- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- twins today articles
- twins today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Growing Pains
Those Annoying Little Aches By C.J. Johnson
Parents can also reassure their child that the pains are not harmful and will not last forever. Most children outgrow the pains by age 9. If a parent experienced the same pains as a child, it will comfort their little one if they share that information with them.
To head off the pains before they start, a warm bath, stretching and an analgesic before bedtime might be helpful. Parents who have noticed a correlation between very active days and leg pains in their children should help the child take these extra steps at the end of a particularly busy day.
However, there are a few simple guidelines parents can follow to determine if the pains their child is 
feeling are actually growing pains. If any of the following symptoms are present, a parent should contact their pediatrician:
- Abnormal gait
- Redness around the joints
- Swelling around the legs
- Rash
- Fever
- Persistent limp
- Pains that persist beyond the morning
- Tender bones
A physician should also evaluate children who are troubled by frequent, recurrent episodes of leg pain. If the examination is normal, this situation can be labeled as growing pains.
Just as it is with many phases children experience, growing pains will pass with time. Until the child's body matures, parents can provide massages, warm baths and plenty of patience. With these simple comforts, both parents and child can survive growing pains.