Index
Keeping up with your children’s growth stages is one of the greatest pleasures of being a mother or a father. You can see how the child is developing in each aspect, his cognitive functions evolving, his behavior and, of course, his physical aspect. And one of the most curious things about this is when the spurt occurs in children , that phase where growth occurs suddenly.
But why this happen? Is it the same for all children? Does it happen to boys and girls? Can my child have growth problems? All of these are very frequent doubts about the spurt and we will seek to clarify them in the best possible way in today’s text.
Stimulation Phases in Children
First of all, it is important to know how the growth phases of children occur. This way, it is much easier to understand how and why the spurt in children occurs and what are their differences from one person to another. The three most well-known transformation phases are:
- Lactation Phase
- Prepubertal Phase
- Fase Puberal
Let’s talk more deeply about each of these phases and what are their main characteristics.
Lactation Phase
The lactating phase corresponds to about 3 years old, with the name indicating exactly the phase where the children are still breastfeeding. The first year of life is the one with the most growth , with about 25 cm, depending on the baby’s genetic load, of course. This growth tends to decrease, dropping to 15 cm in the second year of life and varying between 4 and 6 cm in the following years.
Prepubertal Phase
This phase of growth corresponds from the 3 years of life of a child until he enters puberty. The average growth normally follows the same, varying from 4 to 6 cm per year. In this phase it is also possible to notice some effects of hormones that begin to appear.
Fase Puberal
Puberty is the phase where the child’s growth accelerates again, reaching up to 14cm per year. At the end of this phase, this growth tends to slow down just like in the lactating phase, until the person reaches his maximum height. All this growth and development will also depend on the child’s genetics .
How does the Estirão in Boys occur?
There are some minor differences when it comes to spurt in children with respect to boys and girls. First, the phase of the final stretch, at puberty, usually occurs between 12 and 17 years of age, which causes other parts of your maturity to also appear at more or less that age.
Boys tend to grow, on average, 13cm more than girls , but there are several factors that can cause each individual to have their own development and this does not mean that they are better or worse than the other.
How does Estirão in Girls occur?
With girls, this process tends to happen a little earlier than boys. The spurt of the puberty phase usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 15, as well as development in other parts of the body, such as hormones, for example, also tend to mature earlier than boys.
The actual spurt takes place between 2 and 3 years and then growth tends to slow down until the girl reaches her maximum height.
Is Growing Pain Normal?
The so-called growth pain affects almost half of children, that is, it is quite common. But what many don’t know is that bone growth alone does not cause any pain . What can cause pain in a child then is excessive physical activity or a type of activity done when his body is not yet ready for it.
For that reason many doctors do not like to use the term growth pain. If a child constantly complains about pain in the legs, joints or arms at bedtime, it is important to take to a pediatrician to check that there are no other health problems with the child.
Factors Influencing Children’s Size
As we said earlier, there are several factors that can cause a child to grow more or less than others. Some of them are:
- The genetic factor
- The environmental conditions of the place where the child lives
- Feeding the child
- Physical activities practiced
- Illnesses
- Child’s sleep
The child’s final height will be a set of all these factors, that is, it is not possible to know if a child will be too tall or too short simply because of his genetics, even though this factor is one of the ones that most influence. And as you can see, there are health conditions that can also affect this growth. But what are these diseases?
Diseases That Can Affect Growth
Some of the main diseases that can affect the spurt in children are:
- Growth Disorder
- Anemia
- Heart Problems
Let’s talk about each one so you can better understand how they can affect a child’s development.
Growth Disorder
Growth disorder, as the name implies, is a disease that directly affects a child’s height. It occurs because of a problem with a hormone called GH , which is one of the main factors responsible for growth. Its treatment is done with replacement of this hormone
Anemia
Anemia is usually caused by a lack of iron in a child’s body, which directly impairs its growth, since the body needs this nutrient for its development. The treatment needs to be a combination of food and medication intake so that the problem is resolved and does not affect the child’s growth so much.
Heart Problems
Problems such as swelling in the heart, for example, can impair a child’s development. This is the most important muscle in the body and, for this reason, there are several diseases that can cause this side effect , in addition to different ways of treating them.
How to Stimulate a Child’s Growth?
If a mother or father wants to stimulate the growth of their children, it is necessary to think about all the factors that influence the growth in children, such as their diet, their sleep and the sports they practice.
The best way to ensure that your child has healthy growth is to make them have a healthy life , with good food and good habits. This not only helps with growth, it also helps to prevent diseases that can hinder a child’s development.
As you can see, there are several factors that influence not only the size of a child, but also how it will grow and at what stage of life it occurs. It is not uncommon for parents to be concerned about the speed with which their children grow up, but it is always important to remember that each person has their own speed of development, both physical, intellectual and cognitive.
Therefore, in most cases this need not be a cause for concern . Of course, there are certain problems, as we mention here, but in specific cases you should seek help from a doctor to indicate the best treatment.
Childhood is a phase with many changes and the spurt in children is just one more of them. Your child will still go through many other phases in which you will have doubts. You can be sure of that.
See also: Child Malnutrition – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
