developing early

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
developing early
6
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 3:07pm
hello everyone!! im not the mother of a teen-not yet anyway-but i need some help from btdt moms-and i have a good feeling ill find you guys here. my oldest child is 7...and as crazy as it sounds, i think shes starting to go through puberty-already. my hubbys cousin brought it up on saturday and after she did, i keep looking at my child thinking she was right-my 7 year old is starting to get the start of breasts-and they arent baby fat bumps-my dd isnt overweight at all-if anything shes slightly underweight so i know theyre not from her being heavy...and shes already got body odor issues going on too-if she doesnt put on deodorant in the morning-you can tell. deodorant-at 7!!!! shes always been moody-and last year there were some mornings, shed get right up for school and some days she would fight me. theres days shes an angel and days shes a demon child-its like she IS hormonal. i called my mom and talked to her about this last night-i wanted her to reassure me, but all she did was agree with my hubbys cousin!! so-i thought i would seek some advice from you guys-this sounds like shes going through puberty doesnt it??? have you ever heard of a child going through it this early??? i didnt think id have to worry about this for at least 3 more years-any advice would be helpful!! thanks!!!
joanne
maman2goons@yahoo.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 3:59pm

I don't have a definitive answer, but I can tell you, my dd started right before 10 with some outward changes and the month she turned 11 she started her period.

So I believe they can start very young. Things have changed so since I was little, (long time ago) haha. I was told that they tend to take after their mother, if the mom started young, chances are the daughter will too.

What I would have done at that age is talk to my pediatrician. Ours were always very helpful as she started to change and grow.

Hope this helps a little.

Andie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 4:44pm

You should check in with your pediatrician to rule out anything medical

My now 22 yr old needed deodorant at 7-it was odd-I walked around for days looking for the onions because it never crossed my mind it was my child!

He also got underarm hair early(9 or 10 if memory serves)

The doc said "odd, we'll keep an eye on it" but it never went full blown until the regualr time

He was the earliest of my three boys but he wasnt abnormal. There was a huge growth spurt the summer after 6th grade(he has stretch marks) There were boys who did that in 5th, though!

So it could be significant and could, not but always, always wise to check with your doctor

BTW I work with 0-3 yr olds and we had a toddler with pubic hair who ended up at a specialist-they had to run tests but....she is a-okay. Lots of body hair in the family and I would say DH and DS1 are on the hairy side too-dont know if that means anything

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 5:04pm

Oh my, hugs to you and your DD.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-14-2006
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 5:07pm
My niece started developing just around that age. My sister took her to the Pediatrician and there is an actual medical term for it, but I can't recall what it is now. She also started her period very young which was a little difficult for her. One of the concerns I know the Dr. had was overall growth because he said after girls start their periods, they really don't grow much taller, but my niece had always been tall for her age. I would talk to your Dr. and see what they say. I know my niece went through a phase of wearing really big shirts because she was self conscious about her body being different from the other girls at that age. Its hard when you think you will have a few more years to prepare, but I remember my sister saying the same thing about the moodiness, that is was like PMS.
Avatar for bookwormmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2003
Tue, 07-31-2007 - 5:54pm
I agree with the others that you should call her dr. I have heard of this and at much younger ages than even your dd. It is very difficult when their body matures before their minds do and before they are emotionally ready. Call your dr and talk to him/her and see what they say, this may be something that you and she will have to deal with, or it could be a condition that can be treated.
Good luck and let us know how things go,
Kristie
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Registered: 03-27-2005
Wed, 08-01-2007 - 8:07am

My son went through this. It's called precosious puberty. I strongly urge you to call your child's pedi asap and get her a referal to a pediatric endochrinologist. It's important that her growth, growth plates, and hormone levels be monitored. Going through puberty too soon can cause some problems, including stunted growth.

My son is 13 and xrays of the growth plates in his hands say he's 16. The doctors say he will stop growing a full three years early because of this. He's also had to deal with normal puberty stuff early. (Physical changes, Muscular changes Pubic hair, body hair, facial hair etc.). While most of his friends are just starting to get acne, he's dealing with 5 o'clock shaddow. The endochrinologist has been most supportive and of great counsel to him over the years. He started going when he was seven years old.

stacy