How to Increase a Child's Height

While some children experience delayed growth due to medical issues, most children will grow to a genetically predisposed height by the time they are adults. The rate at which they will grow varies from child to child and may be influenced by environmental factors as well. While there is no way to artificially make a child grow taller, certain steps will help your child’s height increase at a normal, healthy pace. Always consult a doctor with any questions about your child’s growth.

Things You'll Need

• Healthy food
• Sleep schedule
• Regular exercise

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Instructions

How to Help Your Child Grow Taller

• 1

  Provide your child with a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat. A 2004 article titled "The Height Gap" in The New Yorker magazine reported on a British study that gave one group of schoolchildren burgers and fries on a regular basis and another group of schoolchildren a diet of boiled cabbage and corned beef. Within two months, the children who ate the meat and vegetables were taller (and slimmer) than the burger group.

• 2

  Establish a regular nighttime schedule that provides your child with 9 to 12 hours of sleep every night. If your child is younger than 5, include a regular nap schedule as well. All children need at least nine hours of sleep a night, if not more. Children who do not get sufficient sleep may not grow as tall as their peers or at the same pace.

• 3

  Ensure your child is getting enough physical activity. Children who are overweight and less active than others may experience a slower growth rate. Children should receive at least an hour of exercise each day. According to a study published in the Sports Medicine journal in 2003, the exercise-induced growth hormone response (EIGR) has been shown to be linked to higher-intensity exercise in athletes. Obesity may also blunt the effects of EIGR in children, according to a U.S. and Israeli study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 200.

• 4

  Be a good example. Talk to your children about the importance of growing up to be healthy and strong and demonstrate healthy habits of your own. Establish family mealtimes, monitor your child’s schedule and eating habits, and play with your children. Children who are taught the importance of a healthy lifestyle are likely to have lower body mass indexes (BMI) and more apt to grow on a consistent basis.

• 5

  Take your child for regular checkups at the doctor to ensure that the child is growing at an appropriate rate and height for their age. Your doctor can answer any questions on how to help your child grow well and be as healthy as possible.