11 year old girl height

[hippymamato3]

If your daughter is 11 or 12 (DD is 11 yrs 8 months), how tall is she? The ped is concerned because DD hasn't had much growth in the last few years. She's 4'9". She weighs about 70 lbs. I consider her to be fairly average, but with the pandemic we aren't seeing many girls her age. Is she small/short? She used to be in the 90th percentile for height. Thanks!

[prairiewindmomma]

5’7”

ETA: Dd is projected to end up between 5’10-6’. I married a Viking of a man.

Edited December 7, 2020 by prairiewindmomma

[alisoncooks]

12.5 yr old DD is maybe 5'1" or 5'2", and weighs 120-130ish. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by alisoncooks

[purpleowl]

Mine is 5'3". She'll be 12 next month and has always been tall for her age.

[catz]

I think my daughter was around 5 feet at 11.  That said she growth spurted shortly after and is now 5'6".  I think kids vary so much at that age.  My son at 11 could have passed for 8 or 9.  He was always about 50% for height until he got to the age where some kids started hitting puberty.  Then he dropped for a few years.  Well, guess what.  He finished growing at the 50% - about 5'9".  He especially  grew SO slow for many years.  He was about that size at age 12.  

Does she have other signs she is hitting puberty?  Like if she has her period and has been needing a bra for a few years I'd be more worried.   THere's a huge range of normal in there.  

Edited December 7, 2020 by FuzzyCatz

[mommyoffive]

I don't remember how tall dd was at that age.  But between then and now (14) she grew a ton.  She was probably around 5 foot at 11, now 5 foot 7 or 5 foot 8.

[horsellian]

My fairly petite 11 year old (who has, nevertheless, grown a lot in 2020) is 4' 6".

[Tanaqui]

Well,  I can see why the pediatrician is concerned. Looking at these growth charts, it appears that 4'9" is average - 50th percentile for 11 year olds. Which means she's dropped pretty dramatically from being one of the tallest girls her age to being average. Meanwhile, her weight puts her somewhere between the 10th and 25th percentile - this is hard to read on this screen! - so it's not like she's gained a lot and is prepping for a big growth spurt either.

[hippymamato3]

5 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I think my daughter was around 5 feet at 11.  That said she growth spurted shortly after and is now 5'6".  I think kids vary so much at that age.  My son at 11 could have passed for 8 or 9.  He was always about 50% for height until he got to the age where some kids started hitting puberty.  Then he dropped for a few years.  Well, guess what.  He finished growing at the 50% - about 5'9".  He especially  grew SO slow for many years.  He was about that size at age 12.  

Does she have other signs she is hitting puberty?  Like if she has her period and has been needing a bra for a few years I'd be more worried.   THere's a huge range of normal in there.  

She has breast buds, but no other signs of puberty. 

[amiesmom]

My newly 11 year old DD is 4' 10", she has generally been in about the 50th percentile if I remember correctly. 

[Selkie]

34 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

5’7”

ETA: Dd is projected to end up between 5’10-6’. I married a Viking of a man.

We are also a tall Viking family.🙂 My 18 y.o. dd was 5'7" - 5'8" when she was 12 and is now 6'. 

[Ottakee]

They can order a bone age x rat of the wrist to be read.by a less endocrinologist.  That will show how many years of growing she has.  

[Paige]

Sounds perfectly normal to me. I don't think it's unusual for kids in the high percentiles to come down to more average heights and weights as they get older.

FWIW, she's about the size of my 13yr old. 

And nobody is concerned that she's overly small. She's always been small, but she's actually on the growth charts now, or at least was the last time we checked. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Paige

[freesia]

40 minutes ago, Paige said:

Sounds perfectly normal to me. I don't think it's unusual for kids in the high percentiles to come down to more average heights and weights as they get older.

This.  It is perfectly normal in my family (going back at least 3 generations for girls to be very tall for their age until they are 11 and then to slow down and end up averagish--5'4, 5'6.  My 11 year old is presently 5'4 and 120.  I expect that to be almost as tall as she gets.  She is much taller than the other girls we know who are her age--much taller(we have been seeing other girls outside)  I would keep an eye on your dd just in case--make sure she is eating well and with full nutrition (I do have friends whose children's growth slowed down because they were just eating white bread, hot dog and nugget type food--and growth increased when nutrition did.)

[wathe]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

Well,  I can see why the pediatrician is concerned. Looking at these growth charts, it appears that 4'9" is average - 50th percentile for 11 year olds. Which means she's dropped pretty dramatically from being one of the tallest girls her age to being average. Meanwhile, her weight puts her somewhere between the 10th and 25th percentile - this is hard to read on this screen! - so it's not like she's gained a lot and is prepping for a big growth spurt either.

Yes, I expect the peds concern is not about being big or small for age, but rather about falling off her expected curve.  I've linked a copy of the WHO charts for OP to look at:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/hp/cgm/if-hp-cgm-who-girls.pdf

[fairfarmhand]

My dd was 5 ft 1. I know this because she’s not grown a bit since then. Her growth chart is a straight horizontal line for both height and weight.

[prairiewindmomma]

53 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

They can order a bone age x rat of the wrist to be read.by a less endocrinologist.  That will show how many years of growing she has.  

This, and they should be running her thyroid if there are any people with thyroid issues in her genetics. All may be well, but this is the time to check.

[Amy Gen]

My newly minted 11year old is 4’6” and weighs 64lbs. 

[hippymamato3]

15 minutes ago, wathe said:

Yes, I expect the peds concern is not about being big or small for age, but rather about falling off her expected curve.  I've linked a copy of the WHO charts for OP to look at:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/hp/cgm/if-hp-cgm-who-girls.pdf

She has definitely fallen off her curve. She eats well and is active. I think we will give it 6 more months and then move forward with an endo if no change.

Thanks!

[Carrie12345]

Well, my niece is nearly as tall as my sister, so somewhere between 5’6 and 5’8. (My sister is about 5’9.)

I don’t remember my dds’ stats at that age, but I can tell you that they’re 13 months apart and they had a HUGE height discrepancy for most of their lives. The younger looked quite a few years younger.  Today, at 17 and 18, they’re only a few inches apart with the older around 5’8 and the younger maybe 5’5 or 5’6.  She still talks in terms of “when I was short”.  She is still rather slight, at a size 0 in some jeans.

Dh and I are 5’8/9 and 5’10 ish.

[Moonhawk]

My 11y11mo daughter is 4'11". No idea on weight. She has not had a real growth spurt yet or any signs of puberty. 

In March she was 11y3mo and 4'9". 

Before she was 9 or 10, she was in the 95th percentile for height, so the curve has definitely changed but we've also had to change pediatricians 3 times in the past few years so I haven't heard any concern about it.

[SounderChick]

Mine is doing the opposite going from 50th to 90+.  She is 5'2 and 90lbs.  Our family is a mixed bag my dad and siblings are amazons.  I am average as is most of DH's family.  We have weird growth patterns in my family so I would want things checked out but wouldn't be overly worried.

[sassenach]

I just went and measured where we mark our kids' heights. At 11, dd was 4'8". She is now 16 and 5'3". She did most of her growing in 9th grade.

ETA she also hit puberty way later than the other women in the family. She was 15 1/2 before she had her first period.

Edited December 7, 2020 by sassenach

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, hippymamato3 said:

If your daughter is 11 or 12 (DD is 11 yrs 8 months), how tall is she? The ped is concerned because DD hasn't had much growth in the last few years. She's 4'9". She weighs about 70 lbs. I consider her to be fairly average, but with the pandemic we aren't seeing many girls her age. Is she small/short? She used to be in the 90th percentile for height. Thanks!

she's smaller than my girls were - and 1dd is 5'4".

does he want to check her growth hormones?

you can find growth charts (for average) online.

[KungFuPanda]

3 hours ago, hippymamato3 said:

If your daughter is 11 or 12 (DD is 11 yrs 8 months), how tall is she? The ped is concerned because DD hasn't had much growth in the last few years. She's 4'9". She weighs about 70 lbs. I consider her to be fairly average, but with the pandemic we aren't seeing many girls her age. Is she small/short? She used to be in the 90th percentile for height. Thanks!

My daughter hit her adult height of 5'2" at 16 and didn't weigh triple digits until college.  4'11" and 70 lbs at 11/12 sounds fine to me.

[historically accurate]

My oldest was usually about 40th percentile - I can't find her stats for 11 yo. She is 5'1 1/2" now as an adult. She did lose a little height with some scoliosis.

My middle was 4'9" and 77 pounds at her 11 yo physical. She's about 5'3"  now at age 15.

Youngest has always been documented as short stature. She was 4'2" and 52 pounds at her 11 yo physical. She is now 13 and 4'7" and about 65ish pounds. 

I was always the tall kid in grade school. I stopped growing in 6th grade and watched everyone pass me. I am 5'3". So that type of growing does happen. 

[Tanaqui]

Quote

I was always the tall kid in grade school. I stopped growing in 6th grade and watched everyone pass me. I am 5'3". So that type of growing does happen. 

 

It does happen, especially when the rapid younger-age growth coincides with a relatively early puberty. But sometimes it happens because that's just the way it is, and sometimes it happens because something is wrong. I don't think the OP should hit the panic button, but it's good to pay attention.

[MercyA]

At 11-almost-12, DD was 5'3" and 103 lbs. Always tall for her age. Started signs of puberty at 10 and is now starting to look womanly at 12.5 years.

Honestly, I would not worry. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by MercyA

[Splash1]

My daughter was 4'6" and about 70lbs and looked like an 8yr old when she was 11.5, in fact her friend that was two years younger towered over her.  She had not grown or gained weight in over a year, she was diagnosed with a chronic illness at 11.5  and once they got that under control she started to grow and puberty hit.  They didn't think she'd be much over 5'0".  She is now 19 and 5'3. 

Not saying your daughter is small because she has something going on, just my daughter's journey.   

[hellen]

My daughter was 55 inches (4'7") and 76 pounds at 11 years 9 months.  At 13 and 0 months she was 62 inches (5'2").  

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, hippymamato3 said:

She has definitely fallen off her curve. She eats well and is active. I think we will give it 6 more months and then move forward with an endo if no change.

Thanks!

I would consider getting basic blood work, a thyroid test, and the bone age scan done earlier.   The thing is, if there is an issue (and likely there isn't) then it is harder to treat the closer to the end of puberty you get.

The blood tests are a simple poke and x Ray is simple and pain free.    

Saying this as a mom whose daughter is on thyroid meds and had the bone age x rays that we watched closely.  Her mature height is only 4'10".

 

[Plagefille]

My 11 year old is about 4'10" and 60-70 lbs. She is very average. My 16yo, however, was always in the 90th percentile, but did drop during the 11-12 age. Not all the way to 50th but like 75th. She went through puberty later than others her age (1st period at 15 1/2) so I believe that accounts for the dropping. She just grew later. She is now over the 95th percentile at 5'10" and still growing.

[Farrar]

As a former 6th/7th grade teacher, I can say that's firmly within the range for girls that age. I mean, some of them look ready for college and others look like they belong at an American Girl store. I agree with what Tanaqui said though - that dropoff in her percentile seems cause for concern.

Sometimes there's a family pattern there. I knew a family that had enormous babies that were top of their percentile... who stopped growing sort of young and became short men. They were a family of short people. It was really funny because they were all like that and the family said so were their extended families. So I guess my first question would be what was your or your sisters' or mother's or your sister-in-law's growth pattern as a kid?

[wintermom]

2 hours ago, hippymamato3 said:

She has definitely fallen off her curve. She eats well and is active. I think we will give it 6 more months and then move forward with an endo if no change.

Thanks!

I wouldn't delay 6 months at this point. Look at where the growth curve flattens. Your dd doesn't have that many years of growth before her growth will slow and then stop. You want to use the time wisely or you miss the window of opportunity. If you have a regular pattern of your dd being at the 90th percentile and now she is showing a trend of definitely being off the curve, then act sooner rather than later.

[hippymamato3]

1 minute ago, wintermom said:

I wouldn't delay 6 months at this point. Look at where the growth curve flattens. Your dd doesn't have that many years of growth before her growth will slow and then stop. You want to use the time wisely or you miss the window of opportunity. If you have a regular pattern of your dd being at the 90th percentile and now she is showing a trend of definitely being off the curve, then act sooner rather than later.

OK thanks!

[Ali in OR]

Both of mine were 5'0 to 5'1" at that age. The older one had had her major growth spurt and while taller than most in 6th grade, they all passed her up later. She's 5'2" fully grown at 20. The younger was that tall and hadn't had her major growth spurt yet. She's now 5'7"-5'8", towering over her sister. She's an athlete, and it's so clear if you watch middle school track or soccer that so much just depends on when you get your growth spurt. If your dd is more like my youngest (and many of her peers), that growth spurt is still to come.

[Carrie12345]

I decided to look for my best before and afters, lol.
 

And, yeah, I realize I should consider some creative editing, but oh well.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Carrie12345

[Soror]

My newly 11 yo is 4'10 or so, 80 lbs.

[rva]

Get the bone age xray now. Do not wait. Endocrinologist will read it.  Ask for blood work, as it could be a variety of treatable things, especially if she is falling off her own growth curve. Hopefully it’s a “pre-pubertal growth slump”. If not, you’ll want to know straight away. I speak from experience. 

[HazelAnne]

Agreeing with the others who suggested bloodwork. My daughter pretty much stopped growing around that age and it turned out to be her thyroid. I wish we had caught it sooner, as she was experiencing other symptoms as well which maybe would have been avoided if she was treated sooner. 
 

Hope it turns out to be nothing of concern. 

Edited December 8, 2020 by HazelAnne
Clarity