Three golden stages to help children reach their maximum height potential.

With proper nutrition and a healthy living environment provided during these stages, children will achieve optimal height growth.

The two golden periods for a child's height development are the first 1,000 days of life and puberty. (Illustrative image: Nam Phuong)

If the first 1,000 days of life are crucial for a child's physical and mental development, then puberty is the final golden period for a child's height growth.

According to Dr. Phan Bich Nga from the National Institute of Nutrition ( Ministry of Health ), height plays a crucial role in a child's health and future. There are two most important periods of height growth for children: the first 1,000 days of life and puberty.

With proper nutrition and a healthy living environment provided during these two stages, children will achieve their optimal height.

The first 1,000 days of a child's life (from the time the child is in the womb until 24 months of age)

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that the first 1,000 days of life are a critical period, a golden time, a decisive period for the physical and mental development of children.

Physically, the 1,000 golden days are a crucial period that determines 60% of a child's future height growth potential.

Mentally, although the human brain develops and changes throughout life, the fastest and most crucial brain development in a child occurs during the last three months of pregnancy and the first two years of life.

Fetal stage

Starting from the fourth month of pregnancy, the baby's skeletal system is forming and developing rapidly. At this time, the child needs to be provided with sufficient nutrients, especially calcium, for bone growth and height development.

Therefore, during pregnancy, especially after the fourth month, expectant mothers need to eat plenty of calcium-rich foods to meet their body's calcium needs and help their babies reach their maximum height at birth, laying the foundation for their future height development.

According to Dr. Nga, if pregnant mothers have a balanced diet, a positive mindset, adequate rest, and gain 10-12kg, their babies can be born with a standard height of over 50cm.

The 0-2 year old stage

The period under 12 months of age is when infants experience the fastest growth rate compared to all other stages. Infants double their birth weight within the first 4-5 months and triple their birth weight by the end of their first year.

By the time a child is on their first birthday, their lying length (i.e., their height) has increased by one and a half times compared to their length at birth.

According to research, children aged 12-24 months are at the highest risk of malnutrition, and the rate of malnutrition remains high until the age of 5. This is also the period when children transition to solid foods, so it is very likely that they will not receive enough essential nutrients. This significantly affects the child's development in both height and intelligence.

During this period, if properly nourished, children will grow an additional 25cm in the first 12 months and 10cm in the following year.

After age 2, growth rate is not very fast, at about 6.2 cm per year, and bone density also increases by about 1% per year in both boys and girls. However, a nutritious diet will continue to support healthy bone development, which is a prerequisite for height growth during puberty.

Puberty

This period shows differences in the age of height development between boys and girls, characterized by rapid growth in muscles, bones, and sexual functions. In boys, this stage begins between 11 and 18 years old, while in girls it is usually between 10 and 16 years old.

Specifically, children experience their best height growth between the ages of 10-16 for girls and 12-18 for boys. This is considered the final golden period for a child's height development.

With proper care, children can grow 8-12cm per year until the age of 20. However, this also depends on the individual child's diet and exercise regimen.

Three golden stages to help children reach their maximum height potential.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ba-giai-doan-vang-giup-tre-phat-trien-chieu-cao-toi-da-236503.html