My DD is tiny. Should I be concerned?

[Miss Peregrine]

My DD is 5y4m and she is 40 inches and less than 40 lbs. I don't know her exact weight.

She seems healthy and eats pretty "normally".

[Snickerdoodle]

I sent you a private message.

[Karin]

That depends on a few things. Is this a normal growth pattern that has appeared in the family tree? What percentile is that? (I'm rusty on 5 yos). Is the pediatrician concerned? You may wish to do some testing if you're not sure. One of my brothers was tiny. While his birth parents were short, they weren't as short as the growth curve was indicating he'd grow to. He had both hormonal testing and an xray done. It turned out his hormones were find, and his bone age was 2 years behind his chronological age--this is now called constitutional growth delay. It may have been then, but my mother never gave it a name. He developed on the later side and grew until he was around 21. He's 5 8 1/2, so a bit below average, but way taller than it looked like he'd be. And wiry. His second child is growing just like he did.

My birth siblings also grew late, but since they were on the growth charts for height and weight no testing was done.

[Pajama Mama]

You could talk to the doctor to make sure everything's alright. Has she always been on the shorter side or is this new? I think I'd be concerned if her height and weight *suddenly* dropped off. But if she's following the same growth curve she might be fine.
Dh is 6'2" and I'm 5'9". We have two tall boys. Dd on the other hand seems to be shorter than us. Dh's mom was only 5'2" at her tallest. Dd greatly resembles dh's side of the family. So in her case she's gonna be shorter--it's genetics. I'm glad for her since I was gigantor in high school-LOL
As long as nothing else is going on, dd might be fine. But call the doctor by all means just to assure you.

[cin]

My 2 girls are Asian, but they fall into the same parameters as your dd. The oldest is 6.5 and is about 40 lbs and 46", the younger is 3.5 and is 26 lbs and about 35 inches. Our pediatrician is Asian, and is not at all concerned. If she is growing steadily, and is proportioned, I wouldn't worry.

[sdWTMer]

He's 11 and finally made it to be out of a car seat! Isn't it 60 lbs here in CA? Anyway, we had a bone scan of his wrist done and found out that he is only a year behind physically. Maybe that's what you could have done. You can request it from your pediatrician. Now of course, you can always go to a pediatric endocrinologist because they may have different standards. I may do this this year, just to be sure.

[Sugarfoot]

She's bigger than my daughter was at that age. Our kids are small. But, wow, when they fall off of those growth charts, the pediatricians can really start to make you worry, can't they? Our oldest daughter is 9 yrs, 9 mos. She weighs 50 lbs. and is 49 inches tall. She's healthy and active, and she is the exact same size that I was at her age. I think that's key. What are the trends in your family? Is there some nagging feeling that you have about her size being indicative of a health problem? If I felt like something was "wrong", I'd definitely speak to the ped. about it. People come in all different sizes, though, and there's nothing wrong with just being "petite.":)

[Miss Peregrine]

Thanks for all the replies :)

I am going to track her height/weight and make sure she is growing. All my kids are small-ish and when they went to the ped they eventually all dropped off the charts but were still following their own curve.

She just seems unusually tiny. People mistake her for a 3 yo all the time.

I am only 5'1" so I have no illusions that she should be gigantor :D I just want to be sure there is nothing else going on.

[stephanie]

My DD is 5y4m and she is 40 inches and less than 40 lbs. I don't know her exact weight.

She seems healthy and eats pretty "normally".

Amy, I too have a small dd. However, she's 6years/2months and she's about 35# and not yet 40 inches. Her pant size is about a 3T,but she can wear a 5T shirt (if it's not too long). She eats well, but she's just tiny. Of course, I'm only 5' tall, about 105# so I'm expecting for her to be about the same. I never pay much mind to it until she gets around other kids her age, and they tower her in every way. I do kind of like it though because it feels like I still have a baby. You can have you pedi. check her and her growth chart. I'm sure she may just be petite, but it's worth checking into! HTH!

[Diane]

Oh, I believe she is perfectly fine, just petite. My little girl, doesn't weigh 30 yet and she is 4! I haven't measured her in a long time, only behind the door to see she is growing.

I"m only 5' 1" according to my drivers lic. (I'm really only 5ft even). shhhhh

My little girl is 4 and wears size 3T pants and they are big on her. For what it's worth, my Mom said I wore size 4T when I was in Kindergarten, and then finally got into 5T in first grade. :)

[Audrey]

My DD is 5y4m and she is 40 inches and less than 40 lbs. I don't know her exact weight.

She seems healthy and eats pretty "normally".

I wouldn't worry too much. I was very tiny at 5yo. I remember them saying I was 38 inches and 38 lbs. -- a pound an inch! My folks did worry and took me to a doctor who said I'd just be very petite -- he 'guaranteed' no more than 4'10" on height. Well.... I guess you could say I had a few growth spurts. I'm a quarter-inch shy of 6'. :D

[Mx5]

Thanks for all the replies :)

I am going to track her height/weight and make sure she is growing. All my kids are small-ish and when they went to the ped they eventually all dropped off the charts but were still following their own curve.

She just seems unusually tiny. People mistake her for a 3 yo all the time.

I am only 5'1" so I have no illusions that she should be gigantor :D I just want to be sure there is nothing else going on.

My doctor always told me that as long as the kids are meeting developmental milestones, are active & happy, they are fine.

FWIW my mother in law is not even 5ft tall. I am 5'6" and dh is 5'10", and he's a "big one" for his family.

I wouldn't worry at all about the size of your girl. Both of my girls have fallen off the charts. I tell them they are going to be like Tinker Bell - smart and sassy! My girls are 11 & 15.

[Colleen]

Golly, most of my guys are pretty average, and I would never consider those stats "tiny", especially for a girl. My fourth son is by far the "runt" (;)) of our litter. He's 5 years, 5 months and right about 40 lbs. He is a good bit taller than your daughter at 45 inches, but still...I wonder if maybe people in this country are just getting more and more accustomed to kids who are bigger (read: weigh more) than they should? I know I didn't even weigh 60 lbs when I was 10 years old, so of course I was no heavy-weight at 5 years old. But back then, there were far fewer obese children than there are today. I know you're talking about height as well as weight; I am trying to say that your daughter's height-weight ratio seem reasonable.

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm glad you posted. I sometimes worry about my dd. She'll be 2 tomorrow. She JUST hit 20 pounds (up from 17 lb 10 oz at a year). I don't know her height (but I know she's growing - she just outgrew her 9 month clothes!). My dh is 6' and I am 5'10". My other boys are very tall. It's just weird. My doctor isn't worried one bit and says as long as she stays on her curve, he's fine with it. But, a mom can't help but worry - right?

[Sparkle]

Hmmm...my dd is almost the exact age and size as yours. She is 5y3m, weighs 38 lbs and is 39-40 in. I know she's petite-ish, but I didn't think she was unusually small. I haven't taken her in the doctor for a while, so I don't know where she falls on the growth charts, but she seems normal to me.

I agree with the others, if your dd is eating well and developing normally then I don't think there's a need to worry at this point.

[Jann in TX]

My oldest dd was labeled 'failure to thrive' because she did not double her birth weight (9 pounds) the first year...she was about 14 pounds when she turned 1...she was walking at 7 months for good and RUNNING by 9 months--she was a very very active baby!

She was nearly 7 before she broke the 40 pound mark...Drs said that she was off the charts but doing fine on her own curve and she was healthy...the Drs also told us that she would be petite--less than 5ft like my MIL.

By puberty (age 12) dd was still TINY--but she started growing and she is STILL growing. She is 5'7" at 17 --nearly as tall as me!

My baby will turn 6 tomorrow. She is 49 inches tall and weighs about 50 pounds. She wears size 8 shirts and size 6X pants. She is one of the tallest kids in her K class.

[Mx5]

I'm glad you posted. I sometimes worry about my dd. She'll be 2 tomorrow. She JUST hit 20 pounds (up from 17 lb 10 oz at a year). I don't know her height (but I know she's growing - she just outgrew her 9 month clothes!). My dh is 6' and I am 5'10". My other boys are very tall. It's just weird. My doctor isn't worried one bit and says as long as she stays on her curve, he's fine with it. But, a mom can't help but worry - right?

I notice from your siggy line that you have a bunch of boys. My girls have not had the big growth spurts like my sons have had. Sometimes girls are just smaller. Also, if you have smaller people in your family (you and your dh seem tall to me ;-) it would be reasonable to think that your dd will may be small.

If she's active, happy, and reaching developmental milestones then I wouldn't worry one bit.

[Mrs Mungo]

Amy, I too have a small dd. However, she's 6years/2months and she's about 35# and not yet 40 inches. Her pant size is about a 3T,but she can wear a 5T shirt (if it's not too long). She eats well, but she's just tiny. Of course, I'm only 5' tall, about 105# so I'm expecting for her to be about the same. I never pay much mind to it until she gets around other kids her age, and they tower her in every way. I do kind of like it though because it feels like I still have a baby. You can have you pedi. check her and her growth chart. I'm sure she may just be petite, but it's worth checking into! HTH!

My son is six (he'll be seven in April) and just a bit taller than your daughter, he wears a 4 in pants and a 5 in shirts. However, I was 45 lbs in the sixth grade and wore a size six. My best friend in school was easily a foot taller than me but we both wound up around 5'2", I just got there later.

[Miss Peregrine]

Thanks again for the reassurance, everyone
I wouldn't worry too much. I was very tiny at 5yo. I remember them saying I was 38 inches and 38 lbs. -- a pound an inch! My folks did worry and took me to a doctor who said I'd just be very petite -- he 'guaranteed' no more than 4'10" on height. Well.... I guess you could say I had a few growth spurts. I'm a quarter-inch shy of 6'.

That's hilarious!

Golly, most of my guys are pretty average, and I would never consider those stats "tiny", especially for a girl. My fourth son is by far the "runt" () of our litter. He's 5 years, 5 months and right about 40 lbs. He is a good bit taller than your daughter at 45 inches, but still...I wonder if maybe people in this country are just getting more and more accustomed to kids who are bigger (read: weigh more) than they should?

Today 03:20 PM

That's probably true. Well, from what I am hearing here, she doesn't seem so abnormal now.:D

[tess in the burbs]

Hmmm, well my 6 y/o BOY is 36 pounds when clothed. He finally hit the charts for the first time in his life....I think at 2%? LOL We also know a little girl that is 5 and smaller than my 4 y/o(who is also super skinny).

If the child is growing I wouldn't worry yet. I know there are those rare cases of extremely small kids and having them take drugs to increase growth but only you and your dr can decide that. If the child is growing and making milestones....I would be ok and not worry.

[Ottakee]

It might not hurt to make a run to the peds. endocrinologist--if nothing else for a baseline.

My girls are VERY tiny--12dd isn't even ON the chart--despite being 8lb. 8oz at birth. She can still wear size 6x pants. At 10 she had sandals from BABY GAP.

We did the endo with both girls. Ended up that now 12dd was hypothyroid and was started on thyroid meds at 7. It has helped her growth some and her overall health.

Likely it is nothing but a few simple measurements, a bone age x-ray (of the wrist) and maybe a blood test will give you a good picture, and a baseline in case you have future concerns.