“She’s going to be really tall when she grows up!”, exclaims your mother watching your 4-year-old run around the room.
The perks of being tall are as old as the hills. Since the dawn of civilization, people with better height have always been held in high regard. Such a height premium still persists as tall people are found to earn more money and success than their average-sized counterparts. This explains why most, if not all, parents and grandparents wish for their children and grandchildren to grow up gaining an admirable height.
As height is not entirely up to one’s genetics to decide, parents can maximize their children’s growth potential by taking care of external factors such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and living environment. In this article, you will find 9 simple tips to help your children grow taller. But before getting there, let us discuss why it is of vital importance to regularly monitor the height of your children from an early age.
It can be exhilarating to watch your baby grow by leaps and bounds; thanks to a toddler growth spurt, a child’s birth length doubles by the age of 3. Yet, once children leave toddlerhood, this rapid growth rate slows down and remains steady until they reach puberty. During this time, both girls and boys grow in little increments.
The average height of a 4-year-old child is 40 inches tall with an average weight of around 40 pounds. Kids at this age typically gain about 2-3 inches in height (5-8 centimeters) and 4-5 pounds (2 kilograms) a year [1]. Although children come in different sizes and shapes, a healthy kid should continue to grow at a normal rate. Your healthcare provider will measure your child’s height and weight at regular checkups to monitor physical development. The measurements will then be plotted on a standard growth chart to compare with those of other children of the same gender and age with a view to following the child’s growth over time.
Height is an important growth parameter and measuring the height of children is an integral part of growth monitoring. A healthcare provider would plot your child’s height along the appropriate age interval to establish a growth curve. This growth curve allows the healthcare provider to determine whether the growth of the child falls within the normal range or if there are any risks of undernutrition or overnutrition.
A child needs to be assessed for malnutrition or any underlying medical conditions that may slow their growth if their height falls below the normal range for their age. It should be noted that height is not the only growth parameter. Weight is equally important in monitoring growth for children and detecting any growth issues. Similar to height, weight also has its own normal range for age, and children who fall above this range may be at risk of obesity or overnutrition.
It is undeniable that genetics has the most say when it comes to height growth; still, it is not the sole determinant of this aspect of your child’s appearance. In fact, many environmental factors, for example, a healthy diet or living conditions can influence the height of your child to a great extent. As a result, by leveraging these factors, parents can increase the chances of their children reaching an ideal height. Let us take a look at the top 9 simple tips to help your child grow taller.
The first and foremost way to increase your children’s height is to ensure they get proper nutrition. To grow up into tall individuals, it is required that children consume a healthy and balanced diet that includes nutritious foods from different food groups – proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, each in the appropriate proportions. At the same time, try to keep them away from junk food such as burgers, pizzas, cakes, aerated sweetened beverages, and fried foods in general. A healthy and balanced diet not only helps your children grow taller but also enhances their strength and overall health.
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Swimming has always been recommended as the “golden” activity to help children grow taller. As a full-body exercise, swimming works on all the muscles in the body and helps them get rid of any extra fat. The regular stretching forward involved in the sport strengthens the spine effectively, thereby laying the groundwork for a tall, lean, and healthy body.
Hanging exercises have a huge impact on height increase. When children hang from bars, their spine is elongated to make room for growth. In addition to regular hanging exercises, chin-ups and pull-ups are also recommended for parents who want to help their children grow taller. Both of these practices are great exercises to strengthen the muscles in their back and arms and keep them fit. To avoid injuries, parents should accompany their children during these exercises.
Stretching exercises, even simple ones, can have substantial benefits for the growth of children’s height. Since stretching constantly improves their posture and elongates the spine, parents should encourage children to practice stretching exercises from a young age to maximize their growth potential. Start with simple exercises, for instance, make them reach to touch their toes while sitting on the floor with their legs wide apart.
Jogging is a fun and exciting activity for both children and grown-ups. Jogging increases the secretion of growth hormone which is responsible for children’s vertical body development. It also strengthens the bones in their legs to support overall growth. Make jogging a memorable time for you and your children by joining in with them!
Aside from its heart health benefits, skipping is also useful in helping your children increase height. When skipping, their entire body is stretched, which promotes height gain efficiently. Skipping is also an awesome cardio workout to make sure your children stay fit and healthy.
Posture is pivotal to height increase for children. Slouching and slumping can negatively affect the body with unnecessary stress on the spine. Moreover, poor posture over time can compromise their growth by altering the shape of their spine. Therefore, practicing good posture from an early age can make them grow taller while keeping long-term health issues at bay.
There is never too much emphasis on the importance of sleep, no matter how old you are. Lack of sleep is detrimental to your children’s physical growth as most of the growth hormone is released when they are asleep. For this reason, it is advisable to make sure your children sleep at least 8 hours a night to become taller and stronger.
Sunlight is the best natural source of vitamin D. This vitamin plays a direct role in your children’s height growth as it enhances calcium absorption from their diet, thus lengthening bones and strengthening muscles. So, encourage your little ones to step out in the sun and play instead of staying inside with their video games.
[1] https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/growth-4-to-5.html
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Directions: For children (5+) and teenagers who do not drink milk daily.
+ Under the age of 10: Take one (1) capsule twice daily about 30 minutes before meals or 1 hour after meals.
+ Ages 10 to teenagers: Take one (1) capsule three times daily about 30 minutes before meals or 1 hour after meals.
