Parents often find themselves comparing their children to others, especially when it is their first child. Sometimes, seeing your child smaller than most toddlers causes you distraught.

This article is intended to provide parents with a substantial guide regarding a three-year old's development. This includes the average height of a 3-year-old boy and girl, cognitive development, and more.

Keep Track of Your Toddler's Growth

Monitoring your child's growth is a crucial part of pediatric care as it can mirror potential health problems.

• The normal height for a boy at age 3 is between 36.5 inches - 38.6 inches. Meanwhile, a three-year-old girl's height ranges from 36 inches - 38.1 inches.
  
  
• You should also know how much a 3-year-old weighs. A toddler by this age should weigh around 29.5 lbs. - 34.3 lbs.

Why Does My Child Fall Off the Chart?

1. Your Child is a Late Bloomer

You don't always have to be alarmed if your child's height doesn't fall among those numbers. Some children have a condition called a constitutional growth delay, which could start as early as a child's first year. Children with this condition will have a late onset of puberty, but will continue to grow to complete the developmental process even when most children have already stopped.

2. Familial Short Stature

If a child has short-statured parents or grandparents, chances are, he will be shorter than average. Nonetheless, a child who has inherited genes for short stature and remains healthy will grow at a regular rate and will hit puberty at a normal time.

3. Your Child is a Picky Eater

It is of paramount importance that you introduce your children to a healthy relationship with food at a tender age. Provide your child the calories and essential nutrients he needs for energy and overall development.

Picky eaters won't be able to receive enough nutrition due to being too selective. This could lead to malnutrition, which could lead to stagnant growth, as well as short and long-term nutrient deficiencies.

Other Reasons Why Your Child Isn't Growing

1. Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia is the most common condition that causes growth failure. Also known as dwarfism, it is a genetic disorder that affects bone and cartilage.

People with dwarfism are characterized by a prominent forehead, short limbs, and a normal-sized torso. Adults with this condition can grow only up to 4 ft.

2. Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a hormonal disorder caused by the lack of thyroid hormones A deficit of this hormone decelerates growth.

Children with this disorder still have normal body proportions, but may appear much younger than they actually are.

3. Syndromes

Turner syndrome is a genetic condition that affects females who are missing several or all an X chromosome.

Down syndrome is another genetic condition that affects both male and female. Children with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of 46.

Noonan syndrome is also a genetic disorder that inhibits the normal development of a child. It is characterized by malformation of the bones of the rib cage, a short stature, and heart defects.

4. Chronic Illnesses

Chronic illnesses involving the circulatory, gastrointestinal, or nervous system can also cause growth failure.

How is Growth Failure Treated?

• Children with either familial short stature or constitutional growth delay do not require any treatment as both conditions are not linked to alarming symptoms of growth failure. However, you need to see your health practitioner as soon as you suspect that your child's stunted growth is due to medical reasons.
  
  
• Your child's attending physician will then perform various tests to determine the root cause of his growth failure, which includes thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone tests, x-rays, and an MRI of the head. He may refer you to a pediatric endocrinologist for a more accurate evaluation of the possible causes of growth failure in your child.
  
  
• Children with growth hormone deficiency or hypothyroidism can be treated through a consistent hormone replacement therapy. This procedure uses somatotropin, which is injected underneath the fat tissue of the skin. This drug is used to replenish growth hormones, as well as serve as a growth-promoting agent. A daily dose of this drug provides a significant increase in growth velocity until the entire development process is complete.
  
  
• The FDA has long approved the use of growth hormones in promoting growth in children, including those with Turner Syndrome and Noonan Syndrome. Early therapeutic intervention is crucial.
  
  
• Furthermore, even children who are not hormone deficient, but are extremely short can also benefit from a hormone replacement therapy to increase in height. It must begin as early as possible before the developmental process is made complete.

Developmental Milestones of a Toddler

1. Motor Skills and Coordination

Toddlers can perform a variety of activities. Climbing stairs and kicking balls are an easy feat. They are a burst of energy, but are incapable of knowing their limits. Hence, parents are obliged to watch their children attentively to prevent injuries. Incorporate playtime with games that will improve his motor skills and coordination such as a child-friendly obstacle course.

2. Thinking Skills

By this age, a toddler should be able to express his imagination through scribbles and drawings. A toddler's brain is like a sponge, which absorbs everything he sees or hears, Introduce ideas that are easy for him to comprehend as toddlers are yet to learn the difference between real and imaginary. Likewise, know that toddlers are sensory learners. Make your child feel, touch, and taste the world around him.

3. Language Skills

Toddlers are good at learning a language and can be able to follow instructions. An average toddler can memorize more than 15 words. Although they still lack the skill to construct clear sentences, they can easily communicate their needs.

4. Social and Emotional Development

Toddlers are usually friendly around other children and love to impersonate adults. However, they are also quick to throw tantrums if you don't give in to their demands. In other words, toddlers are compulsive.

Final Thoughts

Developmental milestones can only give you an inkling of the changes you are about to expect as your baby grows. However, don't be distraught if your child doesn't seem as bright as the other children or as tall as the average height of a 3-year-old boy. If your child displays alarming cues of developmental delays, then alert your doctor immediately.

Bear in mind that your child's environment, nutrition, genetics, as well as your guidance, are crucial aspects that contribute a positive effect in his overall development.