# Did your size at birth predict your height as an adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706 "2007-02-11T05:13:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/1 "2007-02-11T05:13:26Z")
There was a question in GQ a while back that asked if big babies became big adults, and there’s a current MPSIMS thread about babyshowers that has a lot to do with baby sizes now. It is interesting to see if there are any generalizations to be made. I doubt it, but still…curiousity, cats… So, how big were you at birth (if your mom or dad ever told you) and how tall are you now? We’ll leave weight out of the “now” portion 😉 I was 8lbs 6oz and 22" at birth, which is apparently big, especially for a girl. Now I’m just shy of 5’4". ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/2 "2007-02-11T05:17:05Z")
I was 5 lbs 3 ounces. I’m currently 5’7". So no relationship for me. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/3 "2007-02-11T05:19:00Z")
I was 6lbs 2 oz and I’m 5’7 -5"7 1/2". ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/4 "2007-02-11T05:24:48Z")
I was 10 lbs, 10 oz, and I’m 6’ 1". My older brother (born sixteen years before me) was smaller at birth and is as tall as I am. I’ve heard that having subsequently bigger babies can indicate a risk of diabetes. Mom was diagnosed with Type II diabetes when I was in my teens, so there may be some validity to it. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/5 "2007-02-11T05:28:41Z")
I was 9 lbs 2 oz, and I’m 5’4 now. I was the biggest baby of all of my brothers and sisters, and now I’m the shortest adult. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/6 "2007-02-11T05:30:31Z")
I was 10 lbs 14.5 oz, a number which I know by heart because my mother has oft recited it, giving me an accusatory look as though I lingered in the womb and glutted myself on purpose. I am now 5’4" and weigh between 110 and 115 lbs. (I’ve struggled with being underweight since I hit my teenage years.) ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/7 "2007-02-11T05:36:30Z")
I was 6lb 9ounces and now I’m 5’11 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/8 "2007-02-11T05:47:22Z")
I was 8 lbs 11 oz, 23 inches, so a good sized, but not headline inspiring girl. I’m now 5’6". I’m 5’7" after a lot of deep tissue bodywork! By the way, “They” say the answer to the OP is no. There are half a dozen height predictors, but none of them are based on the infant’s size. The easiest and least reliable one is to take the height at age two and double it. The most reliable one is a formula involving the mother and father’s height, but I forget exactly what that formula is. The answers are only valid for full-term, healthy kids with good nutrition. Just for a lark, I put WhyBaby’s info in, and got a range of between 4’6" and 5’8"! But she’s a micropreemie, so it doesn’t work for her (the better guess is the 5’8", 'cause that’s based on her dad and I.) [This height predictor traces the percentile line.](http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/yahtpredictor.html) [This is the “double the height at two” calculator.](http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/usefultools/l/bl_htcalc.htm) [This is the one based on parental height.](http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/htcalculator.html) The last one is spot on for me. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/9 "2007-02-11T05:49:47Z")
The double height at two calculator sez I should be 5’10". I have ah, come up short, as it were, at 5’4". What a ripoff! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/10 "2007-02-11T05:53:06Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] The double height at two calculator sez I should be 5’10". I have ah, come up short, as it were, at 5’4". What a ripoff! [/QUOTE] That makes your username ever so funny! I always pictured you as a massive sexy Brunhilde type wearing furs and horns and quaffing (not drinking - quaffing) of the mead. 😃 How big was the baby Bruin, do you know? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/11 "2007-02-11T05:57:33Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] The double height at two calculator sez I should be 5’10". I have ah, come up short, as it were, at 5’4". What a ripoff! [/QUOTE] My doctor discussed that with my mom and I when I was ten or eleven. I was supposed to end up about 4’10" by that method. Even the scientific methods are often way wrong. This poll is mostly to entertain, anyway 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/12 "2007-02-11T06:02:41Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] That makes your username ever so funny! I always pictured you as a massive sexy Brunhilde type wearing furs and horns and quaffing (not drinking - quaffing) of the mead. 😃 [/quote] Ah well, I’ve got big shoulders and the fridge is in fact well-stocked with mead and Spaten. I have many steins and beer mugs. Party at my house! 😃 > [@](#): > > How big was the baby Bruin, do you know? 7lbs, 5.5 oz, 21 inches. I was even a little beefy then; I believe the nurse went on about my chunky thighs. Guess where my problem area is? At least one attribute from birth is predictable. :rolleyes: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/13 "2007-02-11T06:05:30Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] My doctor discussed that with my mom and I when I was ten or eleven. I was supposed to end up about 4’10" by that method. Even the scientific methods are often way wrong. This poll is mostly to entertain, anyway 🙂 [/QUOTE] Ah well, at least you got predicted six inches on the short side, so you couldn’t be too disappointed. Unless you wanted to be a jockey or something. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dgrdfd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/14 "2007-02-11T07:24:00Z")
I am kind of surprised here. I figured there would be more of a relationship, but there doesn’t seem to be. I don’t know how big I was, but I know I was 8 lbs something and at least 20 inches long. I am now 6’2. I am going to have to ask my mom now. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/15 "2007-02-11T07:34:47Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] [This is the one based on parental height.](http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/htcalculator.html) [/QUOTE] Heh - according to this one I should be 5’1". I’m 5’8" - I’m actually the tallest member of my immediate family (taller than my brother by 2 inches) and the same height or taller than amost all of my extended family. I have a male cousin on my mom’s side that’s 5’11, and two male cousins on my dad’s side that are 5’9". The next tallest women anywhere in my family tree is 5’3". I have no idea what happened. FWIW - I was 5 pounds, 11 ounces at birth - 21 inches. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/16 "2007-02-11T08:21:15Z")
That height calculator link is almost spot on for me. Mum was 5’ 4", my father 6’ 3", the site predicts (as I’m female) that I’m 5’ 7" (I’ve got half-an-inch on that). I _think_ I remember Mum saying I was a 9lb bubby. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/17 "2007-02-11T09:27:36Z")
I was 4 kilos at birth, which, according to the midwife, is “a big healthy baby”. Now I’m 179 cm, which is slightly above average for girls (oddly enough, exactly average for boys.) And I’m still big and healthy, so there. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/18 "2007-02-11T11:38:43Z")
7lbs, 8 oz : 5’ 11 3/4 😉 and pushing 200lbs though ideal for me is probably 180. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/19 "2007-02-11T13:39:31Z")
I’m not sure about myself, but my daughter weighed 7’7" and was 22 inches long when she was born. She spent most of her childhood in the 90th percentile for height. I’m 5’5", her father is 6’4", and I always figured she’d be 5’8" or so (which is also the prediction of that link that \*\*WhyNot \*\* provided). She’ll be 16 in April, I think she’s about done growing, and she’s somewhere around 5’3". In our stocking feet, she comes up to my eyebrows. Every once in a while, just to annoy her when she’s criticizing me about something, I look at her and say “You know, I thought you’d be taller.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706/20 "2007-02-11T13:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] There was a question in GQ a while back that asked if big babies became big adults, and there’s a current MPSIMS thread about babyshowers that has a lot to do with baby sizes now. It is interesting to see if there are any generalizations to be made. I doubt it, but still…curiousity, cats… So, how big were you at birth (if your mom or dad ever told you) and how tall are you now? We’ll leave weight out of the “now” portion 😉 I was 8lbs 6oz and 22" at birth, which is apparently big, especially for a girl. Now I’m just shy of 5’4". [/QUOTE] I don’t recall my birth stats other than to always have been told I was very “tiny”. I’m now 5"10" and 182. VCNJ~ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-size-at-birth-predict-your-height-as-an-adult/391706.md?page=2)