No milk = short stature ?

[Ummto4]

My son is allergic to milk, so we don't give him cow milk. Tried goat milk, and that made him want to throw up. So, he never had any milk, cheese, and yogurt. He eats a good diet though and has a healthy appetite (not too much, not too little).

 

However, he's small, even for Asian. I know that being Asian, he's not going to grow like his Caucasian and Afro-American counterpart. His pediatrician is fine with that because his curve shows steady progress. We had him tested for bone age, nutritional status, and hormone levels. Nothing came back abnormal - well, actually, his bone age is around 3 years less than his chronological age. Pedi was not concerned because that means, he has room to grow.

 

So, if you have a child who is eating a good diet with healthy appetite (veggie, fruit, whole grain, and meat/fish --> meat and fish is not in a form of a steak, it mainly comes w/ stir fry and soup, except once in a while), but not drinking milk -- is your child's growth stunted because of milk ?

 

I'm getting nervous about this because sometimes people just pointed out that my son is small because he doesn't drink milk. Is milk really 'that' important ? My daughter who isn't much of a milk drinker (but will eat cheese occasionally) is average for Asian standard.

 

NOTE: I am Asian (5' 1'', weigh 110 lbs) and is average for my race and age. I eat a lot, and is slim, even for Asian standard for my age (late 30s). Hubby is pretty tall for asian standard.

[gingersmom]

Not Asian :001_smile: and my son does not drink milk of any kind ( it gives him horrible eczema). He is 12 years old and 5'7. No stunted growth here.

[Gingerbread Mama]

FWIW, my youngest (Caucasian) child drank milk like it was going out of style. He is incredibly short. If milk matters that much, well it hasn't worked for him. I think people put far more faith in milk than is warranted (score one for Dairy farmers LOL)

 

Oh, one more nail for the "milk makes you grow" coffin...DD has never drunk much milk AT ALL as she tends to get sick when she consumes dairy (though she isn't formally considered "allergic".) Her diet has been soy/rice/almond milk based for the most part - and she typically just goes with water or tea - and she is super tall for her age. So....there :D

[Butter]

I find milk disgusting. Just don't like the taste. I'm 5'6". Same for my sister who is 5'8". Out of all my kids my youngest is the only one who can't get enough dairy. He doesn't drink milk, but he eats tons of cheese and yogurt. He's short for his age, as are all three of my other kids. As was my sister as a kid. I don't think height has anything to do with drinking milk. I've known people with overweight kids who consume tons of milk (to the point the ped suggested taking them off of milk), but have not seen any height relation to milk.

[RainbowSprinkles]

I do not think that drinking milk has any influence on how tall you get.

[ssavings]

DS4 is highly allergic to milk (among other things) and he is very tall. 90th + percentile for his age consistently.

[i.love.lucy]

:grouphug: Don't worry mom! I'm sure he's fine. Milk provides calcium that helps with bone strength, but not necessarily overall growth. I think a healthy diet and lots of good fats and proteins are more important.

 

My son does drink milk, but he's quite small. He has had a bone age scan, but had opposite results from your son. He was "bone age advanced" which means there will likely not be a big growth spurt in his teens. He's had his growth hormone checked too.

 

Our concern was that his "genetic potential" was not being met. In other words I am quite tall (5'11") and my dh is 6'1". My daughter is quite tall, she's been 95% her whole life. But my guy is only barely 10-15%. So the concern is not that he's not on the chart or has a steady growth, but that he doesn't meet the potential for his genes. Nothing to do about it really.

 

So long as there is steady growth on the curve, doctors are not usually alarmed. You are tiny, so he might just take after you more. I know it's hard when our boys are small. But with his bone age I would expect that he will have a good growth spurt in puberty.

 

Just keep feeding him that healthy diet, lots of good fats (olive oil and coconut oils), lots of protein, and exercise and sleep. Sleep is critical for growth!

 

Sorry I couldn't answer your specific question, just wanted to offer some encouragement!

[Tap]

DD5 is 48 inches and 68lbs. She doesn't drink cow milk but has rice milk, soy yogurt and goat cheese She has always been in the 90t percentile or higher since she came to us at 5mo. I don't think a lack of cow milk has hurt her. LOL

[Rebecca]

so many people answered...

 

but none of my children drink milk or eat any kind of dairy at all- not yogurt, no cheese,etc...

 

It has not affected their height at all.

 

They do use calcium fortified soy and orange juice.

 

I do not think that would be what is contributing to a height issue (if there is one).

 

Rebecca

[Mergath]

My dd turns four next months, drinks milk with every meal, and still has some 18 month clothing she fits into. She's the tiniest three year old I've ever seen. So I don't think drinking or not drinking milk makes much of a difference overall.

[happypamama]

Not Asian, but I'm small, and neither of my parents are very tall. My DD was allergic to dairy for her first couple of years, and she's on track to be on the average or slightly tall side of things. My oldest son has not been allergic to dairy and has eaten quite a bit of it, and he's very slender and probably average or just below average in height. I think genes matter more than whether you eat dairy or not.

[eternalknot]

My siblings and I are all East Asian (so typically small in stature). We ate vegan at home, and vegetarian outside of the home. Our milk consumption was next to nil, and consisted only of dairy products used in sauces, etc. outside of the home - rarely, if ever, straight ... as in yogurt, milk beverage, cheese or eggs.

 

I'm almost as tall as you are LOL. My sisters range from 5'4" to 5'8" and my brothers range from 6'2" to 6'5". Same parents, same lifelong diet, but very different growth patterns. A few of my sisters and I were slow and steady, much like your son. My brothers and two of my sisters had very different experiences; they had growing pains from quick spurts (which, at the time, I thought they were making up. It wasn't until I studied it academically that I came to believe they'd actually grown so quickly that it did hurt! Guess they weren't just being dramatic all those years, oops!)

 

My kids follow the same typical diet I ate as a child, but with some extras thrown in (Chipotle and Starbucks :blush:!) We don't consume milk as a beverage, eat no eggs, and the kids probably eat cheese and yogurt at MIL's or friends' homes but perhaps just a handful of times per year, if that. My kids are very different - one is tall and has noticeable spurts, whereas the other is on the smaller side of average and has stayed slow but steady in terms of growth. FWIW, their dad is Caucasian and only 5'8".

 

I don't worry about my own kids lack of milk because they get a healthy, well-rounded diet. Your situation sounds very similar. You may find the study of epigenetics to be interesting, too :)

[cin]

My friend's son is highly allergic to milk and is small for his age. She started him on a calcium supplement, that summer he shot up. I don't remember how much, but she believes there was a connection.

 

On the Asian strain, I have a dd from China, and she is in the 3rd percentile on our growth scale. Praise God we have an open minded Pediatrician. She just doesn't grow. And he's ok with that. She's been 3rd percentile since she came home pretty much. Emotionally, it's hard. She'll be 8 this summer and STILL cannot ride the 'rolley coasters' at Kings Island. We've told her that when she grows up, she'll be glad she's petite!

[Tutor]

Considering how much milk my mother made me drink when I was kid (and I DO NOT like milk), I should be MUCH taller than my 5'. Much.

[Mrs Mungo]

My son is tiny and drinks the heck out of milk.

[YLVD]

No, it doesn't shift things one way or another. It's so odd that people believe that!

 

I don't drink milk and never have. I'm lactose intolerant, have a wanky gallbladder and frankly I hate milk. I'm caucasian and 5'11. :)

 

My daughter is half Asian, LOVES milk and drinks way more if it than I'd like, and she's 5'2 at age 16. :) Makes no difference IMO. I don't think that we are even meant to drink milk really.

[YLVD]

My friend's son is highly allergic to milk and is small for his age. She started him on a calcium supplement, that summer he shot up. I don't remember how much, but she believes there was a connection.

 

On the Asian strain, I have a dd from China, and she is in the 3rd percentile on our growth scale. Praise God we have an open minded Pediatrician. She just doesn't grow. And he's ok with that. She's been 3rd percentile since she came home pretty much. Emotionally, it's hard. She'll be 8 this summer and STILL cannot ride the 'rolley coasters' at Kings Island. We've told her that when she grows up, she'll be glad she's petite!

 

Aww, she sounds cute.

 

I will say thought that my half Asian daughter hates being so small compared to the rest of us. She's 16 and in a family of tall people, especially women. I always say positive things but she just wants to wear heels! :glare:

[Chris in VA]

I don't know about milk and growth. I have heard that gluten intolerance and celiac disease can shorten stature significantly. If I had a really short child, I'd investigate that. Of course, some kids are just short!

[Parrothead]

is your child's growth stunted because of milk ?

 

 

No.

[Vicki]

My oldest dd is 5'10". She was breastfed as a child, never drank milk becasue she was sensitive to it. She did eat cheese. I'm 5'7" and her dad is 5'10". We've neve been big milk drinkers because of my oldest dd and none of my other children are short.

God bless

Vicki

[HappyLady]

My children are 4 and 1.5 and are both in the 95th percentile for their height (they've been vegan since conception). I always hated cow's milk growing up so I never drank it (and had only a little bit of dairy products because they always made me sick) and I'm 5'9". My father was the same way and he was 6'1". :)

[SJ.]

I agree with the others that not drinking milk has nothing to do with short stature.

 

I see that your son's size prompted you or your ped to go forward with additional testing. I highly recommend going to see a pediatric endocrinologist for a second opinion.

 

I've been worried about ds2 for a few years because he is so small (5 1/2yo, 28 lbs, 36 in, not even on the growth chart). Our last dr ordered some blood work (tested hormones, thyroid), sent us to an allergist for allergy testing, and did a bone age xray. His conclusion was that everything in the tests were normal and that ds2 is just going to be short. That dr's office closed, we switched to a ped who sent us to an endo. It turns out ds2 does not produce enough growth hormone. We are also doing a second test of his adrenal glands/cortisol levels and having an MRI of his brain to rule out problems with his pituitary gland.

 

Ultimately we will be treating him with growth hormone. This treatment is to help him attain his full genetic potential for height but also to help him lead a healthier life. Adults who are not treated for growth hormone deficiency tend to have osteoporosis as well as cardiovascular problems. Individuals who forgo treatment also tend to have shorter lifespans.

 

Regarding your son's bone age xray showing a younger age than his chronological age, you may wish to consider this:

Comparison of a left hand and wrist radiograph to standards can be used to estimate skeletal maturation. With familial short stature, bone age is comparable to chronological age. Bone age is usually delayed in children with constitutional growth delay, malnutrition, and endocrine causes of short stature (eg, hypothyroidism, cortisol excess, growth hormone deficiency).

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/923688-workup#a0721 Edited April 7, 2012 by SJ.
Added ds2's size/age

[Runningmom80]

My DS has never has never had milk, and he is 99% for height.

[MomatHWTK]

If those people aren't nutritionists with specific knowledge of food allergies, then do you really need to listen to their "opinions"? ;)

 

Lots of people all over the world don't rely on milk as a base food. It's easier to fill your child with dairy in the diet. But it sure isn't essential. Lack of calcium might be a problem, but you've tested for that right?

[mudboots]

My 22 month old ds is at the 2nd percentile for height. He drinks plenty of milk (and he's chunky). My 3.5yo dd has the same diet, and she's closer to 95th percentile for height.

 

I'm concerned about ds, and I hope to get a more in-depth check at our next peds appt. I don't think it has anything to do with milk, though.

Edited April 7, 2012 by mudboots

[flobee76]

I am Asian (but husband is Caucasian). My family drinks raw milk and my kids are average. I do NOT believe that milk has anything to do with stature. I grew up drinking milk and I am 5' tall.

 

Height has nothing to do with milk, our parents' have a lot to do with it! ;)

[MomtoCandJ]

My nuclear family (dh, dd and myself) all drink milk and are under 5'4. DD is 36 inches tall and is predicted to be only 5'1 to 5'2

[Ellie]

My younger dd is 5'9". No dairy for her when she was growing up. :)

[Mommyof4ks]

I do not think that drinking milk has any influence on how tall you get.

 

:iagree: My son's ortho. told us not to give too much dairy, because it can lead to kidney and bladder stones, and there is not solid evidence that it has much affect on bones. One thing I have learned over the years is that people will blame something you do or do not do, because it gives them a reason why their child will not expereince what your child is going through. If they say milk caused him to be short, then surely their child will be fine because they drink milk. My son had cancer, and people told me everything from it was because I let him have ice cream before he was one to we let him eat at McDonalds rather than eating all organic all the time (we did eat organic at home, but that is not always an option when we are out). Neither of those make a lick of sense given how badly some kids eat and they are fine. ;)

 

You are doing a great job, and because his bone age is so much younger than his actual age he has plenty of time to catch up. I have a friend who's brother did not reach full height until college, so think positive!

[Dandelion]

Another "no" vote...

 

Both of my kids are in the 90%+ for height (always have been). DS has been off all dairy for 1.5 years and DD does not drink milk (although she does eat other dairy foods occasionally).

[Ummto4]

I agree with the others that not drinking milk has nothing to do with short stature.

 

I see that your son's size prompted you or your ped to go forward with additional testing. I highly recommend going to see a pediatric endocrinologist for a second opinion.

 

I've been worried about ds2 for a few years because he is so small (5 1/2yo, 28 lbs, 36 in, not even on the growth chart). Our last dr ordered some blood work (tested hormones, thyroid), sent us to an allergist for allergy testing, and did a bone age xray. His conclusion was that everything in the tests were normal and that ds2 is just going to be short. That dr's office closed, we switched to a ped who sent us to an endo. It turns out ds2 does not produce enough growth hormone. We are also doing a second test of his adrenal glands/cortisol levels and having an MRI of his brain to rule out problems with his pituitary gland.

 

Ultimately we will be treating him with growth hormone. This treatment is to help him attain his full genetic potential for height but also to help him lead a healthier life. Adults who are not treated for growth hormone deficiency tend to have osteoporosis as well as cardiovascular problems. Individuals who forgo treatment also tend to have shorter lifespans.

 

Regarding your son's bone age xray showing a younger age than his chronological age, you may wish to consider this:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/923688-workup#a0721

 

We've ruled out endocrine cause, but I can't remember what was actually ordered. I remember thyroid was one of them. May be GH as well (??) And actually his pedi was fine with him. It's me who bugged her into getting my son tested because he is small.

 

It's possible though he's one child who's a slow and steady kind. His milestones (intellectual + physical maturity) are slow and steady. Btw, my FIL told me that all his boys still grow till 18 (??) so that could be the reason that he's small. I remember my hubby's younger brother shot up when he's 17 and now, at 33, he's around 180 cm which is v. tall for Asian standard.

[Susan in TN]

That's funny! We discovered my oldest was allergic to milk when he was a nursing infant and started throwing up when I drank milk. So he's rarely had milk.

 

He was 6' when 14.5yo. He's now 16yo and 6'2". Dh and I are NOT tall - I'm 5'6" and dh is 5'10".

 

My 3yo does not drink milk simply because no one in the family drinks it any more. She's taking after her older brother and is at the top of the growth charts. My other kids are either average or on the short/petite side.

[Ummto4]

:iagree: My son's ortho. told us not to give too much dairy, because it can lead to kidney and bladder stones, and there is not solid evidence that it has much affect on bones. One thing I have learned over the years is that people will blame something you do or do not do, because it gives them a reason why their child will not expereince what your child is going through. If they say milk caused him to be short, then surely their child will be fine because they drink milk. My son had cancer, and people told me everything from it was because I let him have ice cream before he was one to we let him eat at McDonalds rather than eating all organic all the time (we did eat organic at home, but that is not always an option when we are out). Neither of those make a lick of sense given how badly some kids eat and they are fine. ;)

 

You are doing a great job, and because his bone age is so much younger than his actual age he has plenty of time to catch up. I have a friend who's brother did not reach full height until college, so think positive!

 

Yes .. yes ..

 

Someone told me that there is this Asian guy from my race who's much taller than his dad (his dad is 5'3'', but he didn't grow up in the US. The son is around 5'8" and grew up in the US). The reason ? That guy drank milk by the gallons, and because he was a picky eater, his mom gave him rice, w/ soy sauce and fried egg day in day out. That's the reason ...:lol:

[Jenny in Florida]

My son has always been tall, usually right up around the 95 percentile for his age. We've vegans, meaning he's never had any animal milk products at all. He also hasn't ever eaten meat.

 

He does drink soy milk, but that's it.

[SJ.]

We've ruled out endocrine cause, but I can't remember what was actually ordered. I remember thyroid was one of them. May be GH as well (??) And actually his pedi was fine with him. It's me who bugged her into getting my son tested because he is small.

 

It's possible though he's one child who's a slow and steady kind. His milestones (intellectual + physical maturity) are slow and steady. Btw, my FIL told me that all his boys still grow till 18 (??) so that could be the reason that he's small. I remember my hubby's younger brother shot up when he's 17 and now, at 33, he's around 180 cm which is v. tall for Asian standard.

 

We thought we did too with a blood draw ordered by our family dr. He tested growth hormone and thyroid as well as a full blood panel. The endo did a more in depth test. It was called a growth hormone stimulation test. Basically an iv was inserted, specific medication was inserted at specific intervals, and blood was drawn out of the iv at specific intervals. This was to test how his body created growth hormone during a period of time.

 

One flag for me in your first post is that your son's bone xray showed a younger age than chronological. The link I posted stated that for those that are just small/short the xray should match the chronological age, if they do not then other issues should be explored by the appropriate specialists.

 

Sorry to keep harping on this I just wanted to give another perspective. Your story sounds so similar to what we went through - testing was done and we were told ds2's results were normal but when reviewed by a specialist with further testing it turns out there is a problem.

 

BTW- both dh and I are not tall (5'2" and 5'7") and dh did a lot of growing/maturing after he turned 18. I'm glad I didn't assume this was going to be the case for ds2. As I mentioned my guy is extremely small, perhaps that isn't the case for your ds.

 

That was kind of rambly. Sorry. :001_smile:

[Crimson Wife]

Our pediatrician told me that kids who have growth hormone insufficiency are short but chubby-looking. She said that when she has a patient who is short and skinny her concern is some sort of nutritional malabsorption. She tested youngest DD for celiac and food allergies twice, but everything came back normal.

 

Then I decided to do a trial of the gluten- and casein-free diet when DD was diagnosed with autism. Within 6 weeks of going gluten-free, DD had gained 6 lbs. (representing 25% of her bodyweight) and 1/2". She went from <3rd percentile for both height & weight to 5th percentile for height and 25th for weight. DD has since gained even more height but I haven't had her formally measured at the pediatrician so I don't know where she is on the charts. Our pediatrician said that she often sees this kind of "catch-up" growth when her gluten intolerant patients switch to gluten-free.

 

My advice to anyone with an off-the-charts small child, therefore, is to do a trial of the gluten-free diet even if the celiac tests come back negative.

[SJ.]

Our pediatrician told me that kids who have growth hormone insufficiency are short but chubby-looking. She said that when she has a patient who is short and skinny her concern is some sort of nutritional malabsorption. She tested youngest DD for celiac and food allergies twice, but everything came back normal.

 

This is typical, but ds2 does not fit this bill at all. He is tiny all around. We came back negative for celiac too. Prior to seeing the endo I was about ready to try anything and considered going gluten free here too.

[abbeyej]

Have you read anything about Constitutional Growth Delay? That is most likely what's going on with your son (delayed bone age with no other symptoms). It's not a disease, just an explanation for an alternate growth pattern. Kids with CGD *usually* grow somewhat slowly from birth to age 3, much more slowly from 3-5, then they pick up again around 5 or so, but they remain 2-3+ years behind peers until they hit puberty (2-4 years after their peers).

 

It has nothing to do with dairy and generally isn't tied to any type of nutritional deficiency -- *although* supplementing with iron and zinc may have some impact. So can short bursts of *really* strenuous activity. ... But mostly it's just a matter of waiting.

 

http://www.magicfoundation.org/www/docs/10.1066/constitutional-growth-delay-late-bloomer-late-growth-growth-.html

[Ummto4]

We thought we did too with a blood draw ordered by our family dr. He tested growth hormone and thyroid as well as a full blood panel. The endo did a more in depth test. It was called a growth hormone stimulation test. Basically an iv was inserted, specific medication was inserted at specific intervals, and blood was drawn out of the iv at specific intervals. This was to test how his body created growth hormone during a period of time.

 

One flag for me in your first post is that your son's bone xray showed a younger age than chronological. The link I posted stated that for those that are just small/short the xray should match the chronological age, if they do not then other issues should be explored by the appropriate specialists.

 

Sorry to keep harping on this I just wanted to give another perspective. Your story sounds so similar to what we went through - testing was done and we were told ds2's results were normal but when reviewed by a specialist with further testing it turns out there is a problem.

 

BTW- both dh and I are not tall (5'2" and 5'7") and dh did a lot of growing/maturing after he turned 18. I'm glad I didn't assume this was going to be the case for ds2. As I mentioned my guy is extremely small, perhaps that isn't the case for your ds.

 

That was kind of rambly. Sorry. :001_smile:

 

Our pedi was certainly not alarmed by his short stature because although he's off the chart, he's growing at a normal rate which is pretty much constant. She thinks he's going to catch up given the bone age result.

 

Btw, if I put him in Asian/Chinese chart, he comes out in 10-25%-ile (can't remember), but using US chart, he's off.

 

Btw, what is the difference between GH secretion pattern and GH level test ? I mean, if the GH level is normal, then shouldn't the body secrete normal level of GH ?

Also, how's your boy's growth pattern ?

 

From what I read, if the growth is normal (but children is short) and the bone age is less than the chronological age, then it's more because of congenital growth delay. Certainly my pedi thought so. And I just read an article on GH deficiency in emedicine (I think) that the sign of GH deficiency is less growth (as in pattern), i.e. less than 2 inches/year. My boy grows around 2-2.25 inches/year.

 

Bottom line, I'm glad it's not because of lack of milk ...:)

Edited April 7, 2012 by mom2moon2

[SJ.]

Our pedi was certainly not alarmed by his short stature because although he's off the chart, he's growing at a normal rate which is pretty much constant. She thinks he's going to catch up given the bone age result.

 

Btw, if I put him in Asian/Chinese chart, he comes out in 10-25%-ile (can't remember), but using US chart, he's off.

 

Btw, what is the difference between GH secretion pattern and GH level test ? I mean, if the GH level is normal, then shouldn't the body secrete normal level of GH ?

Also, how's your boy's growth pattern ?

 

From what I read, if the growth is normal (but children is short) and the bone age is less than the chronological age, then it's more because of congenital growth delay. Certainly my pedi thought so.

 

Bottom line, I'm glad it's not because of lack of milk ...:)

 

I believe the difference is that different amounts of GH are secreted at different periods during the day. With the stim test they get a more accurate reading of how the pituitary gland is reacting to the hormones that stimulate the production of growth hormone.

 

My son has been growing on the same curve but the rate of growth is slow. I think the key is having at least 2 inches of growth every year.

 

I am glad it isn't due to lack of milk too, especially if your son likes chocolate! :D

[mommymilkies]

Most people in my family are lactose intolerant and eat little if any dairy even from a young age (past weaning). The males in my family are all 6' or taller. The women are around 5'5" on average.

[Annabel Lee]

My son is allergic to milk, so we don't give him cow milk. Tried goat milk, and that made him want to throw up. So, he never had any milk, cheese, and yogurt. He eats a good diet though and has a healthy appetite (not too much, not too little).

 

However, he's small, even for Asian. I know that being Asian, he's not going to grow like his Caucasian and Afro-American counterpart. His pediatrician is fine with that because his curve shows steady progress. We had him tested for bone age, nutritional status, and hormone levels. Nothing came back abnormal - well, actually, his bone age is around 3 years less than his chronological age. Pedi was not concerned because that means, he has room to grow.

 

So, if you have a child who is eating a good diet with healthy appetite (veggie, fruit, whole grain, and meat/fish --> meat and fish is not in a form of a steak, it mainly comes w/ stir fry and soup, except once in a while), but not drinking milk -- is your child's growth stunted because of milk ?

 

I'm getting nervous about this because sometimes people just pointed out that my son is small because he doesn't drink milk. Is milk really 'that' important ? My daughter who isn't much of a milk drinker (but will eat cheese occasionally) is average for Asian standard.

 

NOTE: I am Asian (5' 1'', weigh 110 lbs) and is average for my race and age. I eat a lot, and is slim, even for Asian standard for my age (late 30s). Hubby is pretty tall for asian standard.

 

Correlation does not equal causation. I have a house full of milk-chuggers and we are all short, and some of us are even thin and short. One of my dc is below the 25th percentile for height, and 2 of my dc are commonly mistaken as being younger b/c of their small stature (only by a couple years). Milk/dairy consumption does not produce taller people, not in my case anyhow.

 

We also have some good family friends who eat a healthy, varied diet including milk & dairy, but the mom is 5'0" and the dad is 5'8". There are people on the mom's side in their family history who are shorter than 4'6". Their children look like little miniatures, but are healthy & normal. Their 6 year old wears a size 4T, and they're big on her. They've had testing done, and after all was said & done it was just genetics. No need for worry in this case. Hopefully something like this is all it is.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Well, my oldest is nearly 6' and he doesn't do dairy since he is allergic. My next son is 5'10" and doesn't have much dairy because none of my kids learned to like cows milk since their older brother drinks rice milk. He isn't done growing yet. Dd11, who is the only one who does more dairy, but still doesn't drink cow's milk, is 5'3" and isn't done growing. Dh is 6' and I am 5'8".

[Ummto4]

It's v. heartening to see that genetic potential is still fulfilled w/ no milk ..:)

 

I guess what happens in my circle is that often the mom and dad are shortie, but their kids who grow up in the US end up to be much taller (again, by Asian standard). Usually the moms are around 5'-5'1" and the dads are 5'4"-ish (or lower) -- and the sons grow up to be 5'7"-5'8". All of them are milk drinkers because back home, it's thought that drinking milk = drinking gold, but at the same time, drinking milk is a luxury. Once they migrate to the US, milk became the prominent feature of their diet. So, if they see somebody growing up in the US AND not drinking milk AND small, the assumption is that it's because of lack of milk.

 

My hubby and I drank milk a lot as a child; we're pretty well-off. I ended up 1 inch taller than my mom (my dad is the 5'4" man), and my hubby ended up 1 inch taller than his dad (his mom is the 5' woman). His brothers are all taller than hubby. So, when FIL/MIL knows that ds is allergic to milk and end up small for a 10 yo, then the short stature is attributed to lack of milk.

 

What happens frequently in the developing country is that meat and milk are luxury,and less than affluent families can't afford those in a regular basis. Incidently, they're often shorter as well. I think though, the issue is much deeper than just meat and milk. Often these poorer families do not eat varied diet, and because of lack of money, they might not even have enough food in the first place. Hence, the genetic potential is not fulfilled. My theory, anyway.

 

But it's hard to argue with the milk -- mainly because it's so ingrained culturally. Food is sensitive issue in developing country - if your children are skinny, it means you don't feed your child enough and hence, you might be poor (even in reality, you're not poor). My mom fed me w/ all of these traditional herbal concoction to elevate my appetite although when I was little I had a healthy appetite - and this was all because I was so skinny and light (although height-wise, I was normal). Now, if your children are chubby, it means you're doing a good job and you must be prosperous ...:)

Food is often linked with wealth and is used as an indicator of good parenting.

 

Sigh sigh sigh ....

Edited April 7, 2012 by mom2moon2

[Mom-ninja.]

Dairy is not necessary for healthy growth. :)

 

 

For what it's worth, I'm as tall as you, mom2moon2, and I grew up drinking a ton of milk.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Kleine Hexe

[Mom-ninja.]

Now, if your children are chubby, it means you're doing a good job and you must be prosperous ...:)

Food is often linked with wealth and is used as an indicator of good parenting.

 

Sigh sigh sigh ....

 

 

Well, then I'm a horrible mother. :tongue_smilie: My 11 yr old ds weighs 56lbs, my 8 yr old weighs 50lbs, and my 3 yr old weighs 25lbs.

[TranquilMind]

Not Asian :001_smile: and my son does not drink milk of any kind ( it gives him horrible eczema). He is 12 years old and 5'7. No stunted growth here.

Same here 5' 8" at 12. Daughter is taller than that and she doesn't like milk either (she does eat cheese though).

 

I'm tall. My nonscientific observation suggests to me that kids are larger if Mom is larger, and if Mom is tiny, even if Dad is large, the kids seem a bit smaller.

 

I don't know.

[Audrey]

It is largely genetic, but there have been very interesting studies done with Asian infants and young children removed from their homelands at very early ages. Fed a protein heavy diet, they will surpass their national height average by a considerable amount. There was a documentary back in the late 1980's done about Vietnamese children adopted out of their country. I wish I could remember the name of it. Sorry. Anyway, if you google "asian height protein diet" you will find some references there. IIRC, the key seemed to be the high protein diets at early growth stages. Higher protein didn't have as significant an effect after about age 8 or so.

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited June 2 by SilverMoon

[kolamum]

I don't think the lack of milk has anything to do with it. My brother has a lactose allergy & never had milk as a child. He's just over 6 foot as an adult. He is, however Caucasian, but regardless lack of milk did not hinder his growth. He was for the most part on average his whole life.

 

Then there's my husband & my eldest son. My husband was short and small his entire life. Then one day when he should been done growing he just kinda shot up overnight and stopped just short of the 6 foot range. My eldest son seems to be taking after Daddy & when he gets distraught about his height we remind him that some people take longer to grow.

 

My husband is a HUGE milk drinker. Grew up on a dairy & was never lacking for milk or dairy product at anytime in his life. My eldest son has never lacked for dairy product, all though he's not as keen on having it as much as his father is.

 

Then there's my middle child. Born at the weight & length of a three month old & never looked back. This child actually hands DOWN his clothes to his eldest brother. We try not to make a big deal of it because of the feelings of the eldest.

 

I really think it just comes down to each and every single persons genetic make up. :)