Parents I know gymnasts are small..but

[Granny Smith]

I couldn't get into the height predictor site because it is filtered out at my work, but this is how my dd stacks up for the percentiles:

Dd - 11yrs, 8 months old birthdate 9/17/96

height - 54" which is less than 3%
weight - 62# which is less than 3%

For dd's age, she is easily taken as a 7/8 yr old. No where near puberty. She does go to an endocrinologist, she goes back in July where she will have had another bone age scan. According to her last one (when she was 5.5 yrs old), her bones measured as a 3.5 yr old, so her body is a couple yrs behind. Her goals set by the endo were to grow 2" a yr and the past 2 yrs we have missed that goal with growing only 1.5" a yr, which doesn't seem like much, but when you now add it to this yr, she is 1/2" behind where they want her to be. I attribute it to the gym (she's there 20 hrs a week). I am not concerned, but we do keep tabs. Dd is proportioned for her body, healthy and well adjusted.

Back when she went to the endo for the first time, the endo's main concern was her self-esteem. With gym her size is a positive for her. So when other kids would say how small she was, she would say I'm a gymnast, I like being small.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

Bigger baby bog is 11 years and 9 months, weighs 90 pounds and is 60 inches tall (5 feet)

Very similar to my dd - she is 11 years 3 months, weighs 87 pounds and is 58.5 inches.

 

[Livinatthegym]

At 12 and half years old, 54" tall and 65 pounds, dd2 is below the 3rd percentile in height and weight. Her predicted adult height is 5' 1". Puberty has not started.

At 15, dd1 is 4'11" tall. She weighs 98 pounds, and is very curvy. She may have attained her adult height. Dd1 was not a late bloomer.

Interesting comments about the growth. My kids are really, really small, but I don't think it's the training. Other kids at the gym don't seem so much below average. One gal, though, who stayed in through her junior year, did grow quite a bit after she left. Dd1 is definitely hoping for some growth. At 15, though, it may be too late.

 

[Megley]

What a neat tool. I have always known that my youngest DD is small and this confirms it. At 6 years and 7 months:

your child is 41 pounds, and that is
at the 13rd percentile for weight.

your child is 43 inches, and that is
at less than the 3rd percentile for height.

She must be a throw-back, though, because my husband and I are of very average height. It's been interesting this past year as she started the year a little shorter than most of her same age friends and has ended the year significantly shorter. I don't know if gym is a factor in that or not.

The height predictor says 5'2" for her, though that may be on the high side as our doctor has said more like 5'0" to 5'1". It gives 5'11" for my son and 5'8" for my other daughter, which I think is also about right. My 8 yr old DD is definitely on the tall side.

Meg

 

[bogwoppit]

Very similar to my dd - she is 11 years 3 months, weighs 87 pounds and is 58.5 inches.

On the height predictor it says she will end up at 5'7", this could explain her wild growth spurt these last two year and all her injuries.... She was always the shortest at gym and school, doesn't train mega hours (8-11 mostly), but I guess genetics usually wins out.

I guess our girls could share clothes!

 

[mtbmom]

Interesting post! My dd has been consistently lowering percentiles since birth. However, her height percentile and weight percentile are usually equally matched, so nobody's worried. See below...

At 6 years and 9 months:

your child is 43 pounds, and that is
at the 18th percentile for weight. your child is 45.5 inches, and that is
at the 19th percentile for height.

I'm small at 5 2.5" and she's a mini-me!

 

[midwestgymmom]

At 10 years and 6 months:

your child is 63 pounds, and that is
at the 13rd percentile for weight.

your child is 52.5 inches, and that is
at the 13rd percentile for height.

My dd is the smallest in her class and the height calculator says she will be 5'2"
Thanks for the links

 

[mom2kazkids]

MY DD is adopted so I cannot do the height predictor, but as we left the baby house in Kazakhstan the director kept telling us that her mother was a little thing. It took DD until 18 months to hit the growth chart, though that was 3-5%, she has never ventured much past that, but her peds is not concerned as she is in proportion with the height and weight and progression on the growth chart.



Barb

 

[jls1969]

My dd is 65 pounds and 4 1/2 ft tall. She is the 10th percentile for weight and 16th percentile for height. The height predictor says she will be be 5'3.

She is very slim has a lean muscle mass...she is built more like a Nastia type than a Mary Lou. She trains 15 hours a week and is a L6. She is 11 years and 3 months.

She also is required by the ped to get regular weight checks. She has always been on the small side and had a major stomach operation when she was 5. My ped is VERY cautious about the amount of time she is in the gym and I suppose that is okay, but we have yet to tell him that we are considering training twice-a-day in the fall

This was an interesting thread...

 

[gymmom14]

Well I feel better having read everyone's replies. My daughter is very similar to other 11 yr olds mentioned. 62lbs and 54 inches. the height predictor says she will be 5-4. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[Billy]

What a neat tool. I have always known that my youngest DD is small and this confirms it. At 6 years and 7 months:

your child is 41 pounds, and that is
at the 13rd percentile for weight.

your child is 43 inches, and that is
at less than the 3rd percentile for height.

She must be a throw-back, though, because my husband and I are of very average height. It's been interesting this past year as she started the year a little shorter than most of her same age friends and has ended the year significantly shorter. I don't know if gym is a factor in that or not.

The height predictor says 5'2" for her, though that may be on the high side as our doctor has said more like 5'0" to 5'1". It gives 5'11" for my son and 5'8" for my other daughter, which I think is also about right. My 8 yr old DD is definitely on the tall side.

Meg

Hey, Meg, our girls are the same age. When's your DD's b-day?

 

[MdGymMom01]

That is a pretty cool tool. Here is my dd:

At 9 years and 4 months:

your child is 58 pounds, and that is
at the 21st percentile for weight. your child is 51 inches, and that is
at the 20th percentile for height.

The height predictor says she will be 5' 4"

It's funny because when she was an infant all the way up to about 5 years old she was always at the 75th percentile for both height and weight. Then gradually over the years she slowed in her growth and has been at the 25th percentile for height and weight since she was about 6 years old. She started gymnastics and All-Star cheerleading when she was 6 and has continued ever since. I wonder if the increased activity has something to do with the decline or if it is just genetic. I am very small and have a slight build (5'3" and about 100 lbs.) so maybe she is getting that from me. Interesting...

 

[azgymrats]

My 6 year old..She'll be in a carseat forever. lol

At 6 years and 3 months:

your child is 34 pounds, and that is
at less than the 3rd percentile for weight. your child is 42 inches, and that is
at less than the 3rd percentile for height.

And her 4 year old sister...they look like twins
At 4 years and 2 months:

your child is 31 pounds, and that is
at the 12nd percentile for weight. your child is 40 inches, and that is
at the 44th percentile for height.

 

[littlekateskate]

I think we are considering the wrong sport Unless lol training will slow down her growing!

DD is almost five and is 90th percentile for height and 75th for weight. (which makes her tall and skinny lol)

I guess I should sign up my two year old son! He doesnt make the chart for height or weight! lol

 

[Ingymmom]

At 6 years and 9 months:

your child is 40 pounds, and that is
at the 7th percentile for weight. your child is 43.75 inches, and that is
at the 4th percentile for height.

Height predictor says she will be 5' 1"

 

[Billy]

I think we are considering the wrong sport Unless lol training will slow down her growing!

DD is almost five and is 90th percentile for height and 75th for weight. (which makes her tall and skinny lol)

I wouldn't worry about that. One of the UGA Gymdogs is 5'7". Tall girls can do gymnastics, they just have to work a little harder.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

That is true - I've got a tall skinny one myself and she holds her own - but yes there are definitely things she has to work harder for.

 

[Ingymmom]

I wouldn't worry about that. One of the UGA Gymdogs is 5'7". Tall girls can do gymnastics, they just have to work a little harder.

True, and Alicia Sacramone is 5'5". Her bars are not her best, she has to work hard for them, but her floor and vault are very impressive.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Neat to see how much they have grown!!!

How big is your gymnast? My 10 year old daughter seems so small compared to everyone in her school class yet she seems average for her gymnastics team. She is about 54 inches.

Since switching to gymnastics in April, dd has put on a lot more muscle weight. I can definitely tell that she has "filled out" a bit more and isn't as scrawny looking (especially the arms). I redid her height and weight to see how much she has actually grown. Here is what she is today:

At 9 years and 9 months:

Your child is 63 pounds, and that is
at the 27th percentile for weight
Your child is 52.5 inches, and that is
at the 29th percentile for height


This is what she was just back in May:

At 9 years and 4 months:

your child is 58 pounds, and that is
at the 21st percentile for weight. your child is 51 inches, and that is
at the 20th percentile for height.


Children's Growth Chart Percentiles Calculator

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

This was really interesting to do tonight. I can't remember if I've done this before. My DD looks sooo tall in the gym, but when she's w/her friends or at school, she's positively tiny. She's a Level 6 at 13 1/2 years old (so of course she looks tall w/her group, I guess). Anyway, she's exactly 100 pounds and 5 ft. and 1 1/2 inches tall. According to the calculator, she's in the 34% for weight and only 27% for height for her age group. I KNEW she looked small for her age!

-Lynn