A Simple Way To Predict How Tall Your Child Will Grow
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This is for all you anxious parents who are enthusiastic about everything related to their prospective child(ren) – the gender, the number (as in twins, triplets, and so on), the hair color, the eye color, the height, their qualification…I can’t vouch for giving all that information, but I can give you the formula for height. No, I don’t mean this is a formula to increase your child’s height, I mean there’s a mathematical formula to calculate and predict your baby’s “adult” height. So, get those calculators out and go about predicting heights!
Formula #1
If you’ve given birth to a girl, wait until she is 18 months old and double her then height, and that’s how tall she is going to be.
And if it is a boy, wait until he is 2 years old and then double his height to predict his adult height.
If that’s just too much to calculate and you can’t contain the curiosity before arriving at the final answer here’s –
Formula #2
The first step is to find out your height and your spouse’s height either in inches or in centimeters in case you haven’t yet. Add them up.
I presume that you’ve made a note of your heights. So, now, if you know the sum of your heights in inches, add 5, and if the height is in centimeters, add 13. This will be the probable adult height of your boy child.
If you happen to have a girl child, then apart from buying soft fluffy baby frocks, also deduct 5 inches or 13 centimeters accordingly and divide that by 2 to know how tall she’s gonna get by the time she hits 18.
While that’s how you calculate, here’s a list of factors that influence your child’s growth in terms of height and a sneak peek into what’s in your hand and what’s not.
1. Nutrition
Adequate nutrition is considered one of the most important reasons for growth, especially height. Somewhere from the middle of the 19th century, evolutionary biologists began to realize that we, as a species, are becoming taller than what we used to be in the 18th century. This growth spurt in the species as a whole has been largely attributed to improvement in nutrition rather than any genetic or evolutionary reasons. It is when the bones grow and ossify properly that our height increases, and this makes it all the more necessary for you to understand that giving a wholesome meal to your child is essential. Try and incorporate proteins, specifically that come from dairy products, to ensure healthy growth. Also, a good dose of vitamins C and D and calcium prove to be necessary to cater to your child’s nutritional needs in the growing years. If this part is taken care of, your child can reach a final height in congruence with his maximum genetic potential.
2. Physical Activity
If you take a closer look at Formula#1, you will realize that you are asked to double the height of your 2-year-old kid to know his final height. Doesn’t that ring a bell somewhere? Initially, I chided myself and was convinced that my research was wrong and I was somewhere muddled up with my facts. But after a deeper speculation, it makes it obvious that children grow the fastest in the first year, and though the speed relatively decreases in the following years, they still grow rapidly as compared to much later years. All these details have been dumped upon you to explain the importance of the quality of lifestyle you give your toddlers in their initial years. Apart from providing them with customized nutrition, also make sure you encourage them to play a sport or learn a skill that involves some sort of stretching and hanging, or exercises that promote bone growth. This is again going to allow your child to grow taller.
3. Genetics
I saw to it that genetics was mentioned at last, for, there’s nothing much you could do here, and you should rather focus on what you can do. All children follow a pattern of growth. It is not wise on the part of you parents to compare your child’s height with their peers and feel distressed if you are not satisfied. Your child grows according to his genetic makeup, which need not necessarily be the same as your neighbor’s son. Get your child measured regularly, more frequently in the formative years. Your doctor will be able to predict the growth pattern (1). Also, they would be able to analyze if the growth hormone is functioning as it is supposed to or not.
While your enthusiasm inclining little towards anxiety about your child’s physical and mental well-being is completely understandable and reasonable, don’t strain yourself and your child too much in this race for perfection. You should rather enjoy each phase of your child’s growth and grow along with them rather than hampering the process by being unreasonably hassled and overly ambitious about their heights and weights. Arnold Gesell, a developmental psychologist, had postulated that a child’s growth – both mental and physical – always follows the pattern of disequilibrium followed by equilibrium. And that disequilibrium is meant for them to bounce back with a higher quality of orientation and harmony than before. So, parents, enjoy this rollercoaster with your kids and don’t forget to let me know what’s your take on this issue.
