# average height for 8 yr old girl



## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

hi my daughter will be 9 in september and ev1 says she is small for her age. she is 4ft exactly and 3 and a half stone.


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## papayapetunia (Feb 6, 2006)

I know older smaller girls than your dd. Don't make the mistake of getting her hung up on her size. She seems absolutely normal. My dd is 7 and the tallest one in her class at the same height as your dd. She is about 6 inches taller than her two best friends. She doesn't like being that tall sometimes. But they're just all so different, you know? By the way, 9 is not too young to get a period. I got mine at 10, and I had nothing to show for it. I remember thinking, "Oh great, now I bet this means I'll never get boobs." But anyway, I guess you'll know if she keeps bleeding, right?


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## papayapetunia (Feb 6, 2006)

I'm sorry, I just realized she's 8, not 9, but I've still heard of 8-year-olds getting their periods.


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## Tinas3muskateers (May 19, 2004)

So you know being that short is normal! I am 4'10" and I am an adult lol.


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

I was a very tiny kid... smallest in my class until I hit freshman year... I am not 5ft6 average...

I started getting my period at age 8 so it is not too early for her!


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

well the doctor said she needs to grow hair and start developing breasts before she starts her periods.


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## silverfern (Jun 14, 2005)

I started my periods when I was 10 no boobs no hair nothing. That didn't happen untill I was 13. The same for my sister she's 15 and only just started with hair and boobs.
Everyone is different and I find that medical people often get too focused on the average.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *marie257*
well the doctor said she needs to grow hair and start developing breasts before she starts her periods.

Well, the doctor really doesn't get to decide, does s/he? While it might be the more average course of development to get some hair and breasts first, every child is different.


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

first of all.. find a new doctor...
my dd8 wears a 6x... so talk about tiny... every child is different... and each child develops at a different pace...

i still say get a new doctor....


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

sorry... can someone tell me what 3 1/2 stone converts to in american? just wondering


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

14 pounds = 1 stone

And her Ped is very misinformed ... especially for a Doctor! I would find a new one... I had neither breasts nor hair when I started my monthly...


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2toomany*
14 pounds = 1 stone

And her Ped is very misinformed ... especially for a Doctor! I would find a new one... I had neither breasts nor hair when I started my monthly...

So she is 48" and 49lbs? Sounds pretty proportional and not outside normal at all. We know at least three nine year olds who are shorter than DD (50") and several 7 year olds who are WAY shorter (so would probably be that height at 9).


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

yes I agree... i was a 62 pound 4ft 3 5th grader!!! her dd seems to be doing great if you ask me!!!


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

just wanted to say thanx for replies. i wanted to see if she was budding but she doesnt seem to be but my daughter said that when i had a feel to see if she was,her boobs ached. is there anyway of knowing when she will start to bud. she has had mood swings since she turned 8 last september. she keeps saying she wants her own life. she acts just like i did as a teenager.


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

dd by the way? been bugging me


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

In due time... Don't rush... All those awesome girlie things will happen.. and by the sounds of it.. sooner rather than later... your daughter will be a women soon enough... spend time hugging that little girl you still have!!!


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

dd= darling daughter... or dear daughter


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

thats one thing i will do. we both like our cuddles. and to me she will always be my little girl


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## DJG (Apr 18, 2006)

I normally lurk, but I wanted to chime in on this. I got my first period at 8, with no hair or boobs yet. Right now I'm *ahem* thirtysomething, 5' 0", with an "A" cup and very little body hair. I agree with the others, your daughter sounds normal to me. Can you talk with the women in the family as to what they were like at that age? It could be that her height and development are normal for her, given her genes.


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## a_work_in_progress (May 17, 2006)

The fact that she's bleeding at such a young age and stage in development would set up red flags. Is it possible she's trying to tell you she's being sexually abused?


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

well we are very close and i did ask her. she said no one has touched her down there and i asked if she would tell me and she said yes.


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## a_work_in_progress (May 17, 2006)

It is quite possible that she's hurting herself, and/or penetrating herself during masturbation, leading to the bleeding. It's very unlikely that she's starting her period.


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

i asked her and she said she doesnt and i believe her.


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## dancindoula (Jun 20, 2005)

As evidenced by the direct experience of other posters, it is NOT unlikely that she is starting her period. Some girls really do start pretty young, even without other visible development. Alot goes on in puberty that is invisible from the outside - it's not just about breasts, hips and body hair. I also know at least 2 friends who started their periods at 8 or 9, and one of them is short and petite to this day.

OTOH, did the doctor test to rule out UTI or bladder infection? Sometimes that can manifest with bleeding.


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## wende (Oct 4, 2003)

My son will be 8 in August and he's 48inches and about 50pounds. He's small, especially for a boy. However, he's not unhealthy and his size is genetic. My daughter was similarly built only thinner. I am 5'7" (so on the taller end but not tall) and only 110lbs. My oldest has just turned 14, she's 5'10" and 130lbs. She's the "abnormal" one, lol. I wouldn't worry too much about your daughters size just yet. As long as she's healthy and active, especially if she's genetically prone to being smaller, she's likely fine.

I don't know anything about the periods/breasts/hair. I swear I was the last of my friends to get any of those things. I'm still waiting for breasts


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

There are average height weight growth charts for girls at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/...l/cj41l022.pdf


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

You know what is wrong with that chart? It shows the weight by age, not according to height. My dd is 7 and weighs 65lbs but she is NOT OVERWEIGHT at all. But according to that chart, she must be because it is off the chart.

Then they have a separate chart for height. They both should be combined as one. I think that chart is very misleading. And again, it is "average." Not everyone is "average."

To the OP. My oldest dd was very small for her age. She was still wearing a girls size 10 in the 5th grade. At the begining of 6th grade she still wore a 10 but quickly went to a 12, then even more quickly a 14, and next thing I knew, by the end of the year she was wearing a Jr's size 1. She has basically stayed in the same size pants this year, now her bra size keeps getting bigger. She has not started her period yet however.

I wouldn't worry about your daughters size. She will catch up at some point. As for the bleeding, I remember my first period being kind of brownish not red like blood. I would think if it is red like blood it might be something different and would suggest as another poster said to get her tested for a UTI or other infection. (if the doctor didn't already test for that.) Good luck. I hope you figure out what is going on.


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

If you go to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad314.pdf and scroll down to page 23 of 28, there is a weight by stature chart. These charts include percentile data.


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## yogachick79 (Apr 4, 2006)

I wouldn't worry. I got my period at 10, with no hair and very little boob action going on. DD is almost 8 and she is about the same size as your daughter and VERY healthy. It actually boggles my mind that people comment on how she is short for her age because all of the other kids in her class are about the same size (some even smaller) with only a very few being taller. So in my mind she is average, which would make your DD about average too. She is still between a 6x and a 7, nothing to fear there.

Don't worry, you're just being a loving and concerned mama. About the buds, it is possible if she is sore that she is starting to develope. I remember there was a little girl who I babysat for who developed breast buds around 8 or 9 and would walk around with ice packs on her chest, poor thing. And come to think of it, there was a little girl at the spring choir performance who looked like she was already wearing a bra (I know because it freaked me out to think that could be DD soon) and they were all around 8-10.


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## simonee (Nov 21, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *marie257*
i wanted to see if she was budding but she doesnt seem to be but my daughter said that when i had a feel to see if she was,her boobs ached. is there anyway of knowing when she will start to bud.

wtf? You squeezed her boobs to see if she has them?

Dunno if she's small. Here in Holland most kids have that height when they're 5, but they grow up to be 6-footers. I would worry more about how an eight-year old who gets her period feels when her dad or mom or whatever squeezes her "buds".


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## fierymyst (May 27, 2006)

I feel like I missed an edited part since I see no reference to bleeding...

but in reference to height, both of my daughters are considered "petite". My husband is 6'1 and I am 5'5 so really we aren't short people. But my 8 yo is prob around 4ft and weighs about 52lbs, my 10yo is under 5ft and weighs about 56lbs. I see so many varying sizes in their grades, many are the same size yet she feels "short" and there are several taller and a few shorter, same for the 8 yo too. The thing is (and this may sound sexist but is reality) if I was to have a "petite child" at least its girls. Girls won't be teased for it and can deal with it better, it is more acceptable to society then having a 5ft son. Sucks but hey its reality, wouldn't life be grand if there was acceptance everywhere for everyone.


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## mama2toomany (Oct 17, 2005)

it is unlikely? huh... i guess I am the out girl then...

I started right when I turned 8. everything else... breasts, hair.. growth spurt happend later... much later.


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## JenniferH (Feb 24, 2005)

Everyone is different. My DD is 7, 4'4" and weighs 65 lbs. She's tall, thin and muscular, just like I was at that age. It's genetic, because her father is 6'4" and has a brother who is 6'6". I also have tall thin people in my background. These "charts" never take genetics or environment into account, and they are actually several decades old.

Unlike myself, though, she's not showing any signs of puberty yet. I was already starting to put on some body fat at that age. Started my period when I was 11, and I had JUST started getting BO, body hair and breast growth.


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## marie257 (May 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *simonee*
wtf? You squeezed her boobs to see if she has them?

Dunno if she's small. Here in Holland most kids have that height when they're 5, but they grow up to be 6-footers. I would worry more about how an eight-year old who gets her period feels when her dad or mom or whatever squeezes her "buds".

not anywhere have i said i squeezed her buds. i said i felt.


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