**Core Concept:** Growth spurt and linear growth in infants.

**Why the Correct Answer is Right:** After birth, infants experience a rapid growth phase called the neonatal period, where they double their birth weight within a few months and their height within the first year. This growth spurt is due to an increase in bone length, mainly in the first six months. The linear growth plate in long bones, the epiphyseal plates, remains open during the first two years of life, allowing for continued longitudinal bone growth. After this period, the growth plates close, and bone length stops increasing.

**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect:**

A. **False**: Growth plates close at different ages for different bones and vary among individuals. They close earlier in females (around 14-15 years) than in males (around 16-17 years).

B. **False**: Although infants gain weight quickly in the first year, they do not double their height within a year. The height is determined by the closure of growth plates and the duration of the open growth plates.

C. **False**: Growth plates close at different ages for different bones and vary among individuals.

D. **False**: Growth plates close at different ages for different bones and vary among individuals.

**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact:**

Understanding the growth plates' closure and bone growth dynamics is crucial in pediatric practice, as it impacts the diagnosis and treatment of various pediatric conditions (e.g., slipped capital femoral epiphysis, slipped vertebral epiphysis, and epiphyseal dysplasia).

**Correct Answer:** C. Growth plates close at different ages for different bones and vary among individuals.