How to help your child grow taller: what works and when to see a doctor

You can't change the height your child's genes point to, but you can help your child grow taller up to it. KidsHealth from Nemours says genes mostly decide how tall we'll be. Sleep, food, active play and regular growth checks are the parts you control. Use our child height predictor for your family's likely range, and the baby growth percentile calculator to plot a reading from your Child Health Booklet.

How to help your child grow taller, step by step

1. Check your family's range with the child height predictor. HealthHub says two parents who are shorter than the average Singaporean are likely to have a child who's slightly shorter than peers.
2. Bring the Child Health Booklet to every well-baby visit. HealthHub says your child's height and weight get recorded in it each time.
3. Plan for the sleep the Singapore 24-hour guidelines set: 11 to 14 hours a day from 1 to under 3, and 10 to 13 hours from 3 to 5. HealthHub says the body makes growth hormones during sleep.
4. Keep one bedtime, weekends included. The 24-hour guidelines say screens off 30 minutes before bed for toddlers and 1 hour before sleep for preschoolers.
5. Build meals on My Healthy Plate. HealthHub's version is half vegetables and fruit, a quarter wholegrains and a quarter meat or other protein.
6. Include calcium-rich food such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, sardines with their bones or dark green leafy vegetables. HealthHub calls calcium the building block for strong bones and teeth.
7. Make water the everyday drink. The 24-hour guidelines say no sugar-sweetened or caffeinated drinks before age 2, and as few as possible after that.
8. Get your child moving for at least 180 minutes a day, spread out and at any pace, as the 24-hour guidelines advise. From age 3, at least 60 of those minutes should be moderate to vigorous.
9. Measure height against the same spot every few months, shoes off, and write it down. HealthHub says to track height and weight regularly.
10. Book your GP or polyclinic if growth slows. HealthHub calls growth acceptable at 4 cm or more a year, or 2 cm in 6 months.

How much of your child's height is in the genes?

Most of it. KidsHealth says genes mostly set how tall we end up, and HealthHub says genetics and nutrition both play a big part. HealthHub's page on short children, written by HPB with an NUH paediatrician, says familial short stature makes up 40% of all cases of short children.

Being short isn't a health problem on its own, HealthHub says. Some children are late bloomers who catch up with their friends later. If both of you had a late growth spurt as teens, your child may follow the same pattern.

The child height predictor turns both parents' heights into the adult range doctors expect. It gives a range, so use it as a rough guide.

Why sleep, food and play help a child grow

Start with sleep. HealthHub's Parent Hub says your child's body makes growth hormones during sleep, and enough sleep keeps those hormones at their normal level. For routines and dropping naps, see our toddler sleep guide and the kids bedtime calculator.

Food gives the body what it needs to build. HealthHub says nutrition plays a part in height, and the 24-hour guidelines say toddlers should move off milk as their main source of nutrition and onto family meals. HealthHub also says not to force a child to finish the plate. If mealtimes are a fight, our fussy eater guide can help.

Active play is the third part. KidsHealth says a child who eats well and exercises regularly, with plenty of rest, gives their body the best chance to reach its natural potential. In an HDB estate that can be the void deck, the neighbourhood playground or a scooter ride along the park connector. On wet or very hot days, play indoors: the 24-hour guidelines say indoor and outdoor activities are equally important for toddlers. There are more ideas in toddler exercise and active play.

If a helper or grandparent handles bedtime or meals, give them the same sleep times and plate, so the routine stays the same whoever is home. Here's what the Singapore Integrated 24-Hour Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood, from the College of Paediatrics and Child Health, set by age.

Height formulas, supplements and growing-up milks

Tins and bottles that promise extra centimetres are easy to find. They can't add height. KidsHealth says no pill, formula or nutritional supplement can increase someone's height.

Milk still has a place. HealthHub lists it as one calcium food next to cheese, yoghurt, sardines and leafy greens. The 24-hour guidelines say toddlers should drink whole milk and water, and stop relying on milk as their main source of nutrition.

How doctors check your child's growth

At each well-baby visit, your child's height and weight go into the Child Health Booklet, HealthHub says. The booklet lists 7 recommended developmental screening visits, and the same visits check milestones too. Our toddler milestones guide covers that side. As your child gets older, our kids BMI calculator checks weight against height.

Doctors look at how the line moves across several visits. HealthHub defines a short child as one whose height is below the 3rd percentile for their age group. The NHS leaflet from Kingston and Richmond says a GP may plot height on a chart for a few months to see if it changes, and may refer to a paediatric endocrine specialist. In Singapore, KKH's Paediatric Endocrinology Service is one such team, and it sees children with abnormal growth.

A specialist may order tests, such as a wrist X-ray for bone age, the NHS leaflet says. Most children referred for short height need no treatment. For specific medical conditions, such as the growth hormone deficiency HealthHub names, a specialist may consider treatment. The NHS leaflet says that in rare cases this means growth hormone, given by a paediatric endocrinologist.

When to see a doctor

Book your GP or polyclinic if you notice any of these. They can plot the booklet chart and refer you on if needed. Slow growth on its own doesn't need the Children's Emergency.

• Your child seems to have stopped growing or is growing very slowly. HealthHub says to see your doctor about both.
• Height hasn't gone up at all over 6 months, which the NHS leaflet lists as a reason to see a GP.
• Your child grows less than 4 cm in a year, or 2 cm in 6 months, the rate HealthHub calls acceptable.
• Your child is on a lower centile line than they used to be on the growth chart, the NHS leaflet says.
• Height is below the 3rd percentile, the line HealthHub uses to define a short child.
• Your child is much shorter than other family members would suggest. The NHS leaflet asks parents to make that comparison before seeing a GP.
• Your child has other symptoms as well as short height, such as tummy pain, headaches or frequent infections, the NHS leaflet says.

Frequently asked questions

How to make my child taller?

You can't take your child past the height their genes set. What you can do is help them reach it. KidsHealth says the best way is to eat well and exercise regularly, with plenty of rest. Keep up the booklet checks, so a doctor can spot a slowdown early.

How to help child grow taller if both parents are short?

Your child will probably be on the shorter side, and HealthHub says being short isn't a health problem in itself. It says children of two shorter-than-average parents are likely to be slightly shorter than peers. It also says familial short stature makes up 40% of all cases of short children.

Does growth milk or a height supplement make a child taller?

No. KidsHealth says no pill, formula or nutritional supplement can increase someone's height. Milk is one calcium food among several, and toddlers should move off milk as their main source of nutrition, the 24-hour guidelines say.

Does sleep help a child grow taller?

Yes, it helps your child reach their height. HealthHub says the body makes growth hormones during sleep. The 24-hour guidelines set 11 to 14 hours a day for ages 1 to under 3, and 10 to 13 hours for ages 3 to 5.

How many cm should my child grow in a year?

HealthHub calls growth acceptable at 4 cm or more a year, or 2 cm in 6 months. If your child grows less, or not at all over 6 months, book your GP or polyclinic.

Can a doctor make my child taller?

Most children referred for short height need no treatment, the NHS leaflet says. When a medical condition is behind slow growth, a specialist may consider treatment, and in rare cases that's growth hormone from a paediatric endocrinologist. Your GP or polyclinic can refer you to a team such as KKH's Paediatric Endocrinology Service.