerning if they are following the normal curve, not falling away from it.

How tall are you and their father? There are no tall genes on either side of our family. Our kids have their own curve. Only one of them has ever actually touched a line on the growth chart!

Maybe they are just going to be petite. They may never "jump onto the chart." It sounds as if everything else is on target to advanced.

Exactly.

We need more information to help you see if there is a problem--do they eat well, are they growing at a steady pace, how tall are you, what is your build, same for your DH. How far off are they from what your other kids were at that age?

Our twins were born at just shy of 38 weeks, ds was 7 lbs 6 oz and 21" long, DD was 6 lb 7 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. DS did not gain much weight at first and only weighed 16 lbs at a year. He is STILL tall an skinny-5'7" and only 102 lbs (is is SO proud of finally hitting 100 lbs). DD has always been more solid but certainly no where near 'fat".

 

[blanq]

I have identical twin 2 1/2 year old girls....and 3 older kids (12, 11 and 10). My twins are actually 32 months old now. They were born at 37 weeks via c-section. At birth Bailey was 6 lbs and Taylor was 4.5 lbs. Other than being small, they were healthy. They have continued to be healthy. They've caught typical viruses but nothing extreme and not too often (especially considering they have 3 school aged siblings).

My concerns are with their size. I don't care that they are small...I just want to be sure they are ok. Bailey is now 24 lbs and 34 inches tall. Taylor is 22 lbs and 33 inches tall. Neither of them are on the growth charts. They never have been. Their head circumference is in the 50th percentile...so their brain is growing at a normal rate. They are very verbal (9-10 word sentences) and smart. They know all their shapes and colors. They can count to 12, say the alphabet and are beginning to recognize letters.

So...my questions: Should I give any thought to their size? and... For babies born small (especially twins), at what age should they jump up onto the charts?

I have already discussed this with their Ped (who I love) but I was hoping for some been-there-done-that advice.

Thanks...
Jess

So, what did their Dr. say? My guess is that he isn't concerned, so I would say you should not be either. I would suggest you focus more on developmental milestones than height and weight. Have they been reaching the milestones they should when they should? At 37 weeks, your twins really were not preemie. I gave birth to a 2 lb boy at 26 weeks gestation, so I know about small kids. DS finally hit the growth charts at about one year of age and then was in the 10th percentile for height and weight for a very long time. He is now a 6'3" 16 year old, and his shoe size equals what his length was at birth.He is still skinny as a rail at 146 lbs, but he is totally healthy. Long story short, the kid caught up with his peers.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

Another mom of a tiny boy...

My DS will be 3 in may, and is only 34 in tall and 27 lbs...he isn't even on the chart for height.

My ped only worries if they aren't staying on a consistent curve. For example, it is fine to be in the 3rd perc for height, if they have been close to that percentile for a long time. I.e....3rd at 6 mos, 5th at 9 mos, 7th at 1 yr, 5th at 18 mos.

What is bad is falling percentiles, which is the category my DS is in. He was 55th for height at 6 mos, 25 for height at 1, 15th for height at 18 mos, 5th for height at 2, and now not even on the charts. We go in a few weeks for a pediatric endocrinology consult, to get his growth hormone checked and a bone development scan.

If you are truly concerned, and I wouldn't be yet since they are twins, and twins usually are a little smaller, I would ask the ped. The first thing that can be checked, in the ped's office is a thyroid blood panel.

But again, falling percentiles is what is usually worrisome, and even then isn't always a problem.

GL

 

[mickeyboat]

DD10 was a premie (4 lbs, 12 oz @ 34 weeks), and it still very skinny. She is average for height. She has always stayed right on HER growth curve, so her pediatrician is not concerned. Neither am I.

Good luck to you.

 

[golfgal]

DD10 was a premie (4 lbs, 12 oz @ 34 weeks), and it still very skinny. She is average for height. She has always stayed right on HER growth curve, so her pediatrician is not concerned. Neither am I.

Good luck to you.

This is really the important part, DS17 started off at the 95th percential height and weight, and over the course of his first year settled into the 50th % for both. By the time he was in 2nd grade he wasn't even on the charts. We did the growth hormone testing for him and he was on the very low end of normal. They "diagnosed" him with constitutional growth delay--for which there is nothing they can do they just go through puberty later and grow later. DH had it, graduated high school at a whopping 5'4" and 100 lbs. he is now 6' and won't let me tell you his weight.

 

[nmmom95]

My DS6 was born at 34 weeks. He was 5lbs 8 3/4oz and 19 inches. He is still small. I was worried because his brother was always off the charts huge. He is 11 and taller than me! The ped said that he is growing right for him. He said that as long as he is growing on a consistent curve then it's fine. He is almost 7 and is only about 44 1/2 inches tall.

 

[tazdev3225]

I had a failure to thrive baby. She was just shy of 8 lbs at birth. At 6 months she weighed around 12 pounds. My DGD at a year was the size of my DD at 2 1/2. She is now 5 feet 6 inches and still on the skinny side. Her DS is 2 1/2. He was over 7 lbs when he was born. He is now about 24 pounds and still fits into an 18 month clothes. He eats everything, loves vegies and is very active. His pediatrician wants to put him on a high calorie diet and my DD had the sense to say no. His father is 6'5" and weighs about 175. He comes from a family of tall skinny people. He also speaks in full sentences, holds a conversation, knows his colors, shapes, can count, knows the alphabet etc. Can you tell I'm a proud grandmom?

OP if your kids are developmentally on target, have shown a consistent growth and seem to be on level for developmental milestones I wouldn't worry. If you have serious concerns talk to your dr and if you feel you need to get a second opinion. I don't think you really need to worry IMO.

 

[MickeyShow]

My almost 3 year old DS is about 35 inches and probably weighs about 26/27 pounds. He was born full term at 6.14 pounds and just has always been smaller. He's always followed his own curve and that's really all his doctor is concerned about.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

mom to a tiny boy here too!!! he will be three in april(at disney!) and hes very short. he was almost 8 pounds at birth and 21 1/4 inches long. he nursed like a trooper and bulked up fast. then crawled at 4 months and walked at 9.....and was very very very fussy!!! hes now just 34 inches i think according to last week's measurement, and i think 26 pounds. he finally feels as tho hes starting to bulk up.

my old family doc was horrible!!! she referred dd to a feeding clinic at a year after i was in 6 weeks prior telling her she wasnt eating after daddy went away. nothing more degrading than taking your child in, making her lunch and having people watching you feed her. then when ds was 6 months and loosing interest the same thing started happening. he started to level off, off to his 6 month i went and told her - oh thats normal she said- then at 9 months she starrted saying she was going to refer him as well. i left in tears....she wasnt listening to anything i said. hubby went in to speak to her and she did call and applogize to me. she said she reffered a lot of people to the feeding clinic. that proved to me she was hung up on kids weight.

my little guys fine, everything else is developing normally, hes growing altho slowly! lol but my new doc isnt concerned.

as long as they're on track and your ped isnt concerned i wouldnt worry...k let me rephrase that- try not to worry! lol cus your a mom and will no matter what.