Live Chat - Worried about your child's height? Here's expert advice...

We know that heredity plays a significant role – for instance, children born to tall parents tend to be tall; obesity may run in families and so on. These factors are not under our immediate control. What is in our hands though is to make the child reach his or her full genetic potential (and more) by taking care of the other factors.

So we know that it is important for a child to be physically active for maintaining growth. Exercise indirectly stimulates the secretion of the growth hormone (the chemical that promotes growth, particularly height. And so does nutrition. If you feel your child is lagging behind in height, supplementing your growing child’s diet is a good idea, especially if…

•       Your child has been diagnosed with nutritional deficiencies

•       Your child is a picky eater

•       You are a vegetarian family

•       Your child is super active

Did you know that between 3 years to 6 years, the height gain is approximately 3cm per year?

Tracking your child's height is the first important step... growth assessment requires accurate measurement.  Growth charts are separate for boys and girls.  You can follow any of the standard growth charts (age and sex appropriate). Each chart has percentile curves representing the cross-sectional distribution of weight in accordance with age, height in accordance with age, head circumference in accordance with age, weight in accordance with height and BMI in accordance with age.

For height, a stadiometer can be used for proper and accurate measurement of the height of the child. Child should be barefoot while measuring height. If height (in accordance with age) is below the 5th percentile it indicates chronic under-nutrition / stunting. It is important to monitor your child’s growth patterns for early detection of any growth disorder – and if your child does experience a growth delay, don’t panic! It is possible to help your child to catch up on lost growth.

If you are keen to know more, here's your chance:

 REGISTER NOW for a LIVE CHAT with Dr HIMANI KHANNA, developmental paediatrician and get "growth-smart" in 60 minutes.



What you stand to gain?

•          Knowledge on 'how to help your child reach optimum height"; "when to start worrying" and so on.

•          Tips on how you can measure your child’s height as per his/her age

•          Learn from queries from parents with their growth concerns for their child and the solutions provided by the doctor.

So act now! Make a "growth-smart" decision and reach out to our expert on growth and development.

You can queue up your questions, right away!