What is the average height of a 12-year-old child?
The average height for a 12-year-old girl is 59 inches (149.86 centimeters). Between the ages of 11 and 12, they will experience a growth spurt of roughly 2 inches per year. Meanwhile, the average height for a 12-year-old boy is 58 inches (147.32 centimeters). At this age, boys are not typically taller than girls because most girls begin puberty a bit earlier than boys [1].
That said, the age of 12 is a superior time to grow taller and increase height. As parents, you need to have patience when following the basic ways given below. Keep scrolling!
How to grow taller at 12?
A growing girl or boy can expect to gain a few inches if they apply these guidelines.
Eat a complete and balanced diet
To improve height, a well-balanced diet of whole and nutritious food is a must. The best one would come with necessary nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, to stimulate growth hormones and strengthen the bones. Following are the top foods you should add to every meal to help your children increase their height.
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Whole grains with husk are an excellent source of protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins.
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Soybeans are high in carbs, folate, protein, calcium, and vitamins which are necessary for improving bone health.
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Green leafy veggies like broccoli, bok choy, spinach, or okra are rich in nutrients needed for overall growth and development.
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Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, protein, and vitamins to nourish the body, especially the bone mineral content and cell growth. Kids at 12 should drink 3 cups of milk daily. Also, they need to consume other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese.
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Eggs are a cheap and simple dish, yet they are a powerhouse of nutrition. Eggs contain protein, riboflavin, calcium, and vitamins that assist healthy growth. Eat an egg daily to help your children get taller potentially.
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Bananas are humble fruits but are high in many necessary nutrients, like potassium, calcium, manganese, fiber, vitamins, and healthy prebiotics.
Have good eating habits
The truth is that kids prefer to consume processed food, fast food, and sweets instead of focusing on eating nutritious food. Although it is not easy to fully eliminate these foods from their menu, make sure they eat them occasionally. Also, they need to eat three main meals and at least two snacks to get enough nutrients throughout the day.
It is recommended to prepare light and healthy snacks, such as yogurt, fruits with cheese, oatmeal, fruit smoothie, baked sweet potato fries, kale chips, or veggies and hummus.
Get regular exercises
Exercising outdoors is an excellent 2-for-1 activity since the body gets the exercise it needs, and depending on the climate, kids also get an adequate dose of vitamin D from sunlight. But if it is too cold to go outside, you can guide them to do indoor exercises, like skipping or jumping jacks, to stimulate growth hormone production.
Try encouraging them to exercise for about 30 minutes daily to help them stay healthy, but also help them get taller by building bones and muscles.
Make your children try stretching
Do you know that simple stretching exercises might bring a big impact on their height? If you teach them some stretches from a young age, this will assist their process of height growth. Make them stand up straight and ask them to raise their hands to the sky and then reach down to touch their toes. Another easy stretching involves your kids sitting on the floor with their legs wide apart and trying to reach their toes with their arms.
Expose skin to the sun for vitamin D synthesis
Our body always needs sun exposure, no matter what our age is. That is because the natural source of sunlight is the key to helping a growing body synthesize vitamin D. This nutrient plays a critical role in increasing calcium absorption for healthier and stronger bones. Only spend a couple of minutes of sun exposure a day and make sure the skin is exposed to the sun to acquire the right amount of vitamin D.
Going out for the sun is also good for elevating mood, promoting sleep quality, and improving immunity.
Get more good sleep
A good night’s sleep every night plays a vital role in making the body repair itself. It also helps release human growth hormone, an essential hormone for increasing height. Hence, you must ensure that your children get between 9 and 12 hours of sleep every night to grow strong and stay healthy.
But the issue is that the typical teenager’s brains want to go to bed late and then sleep late the following morning. What should you do?
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Set a relaxing bedtime routine, like having a bath, drinking a glass of warm milk, or doing gentle yoga.
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Stop using computers, TVs, or smartphones for at least an hour before bedtime.
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Do not take stimulants like tea, coffee, or energy drinks in the evening.
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Keep the bedroom dark and cool at night.
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Be active during the day, but not too close to bedtime.
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Set up a regular wake-up time, even on weekends.
Maintain good posture
Slumping on the shoulders, standing with the weight on one leg, or leaning forward of the head and neck might make your children look shorter than their actual height. Hence, you need to talk to them and guide them on how to adjust their posture. Get into the habit of walking up straight and focus on rolling the shoulder back and tilting the chin up. While sitting, make sure to sit straight, face straight ahead, and do not forget to put a pillow behind the lower back for support.
Maintain a suitable weight
The heavier a person is, the more stress is placed on the spine. And this might compress the intervertebral disc of the spine, affecting height increase. And if they keep gaining weight uncontrollably, this can lead to the risk of obesity, followed by many serious health problems.
Girls at 12 often weigh between 68 and 135 pounds (31 to 61 kilograms), with 92 pounds (41 kilograms) being the average weight. Meanwhile, boys at this age weigh between 67 and 130 pounds (30 to 58 kilograms), with 89 pounds (40 kilograms) being the average weight [2, 3].
Aside from keeping an eye on food intake or encouraging them to follow an active lifestyle, parents should become role models for their kids to help them keep a healthy weight.
Try taking dietary supplements
Kids at 12 are growing and require a wide range of nutrients for proper growth. But the truth is that most of them find it hard to get a healthy and well-balanced diet daily provided their parents’ busy schedules. That is why taking supplements for overall growth and development are popular today. However, you might come across some products that claim to be able to make a person get taller magically. So, the best way is to seek high-quality supplements or ask for advice from your doctor.
Can a 12-year-old kid get taller overnight?
Technically, if your children are currently growing, they might get taller overnight, yet not to any remarkable degree.
Even during puberty, you should know that noticeable and significant height growth takes months to reveal itself. While it could be possible to get an inch or so in a couple of months if your kids are in a high-velocity growth phase, you will not notice any difference in the space of a day.
Final thoughts
Age 12 is a shining time in the developmental stage of teens to improve height and promote body growth. They need to take a nutritious diet with adequate quantities of all the macronutrients as well as vitamins and minerals. Then encourage them to carry out some exercises to enhance bone strength and growth hormone production. And do not forget to round out the day with 9 or more hours of relaxed sleep as well as combine the remaining methods mentioned above.
