How Fast Do Kids Grow

As a parent, it is normal to ask, “how many inches do kids grow in a year” or “how fast do kids grow?” Pediatricians have used standardized growth charts for over fifty years to track children’s growth and normal growth rate. By taking regular measurements of your child’s height, weight, and head circumference, you can determine whether their growth is considered normal. 

The height, weight, and head circumference measurements can also help determine your child’s physical development. Growth charts are often available through your pediatrician’s office, or they are often available online to print out. The CDC recommends using the growth charts available on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website. Tracking your child’s rate of growth is critical to determine whether they are developing typically. 

Mother Height Measuring Her Daughter Near White Wall at Home

What Does Average Children’s Height Indicate

Average children’s height and average height by age may help to indicate that they are maintaining a healthy weight. For example, if a child’s height increases more slowly than their weight, your child may carry a greater risk of developing obesity or excess weight. On the other hand, if the height does not increase at the same rate as weight, your child could be at risk of other health issues, and your doctor will want to look for underlying causes that are preventing weight gain. 

Differences in height and weight can indicate underlying health conditions that affect the two, such as chronic illnesses, nutritional deficiencies, down syndrome, celiac disease, genetic makeup, and more. Diet and physical activity is also responsible for weight gain and loss, and well as genetics. Every child’s body is different and grows at a different rate. Still, it is important as a parent or caregiver to watch how your child’s body grows over time and whether they are developing as expected. 

Average Height by Age

In terms of weight, there are ways to monitor their average height and weight by age. At two weeks, your child should regain birth weight and then gain one and a half to two pounds each month. By three months, they are gaining a pound a month, and the birth weight doubles by six months. By one-year-old, your child is expected to triple in birth weight and gain three to five pounds over the years. Between two to five years of age, they will gain up to five pounds over the year, and between nine and ten years of age, you can expect an increase in weight as puberty approaches. 

Here are some expected ranges for height in children:

  • One year of age: 27-32 inches
  • Two years of age: 1.5-37 inches
  • Three years of age: 35.5-40.5 inches
  • Three-Four years of age: 37-43 inches
  • Six years of age: 42-49 inches
  • Eight years old: 47-54 inches
  • Ten years old: 50-59 inches

Your child’s height may also be used to predict how tall they will become with age, while BMI provides a body fat percentage estimate and shows whether your child is maintaining a healthy weight for their height. The CDC has a BMI calculator to help you evaluate this information.

Measuring the Head

Similar to your child’s height, it is equally important for parents to monitor head circumference to determine whether the brain is growing at a normal rate. Microcephaly or the head being too small, or macrocephaly, which is the head growing too large, can affect our learning. There is a general guideline of safety protocols to follow when examining a child in school. Here are some guidelines to help serve children’s growth rates and head circumference:

Within the first two years of life, a child’s head will reach 90% of its adult size in growth, which is quite a lot of growth in two years! Here are the typical head measurements your child should grow into: 

  •  Six months: 38-47 centimeters
  • One year: 40-50 centimeters
  • Two years: 43-52 centimeters

How Much Do Kids Grow in a Year

How many inches does a kid grow in a year is more dependent on their rate of growth than their growth chart, which your child’s pediatrician can monitor. As your child grows up, the physician will examine whether the percentile stays the same as their normal growth curve. It is important to note that not all children grow consistently, and growth spurts are common. Children’s first major growth spurt can be expected in the first year of life, then again during puberty. Puberty typically occurs between 10 to 15 years of age for most boys and 8 to 13 years for most girls. 

How to Track How Many Inches Do Kids Grow in a Year

To stay up to date on whether your child is following their growth curve, try measuring their height and weight every six months and create your own growth chart or follow one provided by your child’s physician. By looking at the height and weight, you can line them up with the chart’s percentiles listed. 

Stay Positive

No two bodies are the same, and children must be taught to love and accept the body they have been given. It is best to focus on talking about character rather than physical attributes when discussing these with your child and keep it positive. Some children may be a different size from their friends or classmates, which can lead to classroom conflict such as teasing, so it is necessary to give your child the confidence they need to boost their self-esteem. Activities like soccer, tennis, art, theater, and music are all great extracurriculars that do not depend on a person’s height or weight. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor

Doctor Measuring Little Girl’s Height

Contact your child’s pediatrician if you notice any of the following things around their growth:

  • When growth deviates from the normal curve, it has followed for several months or longer.  
  • When family history is ruled out, but they are still significantly or noticeably smaller than other children that are their age
  • After their third birthday and they are growing less than three and a half cm

Imbalanced Hormones Treatment

As chemical substances in the body, hormones affect parts of the body responsible for development, growth, how the body stores and uses energy, and more. They control major orders as well, and sometimes, they can get out of balance. Any imbalanced hormones treatment is dependent on the cause of the growth disorder in question. Here are some typical causes of growth problems:

  • The inherited gene for short generational stature 
  • Constitutional growth delay with delayed adolescence 
  • Delayed maturation
  • Systemic illnesses, such as malnutrition, GI diseases, kidney disease, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and/or severe stress
  • Endocrine, or hormone, diseases because adequate thyroid hormone production is necessary for normal bone growth.
  • Cushing’s syndrome is caused by hormone irregularites. The syndrome creates hypersecretion of corticosteroids by the adrenal gland
  • Congenital problems, or problems present at birth
  • Atypical number of chromosomes
  • Growth hormone deficiency is when an issue with the pituitary gland occurs. This gland regulates hormones.

To decide whether imbalanced hormones treatment is necessary, your doctor will evaluate the following:

  • Current health status
  • Health history
  • The severity of the said issue
  • Whether your child can tolerate a procedure
  • Whether your child could tolerate mediation

A Word From the PEMC

Remember to try not to stress, and additionally remember that your child may grow more or less within a given year, but your pediatrician is here to answer anything questions you need to be answered. If you have been monitoring height and weight and notice something is off, reach out to your pediatrician. At the PEMC of Florida, our team of highly-skilled, trained, and compassionate staff members are here to provide you with the care and support you deserve. 

Feel free to visit our website or give us all a call today to start discussing topics such as imbalanced hormones treatment, how fast do kids grow, how much do kids grow in a year, average children’s height or height by age, and so much more!