Children's Height and Healthy Growth: What Really Helps

Children's height is mostly decided by the genes they inherit from both parents. You cannot change that, but you can help your child reach their own natural height with a balanced diet, enough sleep, active play and good general health. No vitamin, supplement or food can make a healthy child taller than their natural potential.

If your child is a fussy eater or has a small appetite, you may be thinking about a children's food supplement such as Arg Complex. A food supplement can help fill gaps in a diet, but it is not a way to add height. Arg Complex is not on our website yet, so ask our pharmacist about Arg Complex, and check the pack for its ingredients, age range and directions. Here is what really helps.

How children grow

Children do not grow at a steady speed. Babies and toddlers grow fastest, school-age children grow more slowly and steadily, and puberty brings the last big growth spurt. Puberty usually starts between 8 and 13 in girls and between 9 and 14 in boys, and girls tend to have their spurt earlier. Most young people reach their adult height by their late teens.

Growth charts: following their own curve

At check-ups, your child's doctor plots height and weight on a growth chart. Its curved lines, called centiles, show the normal range at each age. What matters most is that your child keeps following roughly the same curve. A child growing steadily along a low line is usually just a smaller child, often from a shorter family.

How tall your child is likely to be

Doctors can estimate a child's likely adult height from the average of the parents' heights, adjusted up a little for a boy or down a little for a girl. This mid-parental height gives a rough range, not an exact number, but shows how much height runs in families.

Can vitamins or supplements increase children's height?

Many parents search for "height increase for children" or "vitamins to grow taller". The honest answer is that there is no good evidence that arginine, a multivitamin or any other supplement makes a healthy, well-nourished child taller than their natural potential.

Arginine is sometimes linked to growth hormone because doctors use it in hospital, in a supervised test of how well the body releases growth hormone. That is not the same as a supplement raising height. The few studies of arginine taken by mouth in short children were small and low quality. Any effect on growth speed was small and uncertain, and the studies lasted only months, not until the children reached adult height.

What helps a child reach their natural height

A balanced diet

Growing bodies need energy and a mix of nutrients:

• Protein from eggs, chicken, fish, meat, lentils, beans and dairy.
• Calcium from milk, laban, yoghurt and cheese. Calcium is needed for normal growth and development of bone in children.
• Vitamin D from oily fish, egg yolks and fortified foods. It helps the body absorb calcium.
• Iron from red meat, chicken, lentils and fortified cereals. Iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin.
• Zinc from meat, seafood, dairy and wholegrains. Zinc contributes to normal cell division.

Add fruit, vegetables and wholegrains daily. Regular meals and planned snacks help appetite, while grazing on crisps, sweets and sugary drinks fills small stomachs with little nutrition. If older children fast in Ramadan, make suhoor and iftar count with protein, dairy, fruit and water.

Enough sleep for their age

The body releases much of its growth hormone during deep sleep. Sleep experts recommend:

• Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours, including naps
• Pre-school children (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours, including naps
• School-age children (6 to 12 years): 9 to 12 hours
• Teenagers (13 to 18 years): 8 to 10 hours

Late summer nights are common in the UAE, so keep a regular bedtime on school nights.

Active play, sport and screen time

Running, jumping, climbing and sport help build strong bones and muscles. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, on average, for children aged 5 to 17. In the hottest months, plan outdoor play for the early morning or evening, use shaded or indoor spaces and offer water often.

Long hours on screens take time from play and sleep. The WHO advises no more than 1 hour of screen time a day for children aged 2 to 4. For older children, set consistent limits and keep screens out of the bedroom at night.

Looking after their general health

Long-term illness, frequent infections and conditions that affect how the gut absorbs food can slow growth, so keep up with check-ups.

Vitamin D and children in the UAE

Despite the sunshine, low vitamin D is common in the UAE, because many children spend most of the day indoors in air-conditioned schools, homes and malls. Our guide to vitamin D deficiency in the UAE explains why levels drop and how a blood test helps. Ask your paediatrician whether your child needs a vitamin D supplement.

Tips for picky eaters

Fussy eating is very common in young children and usually improves with time. These ideas help:

• Offer small portions and let your child ask for more.
• Keep offering new foods next to foods they like; many children need many tries before they accept one.
• Eat together when you can, and keep mealtimes calm, without pressure or bribes.
• Limit juice, sweets and big drinks of milk between meals, as they can spoil the appetite.
• Let your child help with shopping and cooking.

Where a children's food supplement fits

Food comes first. A children's multinutrient food supplement may help fill gaps if your child is a very picky eater, has had a low appetite for a while, or avoids whole food groups such as dairy or meat. It cannot replace a varied, balanced diet. If your child eats very little or is losing weight, see your paediatrician.

Children's nutrition products at Bait Al Dawaa Pharmacy

Here are some food supplements for children and families. Check the age on each pack before you buy.

• Arg Complex: a children's food supplement. It is not on our website yet, so ask our pharmacist about Arg Complex, and check the pack for its ingredients, age range and directions.
• Special Kid Vitamin D3 Drops 20ml: a liquid vitamin D3 food supplement for children; vitamin D3 is needed for normal growth and development of bone in children.
• Viva Kid's Calcium and Vitamin D Gummies: chewable gummies with calcium, needed for the normal growth and development of bone in children, and vitamin D.

The vitamin D drops and the gummies both contain vitamin D, so ask our pharmacist before giving any two of these together. See more in our supplements collection.

Using children's supplements safely

• Check the age on the pack, and only give an adult product if a doctor advises it.
• Follow the directions on the pack and do not exceed the stated dose.
• Give only one multivitamin at a time, and add up vitamin D and iron across everything your child takes.
• Keep supplements out of reach of children, and never call gummies or syrups sweets.
• Take extra care with iron. An accidental overdose of an iron-containing product is very dangerous for young children.
• Ask your paediatrician first if your child has a medical condition or takes any medicine.

When to see a doctor or ask our pharmacist

Most shorter children are healthy and growing at their own pace. Still, see your paediatrician if your child:

• is not growing along their usual curve on the growth chart
• is much shorter than classmates and than you would expect from the family
• shows signs of puberty very early (before 8 in girls or 9 in boys), or none by around 13 in girls or 14 in boys
• has a poor appetite with weight loss
• gets ill often, or seems tired all the time

A paediatrician can measure your child, look at their growth over time and, if needed, arrange blood tests or an X-ray of the hand to check bone age, which shows how much growing time may be left. If your child swallows too much of a supplement, especially one with iron, get medical help straight away, and call 998 in an emergency.

Ask our pharmacist if you need help choosing a children's supplement.

Frequently asked questions

Does Arg Complex make children taller?

No supplement, including Arg Complex, has been shown to make a healthy child taller than their natural height, which is mostly set by genes. Arg Complex is a children's food supplement; ask our pharmacist about it, and check the pack for its ingredients, age range and directions.

My child is the shortest in the class. Should I worry?

Not necessarily. Puberty starts at different ages, so classmates can differ a lot in height for a few years, and many short children have shorter parents. Steady growth along their own curve is reassuring; ask your paediatrician if you have doubts.

Can children keep growing after puberty?

Height growth stops once the growth plates in the bones close, usually by the late teens. After that, food and sleep still matter for health but cannot add height.

This article is general information, not medical advice. For advice about your own health, speak to your doctor or ask our pharmacist at Bait Al Dawaa Pharmacy.