Why First borns are the height of mum’s petticoat
HEALTH & SCIENCE
The firstborn is naturally expected to be the tallest of the siblings to cement –physically –that they are the eldest. But this is not always the case, on average. In most cases, firstborns hold the short end of the stick, height-wise.
They also spot smaller body sizes than other siblings, a deviation that starts from the age of four.
One reason most firstborns, on average, are shorter, is nutrition, particularly breast feeding, whose inadequacy causes stunted growth. Most firstborns, being a mother’s first mothering challenge, have poor breastfeeding habits. That the breast milk is sometimes in short supply does not help matters. This deficiency spills over to other dietary habits and cumulatively this leads to stunted growth.