How many 2 1/2 year old boys ...

[dharmamama]

... are wearing a size 4T? My son's birthdate is estimated, and I think he is older than they say he is (my husband doesn't agree). He's 39 1/2 inches tall, weighs 35 pounds, and wears a toddler 11 shoe. (He's grown 7 1/2 inches since he arrived 10 months ago and gained 7 pounds. His shoe size has increased five sizes.) He's bigger than our bio daughter, who is supposedly 355 days older.

I also think his verbal skills and coordination are better than a 2 1/2 year old's, but I'm just wondering about his size. The pediatrician think's he's closer to 4, but the dentist thinks his estimated age is accurate.

Namaste!

[eckmannl]

My ds will be 3 in Feb. He is 40" tall, weighs 40 lbs and is in a size 10 (well, the last ones I bought a couple of months ago were a 10...) He is in a size 4t pants and a 5t for shirts.
Sounds normal to me

[Caroline248]

My son was in a size four at age two, and my friends son is now three and wearing a four or a five.

Hope that helps!

~C~

[coopnwhitsmommy]

My DS at his last check up in June was almost 3 1/2 he weighed 42lbs and was 39inches tall. He just now is wearing size 10's. He wears size 4T

Perhaps you should have him evaluated again? Personally I wouldn't put a whole lot of weight in what the dentist says. Every mouth is different and unique. Not everyone gets teeth at the same time and some people don't get certain teeth at all! And considering how much he has grown in 10 months (WOW) is it that far of a stretch to think that his mouth/teeth are stunted from poor nutrition?

[PrinceE&LsMom]

My DS is the same height/weight/ and shoe size as your DS at age 3 years 3 months old and he tends to be taller then others his age.

[UrbanPlanter]

If I remember correctly, my ds at 2 1/2 years old was:

39 1/2 inches tall (just checked the chart)
over 40 lbs
shoe size 10
wearing 3T/4T, depending on label and how it is sized

He is now 3 1/2 and is:
42 in tall
44 lbs
shoe size 11
and wearing between size 4/5 but can still squeeze into 4T

ETA: sounds like you will have a very tall ds when he is fully grown.
Mine will probably be well over 6 feet tall, based on family history.

[acrathbun]

My son (now 10yrs) was 35lbs at his 2yr check up and closer to 45 at his 3. He was *very* tall, and still is....95th percentile for height. He's 10 and pushing 5' and he's 85lbs.

He was also speaking in complete sentences at 15 months and using complex sentence structure before his second birthday.

Can you get a bone age test? I think it's just an xray of the hand, and they will estimate age based on growth plates or something (I'm not really clear on the exact process).

[mamabohl]

He sounds about the size of my son at 3...and he's a tall boy.

[Amylcd]

My DD was wearing a 5T at 2 1/2. She looks to be around 4 or 5 (height & weight) but obviously she is only 3. She turned 3 in july and weighs 44 lbs now.

[Elowyn]

My best friend's nephew is in a 4T at 2.5, as were/are both of my male cousins. Could just be genetics! I'd go with the dentist, personally. (Oh, and don't bother with a bone age x-ray - they're just not that accurate at giving chronological age.)

[elsie]

Some kids are big - we have a friend like that - she looks like a 6 year old but is only 3.5, so while it may not be average, it is not unheard of

[pilesoflaundry]

He could be closer to 3 than 2. My ds was in 4t at 2.5-3 but his coordination/speech etc. were on target or behind. He was just a big kid. Because you mention a larger child and advanced/above average skills it's why I suggested closer to 3 or 3.5. My ds was in 2t at age 1 and 24 months sooner than that!

[eclipse]

that's about the size my DS was at 2 1/2, although he generally wore 3Ts at the time.

[Quindin]

My 2 1/2 yo wears 4t with some brands and 3t with others. He is tall, but also very slender.
My kids always wear 2 sizes above their age.

[Jennifer Z]

My son was the same size as yours at 2.5. That was about a year ago. He is constantly being mistaken for a 5 or 6 yo now and wears 5T and XS in boys and a size 11.5-12 shoe, around 42" (in Sept...was at the dividing line for ride heights, but might be taller now, I think he has had a growth spurt) and 40-45lbs...no fat and solid as a rock. He has always towered over most kids his own age.

[meemee]

dharmamama, ur son is from ethiopia right? the masai used to live in that area and so did the tutsi - where 7 ft is common. the couple of ethiopians i know are big people with big children. not just tall but broad built too. not slim like the masai's or tutsi's though. ethiopia is closer to n. africa where the slim tall people live. but of course it depends on nutrition.

can u tell i love africa and have since i was a little kid

its like if u adopted a german or russian baby there are chances they will be big, but if u adopted from india or bangladesh or even phillipines you are more likely to get v. petite children.

arent dental records pretty accurate no matter when the teeth actually appeared? dont know much about this myself.

[BabyOsMommy]

My almost 3yo has been wearing size 4T t-shirts and 4Tpants since the end of summer. 3T fits him perfectly, but I've been buying 4T so I get more wear out of his clothes. He's 39inches and weighs about 40lbs, so he's tall and skinny. He's in a size 10shoe. I also get that he's verbally ahead and people have thought he's 3 since he was less than 2 1/2.

I don't have any advice for you, though.

[Crunchier]

My son is in a size 6 shirt, 4 pants, and 10 shoe. He'll be 3 in december. He weighs 37 pounds and he's 38 inches tall. He's on the large side. It's entirely possible that Ephrem is just tall, and he's doing his catchup growth.

ETA: Ben also impresses most ppl as being closer to 4. His verbal skills are very impressive. I'm a psychology student, and my professors (clinical child psych and Developmental psych) have told me that he is quite advanced for his age. His teeth also came in well ahead of schedule. He's just a quick mover.

[Penelope]

I've heard that X-rays, esp. of hands, are the best way to tell, but obviously you don't want to get them just for the sake of knowing. Maybe if he needs them for some other reason some time you could ask to have the docs look at them and assess age.

Does it matter, for legal or practical or medical reasons, or are you just curious?

BTW I checked out your blog - Desta is so beautiful! Hope she comes home to you soon.

[starlein26]

my son is 27 months old. at his 2 year well-child visit (done at 25 months) he was 40" tall and 37 lbs. he wears a size 8.5 shoe. our ped commented that he looked 4! but my husband is also 6'5"...