Speaking of the height of the child, it is a big thing that every mother cares about, after all, growing tall is of great help to appearance, temperament, self-confidence, etc.
In order for the child to grow taller, I don't know how much I have to worry about:
"Your child is really tall, what kind of dishes do you usually make for him to eat?"
"I've been giving my son calcium supplements, but I don't grow up, is it because nutrition hasn't kept up?"
"My father and I are not tall, and I hope it will not drag my son's hind legs."
The secret of your child's height, here's how to uncover it for you.
How much does genetics affect a child's height?
A child's final height is indeed genetically more affected. Studies have shown that 70% of a child's height is genetically determined by the parents, and the more genes in the genes that control height, the more likely the child is to grow tall. The remaining 30% is determined by environmental factors such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, illness, etc.
As for whether the child's height is with the father or the mother, this probability is actually not much different.
Experts at the Institute of Child and Adolescent Health of Peking University have studied the genetic degree of physical development indicators of more than 100 pairs of 6-12-year-old twins, and found that the genetic degrees of fathers and mothers to children are 0.89 and 0.87, respectively, which is basically the same.
In addition to heredity, it will also affect the child's height, but also affect his growing height trend. For example, if you are not tall as a child and adolescent begins to "rise above sea level", your child may be likewise in the future.
How tall is the child?
Many parents always feel that their children grow slower than others, in fact, in most cases, this anxiety is superfluous, because each child's growth and development rate is different.
You can check the following table of height reference standards developed by the World Health Organization's Child Growth Standards to see if your child's height is up to standard.
Occasionally the child's height fluctuates slightly, don't be too nervous, after all, these are not absolute values, just as a reference.
You can measure your child's height regularly, record it in the "growth record" of the pro-baby app, and then judge whether the height growth trend is normal according to the child's height curve.
It should be noted that children under the age of 3 are easy to move around, it is difficult to stand up straight against the wall, it is recommended to let him lie on the floor or crawling pad and other hard planes to measure the length, the error is relatively small. After the child is 3 years old, you can let him stand and measure his height, but pay attention to the heels close together, and the toes are about 60 degrees apart, so that the measurement is more accurate.
If you are curious about how tall your child will grow in the future, you can use the formula derived from the study of the Swedish population to calculate it, and some researchers have used this formula to predict the height of children in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wenzhou and other cities in China, and found that the accuracy is higher:
Boy height (cm) = average parental height × 0.78 + 45.99
Girl height (cm) = average parental height× 0.75 + 37.85
However, because height is affected by many factors, the height calculated by the formula is for reference only, don't be more true!
How to promote children to grow taller?
Children have "superior" genes, which is naturally a good thing, but if not, don't worry, don't forget that there is still 30% of the acquired effort! Just as the so-called "seven points are destined, three points rely on hard work", if you can help your child to play out 30% of the influence of the day after tomorrow, he can also grow into a tall man.
If you want to help your child grow up, you first have to pay attention to two key periods: infancy and adolescence.
Infant and young age is the fastest growing period in life, the first year of child birth height will grow about 25 cm, the second year can grow 10 to 12 cm, the third year can grow an average of 7 to 8 cm, only these three years, the child's height can increase by about 45 cm.
The second period is puberty, which usually begins at the age of 10 to 12 years for girls and 12 to 14 years for boys. At this stage, the child's height can grow at an annual rate of 7 to 8 centimeters, and the fast can reach 10 to 12 centimeters.
If you can grasp these two key periods and pay attention to the four aspects of your child's nutrition, sleep, exercise, and mood at the same time, you can make the increase more effective with half the effort.
01 Balanced nutrition
Eat more≠ eat well, if you want your child to grow tall, you should pay attention not to his meal size, but to eat a balanced diet. If the child eats too much high-fat, high-calorie food for a long time, vegetables and fruits are not touched at all, which will lead to nutritional imbalance, which is not only not conducive to growing, but also may become a small fat mound.
Only if the child has a balanced diet, does not eat picky food, and usually pays attention to supplementing calcium, vitamin D and protein, can he lay a good foundation for growing tall.
calcium
The development of bones requires a lot of calcium, and once a child is deficient in calcium, it will affect the growth of children. According to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, children aged 1 to 3 should consume 600 mg of calcium per day, and children aged 4 to 6 years should consume 800 mg of calcium per day.
Even if you tell you the specific value, I believe it is still difficult to measure the amount of calcium your child consumes every day, you just need to remember: make sure that your child drinks enough milk every day, not a serious picky eater, and generally there will be no lack of calcium.
So how much milk does a child drink every day?
In addition, there are actually many foods rich in calcium, such as shrimp skin, sesame seeds, river prawns, tofu, scallops, etc., which can usually be eaten with children.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium, so while supplementing calcium, we also need to supplement our children with vitamin D. Because the vitamin D content in milk and food is very low, it needs to be supplemented by taking vitamin D supplements, and it is generally recommended that children supplement with 400 IU (international units) per day, which can be supplemented until old age.
protein
Protein is the basic substance of all the cells and tissues of the human body, and protein-rich foods include milk or other dairy products, lean meat, eggs, soy products, etc., which can be given to children every day.
02 Quality and quantity of sleep
Sleep mainly affects your child's height through growth hormone. Growth hormone is secreted very little during the day, more vigorously at night, and most during deep sleep (sleeping soundly and not easily woken up).
As for whether to sleep earlier or later, there is no relevant research to prove that it will have an impact on height, and the length and quality of children's sleep at night are the factors that really affect height.
In general, children need the following amount of sleep each day after the age of 1:
03 Reasonable exercise exercise
Regularly taking children out for exercise can stimulate the secretion of growth hormone, promote the formation and development of bones, and help grow up.
It is recommended that your child exercise at least 3 hours a day, and the amount of exercise is based on no fatigue. 1 and 2-year-old children can take him to walk, climb stairs, throw toy basketball, etc. When the child is older, you can also accompany him to jog, kick football, jump rope, swim, etc.
You can also try to make the movement more interesting, so that the child will play more engaged and active.
04 Good mood
Emotions can also affect a child's height, and if the child is regularly reprimanded, frightened, or living in a family environment where parents are not harmonious, it may cause his endocrine disorders and decreased growth hormone, which can lead to stunted growth. Keeping a child in a good emotional state allows him to grow taller.
There is no immediate and immediate way to grow taller, and eating heightened products or supplements, using stretchers and other methods is only to promote seedling growth, which will only be counterproductive. A balanced and healthy diet, combined with active exercise and adequate sleep, and maintaining a good mood are the right way for children to grow tall.