Growth questions to ask your IBD team

Worried about your child’s height, weight, growth or puberty?

Growth is an important part of managing childhood IBD. Children with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may have their height, weight, nutrition and development monitored regularly as part of their care.

Appointments can be busy, and it can be difficult to remember everything you wanted to ask.

That’s why we’ve created a printable Growth Questions to Ask Your IBD Team checklist that you can take with you to your next appointment.

📋 Download the free growth questions checklist

Our printable checklist gives you a practical list of questions to ask about your child’s:

• height and growth pattern

• weight

• nutrition

• nutritional deficiencies

• IBD inflammation

• puberty

• blood and stool tests

• medications

• body image

• emotional wellbeing

• next steps and ongoing monitoring.

You don’t need to ask every question. Simply choose the ones that are most relevant to your child and use the checklist to make sure nothing important gets forgotten.

Tip: Print the checklist before your appointment and highlight the questions you want to discuss. You can also use the notes section to write down your child’s measurements, test results and recommendations.

📏 Questions about my child’s growth

Your child’s doctor will usually look at their growth over time rather than focusing on a single height or weight measurement.

You could ask:

• Is my child growing at the expected rate?

• How does their current height compare with their previous growth pattern?

• Has their growth velocity changed?

• Is their weight appropriate for their height and age?

• Are they following their usual growth curve?

• Have they dropped across any growth percentiles?

• Could their IBD be affecting their growth?

• What should we be watching between appointments?

⚖️ Questions about weight

Changes in weight can happen for many reasons. Weight loss may occur during active IBD, while some children may gain weight as their appetite improves or in response to certain treatments.

Ask your child’s IBD team:

• Is my child’s current weight a concern?

• Are they gaining weight appropriately?

• Should we be concerned about recent weight loss?

• Could their weight changes be related to active IBD?

• Are they getting enough energy and protein?

• Should we be trying to increase their energy intake?

• Would nutritional supplements be helpful?

• Should we be monitoring their weight at home?

If you’re concerned about your child’s nutrition or weight, ask whether a paediatric IBD dietitian could help.

🔥 Could IBD inflammation be affecting growth?

Active inflammation can affect growth and nutrition, so it can be useful to understand how well your child’s IBD is currently controlled.

You could ask:

• Could active inflammation be affecting my child’s growth?

• Is their IBD currently well controlled?

• Could they have ongoing inflammation even if they seem well?

• Do their blood tests suggest inflammation?

• Would a faecal calprotectin test help assess what is happening?

• Could their recent symptoms or flare have affected their growth?

• Does their treatment need to be reviewed?

Remember that symptoms, blood tests and stool tests are usually considered together.

One normal result doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story.

🥗 Questions about nutrition and deficiencies

Growing children need enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.

If your child has poor appetite, food restrictions, weight loss or slowing growth, ask:

• Is my child getting enough energy and protein for growth?

• Are there any nutrients we should be monitoring?

• Should we check iron and ferritin?

• Should we check vitamin D and calcium?

• Should we check vitamin B12, folate or zinc?

• Could my child’s diet be contributing to poor growth?

• Could a restrictive diet be affecting their nutrition?

• Would seeing an IBD dietitian be helpful?

A dietitian can help your family support growth without unnecessarily restricting foods.

🌱 Questions about growth and puberty

Growth and puberty are closely connected.

Some children with IBD may experience delayed puberty, particularly when inflammation has been active or nutritional needs haven’t been met.

You could ask:

• Is my child’s puberty progressing as expected?

• Could their IBD be affecting puberty?

• Should we be concerned that puberty hasn’t started yet?

• Could delayed puberty explain some of their growth pattern?

• Should their hormone levels be checked?

• Would you recommend seeing a paediatric endocrinologist?

• Is there anything we can do now to support healthy growth and development?

Being smaller or developing later than friends doesn’t automatically mean there is a problem. Your child’s healthcare team can assess their individual growth and development.

🧪 Questions about tests and monitoring

If your child’s growth has changed, their healthcare team may decide that further assessment is appropriate.

You could ask:

• What tests do you recommend to investigate their growth?

• Do they need blood tests?

• Should we check inflammatory markers such as CRP or ESR?

• Should we check their iron and nutritional levels?

• Would a faecal calprotectin test be useful?

• How often should their height and weight be measured?

• How often should their growth be reviewed?

• What would make you want to investigate further?

Your child may not need every test. Their healthcare team will decide what is appropriate based on their age, symptoms, IBD and overall health.

💊 Questions about treatment and growth

If active inflammation is affecting your child’s growth, controlling their IBD is an important part of supporting healthy development.

You could ask:

• Could any of my child’s medications be affecting their growth or appetite?

• Is their current IBD treatment controlling inflammation effectively?

• Could improving disease control help their growth?

• Are there any treatment changes we should consider?

• How will we know whether treatment is helping their growth?

• Are there any medication side effects we should watch for?

Never stop or change your child’s prescribed IBD medication without discussing it with their healthcare team.

🧠 Questions about body image and emotional wellbeing

Growth and puberty can be sensitive subjects, particularly for older children and teenagers.

If your child is worried about their appearance or comparing themselves with friends, you could ask:

• My child is worried about being smaller or larger than their friends. How can we support them?

• Could their concerns about weight or appearance be affecting their eating?

• What should we do if they become anxious about food or their body?

• Is there someone we can speak with about body image or emotional wellbeing?

• How can we talk about weight and growth without making our child feel self-conscious?

You don’t have to wait until body image concerns become severe before asking for help.

📅 Questions about what happens next

Before leaving the appointment, make sure you understand what happens next.

Ask:

• What would you like my child’s growth to look like over the next year?

• What should we monitor at home?

• When should we contact you between appointments?

• What changes would be a reason to bring their appointment forward?

• When should their growth and puberty be reviewed again?

• Who should we contact if we have concerns about their nutrition or growth?

Your child’s IBD team can also explain which changes are expected and which ones should prompt you to get in touch.

📝 Don’t forget your notes

Appointments can be full of information.

Use the notes section in the printable checklist to write down:

• your child’s current height and weight

• recent changes you’ve noticed

• questions you want answered

• test results

• nutrition advice

• treatment changes

• follow-up dates

• anything you want to remember later.

You can also take a photo of your completed checklist after the appointment so you have the information available when you need it.

💛 You don’t need to remember everything

Understanding your child’s growth can feel complicated, particularly when you’re also managing IBD symptoms, medications, nutrition and appointments.

You don’t need to have all the answers before you see your child’s healthcare team.

The most important thing is to ask questions, share changes you’ve noticed and make sure you understand what happens next.

Your child’s IBD team can look at their growth pattern, nutrition, puberty, symptoms and inflammation together to work out whether anything needs further investigation or support.

Download the checklist, take it to your next appointment and use it as a starting point for the conversation.

📥 Download the checklist

Growth Questions to Ask Your IBD Team — Printable Checklist

A practical A4 checklist with questions about growth, weight, nutrition, puberty, tests, treatment, body image and next steps.