One child significantly smaller than the rest?

[WCM]

Of my three kids, all were the same birth weight (9 pounds+) and first two grew at the same rate, huge, fast, and are now (at 7 and 10) in the 70th-80th percentiles for their height/weight/age. People always comment on their height and we're used to having 'tall kids'.

Our third child is in the 14th percentile. She's 4 and the size of the average 3 year old, though we've met many 3 year olds taller than her. She's tiny. DH is 6'2" and I'm 5'4", both big-boned athletic types. Neither he and his sibs nor I and mine were small-for-age.

Yes I'll make her a doc app, but I wanted to hear from others too. She's never grown as fast a her sibs. I know there is a food issue for her somewhere (I have another thread on that) due to her bowel issues in past few years. But as a baby, she never showed any signs of allergy, skin issus, etc, and was bfed 3 years just like her sibs, (bowel issue only showing up after I stopped nursing her). but she never grew as fast from the beginning.

Yes there are lots of kids her size at her age, I guess, as the 14% shows. but I can't help but worry/wonder, when her siblings both grew 'so well' and consistently. She eats a ton, just like them. In my POV she *should* be taller.

Thoughts?

[AtYourCervices]

All of my children were born weighing 9lbs or more.

DD#1 is now 12 1/2 years old and she's in the 50th percentile all around.

DD#2 is 10 and is somewhere between the 50th and 75th percentile for height & weight.

DD#3 is 4 years old and in the 99th percentile for height and weight.

DS is 8 years old and he's in the 6th percentile. He was the biggest at birth (10lbs 8oz), but he's teeny tiny now. I figure he takes after his father, who was a late bloomer. The girls take after me. I grew big quickly. 

Was anybody in your family a late bloomer? Not all siblings are the same size, even siblings with the same father. I've known plenty of families with children of varying sizes.

[BabyBearsMummy]

It sounds to me like your little girl takes after you and will likely not be as tall as her older siblings who take after their father.

[lindberg99]

My first thought is that you can't compare her to her older siblings. Even if they are girls. I have nieces who are 13 and 10.5 and they have been the same size for quite a few years now. Kids grow differently. She could be a late bloomer or there could be some petite genes coming through from a grandma. If she were to start losing weight or drifting below the charts for height then you might want to look into it. But otherwise, I think she's just petite.

My middle son was relatively big when he was born (he was a preemie) and by his due date, he weighed like 10.5 lbs and was pretty big. He was almost in the 25% in height when he was your daughter's age. He's a spring b-day so kind of young for his class and was always the shortest in preschool and people routinely thought he was at least 1.5 - 2 years younger than he was. Once when he was 3, he said something and a lady was like "He can talk!!" I think she thought he was a 1 yo.

He's in 5th now and while I doubt he'll ever be super tall, he seems to be pretty close to an average height. My other two were full term but not big (not quite 8 lbs) and they are both much taller. When my youngest was in preschool, he was wearing pants his brother wore in 1st grade.

[WCM]

Thanks folks. I've always been a non-worrier, and I can completely accept such a degree of diff between sibs. DH and his parents are often worried/curious, feel there *must* be a reason/cause. We too get a lot of surprised faces when she speaks so articulately in public, with people thinking she's a gifted 2 year old. :)

I guess what DH wants to know is how to know if it's normal/healthy or worthy of concern. I've said as long as growth is steady, no matter how small, and development mimicks her siblings, she's fine. He'd like a doc's opinion. Hmmm . .  DH was a 'late bloomer' puberty wise (he was 17, I was 9, we figure the kids'll break even), but no one can recall any of us starting tinier then growing a bunch later (pre-puberty). kwim?