5 bad habits that cause children to be short.

No matter how much milk children drink, they won't grow taller if they continue these habits.

Let's "list" the harmful habits to avoid for your child to "lengthen" their legs as desired:

Drinking carbonated soft drinks

Carbonated soft drinks have a very negative impact on the body's organs and can also weaken a child's skeletal system. (Illustrative image)

Carbonated soft drinks have a very negative impact on the body's organs and weaken a child's skeletal system. A strong and healthy skeletal system is essential for a child's height development. Therefore, parents should avoid letting their children drink carbonated soft drinks frequently; it's best to keep them away from this type of beverage altogether. Fast food, high in fat and salt, has a similar negative impact on a child's height. Instead, include plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fresh fruit juices in your child's diet.

Limited exposure to early morning sunlight.

Vitamin D is extremely essential for a child's height development. Importantly, this vitamin is difficult to absorb through food and is synthesized primarily in the skin when exposed to early morning sunlight. Many mothers fear their children getting sunstroke or illness, and coupled with the fact that many children nowadays prefer to sit indoors playing on computers and video games for hours, rarely going outside to interact with nature, they miss out on the opportunity to grow taller from natural sunlight.

In Vietnam, the best time for sunbathing is 9 am. However, on extremely hot days with high temperatures, parents can adjust the sunbathing time for their babies to an earlier time. Parents should also consult with experts to ensure that sunbathing is done in moderation and does not negatively affect the baby's health.

Being given too much calcium supplement

Although calcium promotes height growth, excess calcium in the body can lead to several worrying health problems. More concerningly, children may experience stunted growth due to excess calcium. This is because high levels of calcium in the blood can lead to more calcium entering the bones, causing premature hardening, inhibiting bone development, and potentially resulting in stunted growth or cessation of height development due to premature bone ossification.

Sitting still in a chair for hours on end.

Sitting for too long, coupled with incorrect posture, can hinder a child's height development. (Illustrative image)

Sitting for too long, coupled with incorrect posture, will hinder a child's height development. Don't expect your child to grow tall if you let them sit for 4-8 hours on the sofa just to watch TV or play video games. Furthermore, it's necessary to teach children proper posture to avoid spinal curvature, which further reduces the effectiveness of height development. In addition, encouraging children to exercise regularly is one of the most effective ways to "lengthen" their legs.

Staying up late, lack of sleep.

Sleep plays a crucial role in a child's height development, especially during the pre-puberty and puberty stages. 90% of bone growth in children occurs while they sleep, particularly between 10 and 12 midnight. When children sleep soundly and get enough sleep, the pituitary gland is stimulated to release growth hormone, which helps increase height. Therefore, it's important to establish a habit of going to bed early at the same time every day. The sleep needs of children vary by age:

- Infants (0-3 months): 14-17 hours per day.

- Children aged 4-11 months: 12-15 hours per day.

- Children aged 1-2 years: 11-14 hours per day.

- Preschool children (3-5 years old): 10-13 hours per day.

- Elementary school children (6-13 years old): 9-11 hours per day.

- Teenagers (14-17 years old): 8-10 hours per day.

According to Discovery