We have an adorable son who just turned three in August. Unlike his big sister, who dropped her afternoon nap at age two and can easily go thirteen hours a day jumping, and playing with seemingly all the energy in the world, this little guy definitely needs an afternoon nap in order to function optimally. He, of course, has moments where he is bursting with energy, running, climbing, etc, but I find that many times he is asking me to hold him, or just lying on the floor, bored out of his wits, yawning. When we go outside for walks, at times he prefers to walk, but many times he'd rather sit in a stroller. He walked at the later end of the normal range....just shy of 17 months...and although he is perfectly steady on his feet, I doubt he is going to be voted most athletic. ;). I know he has had, and continues to have, a hard time adjusting to his seven month old brother...and so asking to be held a lot has much to do with "mourning" the loss of being the baby. But sometimes he just seems so lethargic. I cannot claim he is the best eater, but he does eat, and he takes a multivitamin. I decided it can't hurt to have a routine blood test to make sure he is not iron deficient, but my husband thinks its just his temperament. Anyone else have a kid similar to what I have described?
My oldest son was like that. He took long naps until he started school, and then still napped on the weekends until he was 6. Now he is almost 17 and is still a very happy, easy-going (non-athletic) guy. :)
I thought my first was going to start K still napping. He's totally fine, just a mellow kid.
And wow was I in for a shock when I had my 2nd, who is NOT mellow.
The lesson I learned: you can't compare your kids.
Our son napped till he was 7 yrs old.
His kindergarten teachers were surprised by how deeply he slept at nap time (REM sleep and everything) - but they also said he really seemed taller after nap time - it was like watching him grow before their eyes!
In 1st grade there were no more naps in school and he was one grumpy kid in the afternoons but he still napped on weekends for a long time.
He was growing rapidly (he shot up 4 inches each year when he was 4, 6 and 8 yrs old) and that sort of growth is exhausting (and the growing pains were horrible).
When not napping he was running, jumping, climbing - he got plenty of activity.
He's 15 now and still needs hugs - they never out grow that - at least mine hasn't so far.
Your son is different from your daughter - so try not to compare them - but I think he's fine.
My son napped for 3 hours until well past the age of 4. So some kids are late nappers and that's fine. Mine was very energetic and going full tilt, and then plop! He just needed to drop where he was!
I agree he may need extra snuggling because of the baby. You're right about that - it's pretty "textbook".
95% of children do not get the nutrition they need even if they are "good eaters", and I doubt very much that the multivitamin you are giving him has anywhere near the nutrients he needs. Assuming he's had regular check-ups and there's not major medical cause, and that he's sleeping well through the night with a long enough time in bed, he's probably undernourished. People say 'Oh, just eat right" "eat more fruits and vegetables" but that's really not possible anymore - our food lacks sufficient nutrition, trace elements, other vital phytonutrients due to growing and harvesting techniques and timetables. The vitamin industry blossomed about 25 years ago to combat this deficiency, but because it's more profitable to sell lots of individual nutrients in separate bottles, or multivitamins that still lack all kinds of necessary elements, they are not effective. That's why cellular nutrition has risen up as an antidote, but there are still a lot of doctors (without much training in food science or nutrition) are still saying, "Oh take Vitamin D if you're low in D, or take iron for energy." Doesn't work, never has.
Look on the bottle of vitamins - if there's a warning label ("keep out of reach of children" or "do not exceed one tablet per day" or anything like that), it's not FOOD, it's not entirely safe, and it's obviously not effective. There are effective supplements, even a few with patents showing they are proven safe and effective, and they are used extensively with "ordinary" kids as well as kids with Failure To Thrive syndrome and severe malnutrition. With the new superfood available in natural form (non-synethic) to boost the power of the supplement (vitamins, minerals and more) as well as the immune system, there is a much simpler way to ensure that kids (and adults) get the nutrition they require. Working in food science with so many kids like yours, as well as adults who are dragging around exhausted and stressed, and going to a lot of training and seminars with premier food scientists and epigeneticists has taught me how important this is. We all have a lot more energy every day now that we have gotten away from traditional supplements that primarily benefit those selling them.
I would suggest having live blood work done. That will give you a better idea of what is going on. Blood work done at an MDs office is just going to give you a piece of the puzzle because it's not looked at for days. Also, all multivitamins are not the same. If he's taking a Flintstones (or Flintstones-like) or something you picked up at SAMs or Walmart, then he might as well be eating the plastic bottle and it's doing more harm than good.
Once you get him to a baseline, then it will be easier to figure out if this is normal or not. My youngest had her blood work done years ago and the first thing the ND asked was "does she sleep a lot."
Regards,
M.
I agree with your husband. He is a very mellow kid. Nothing wrong with that. The baby will make up for it lol.
Good idea for the blood test, also Try to eliminate as much as you can processed foods, bread, pasta, jar foods, box foods.. Try to make your meals from scratch as much as you can. I know that the more processed the food is, the more tired I feel. Try it for a few days and see if he perks up.
Naps, well my son napped until he was 5.. no worries there.
Good luck..
I am 45, I have tons of energy but I also need to power down too. We all do. It could simply be your son's rhythm. It could simply be "his way". I have 2 girls, both totally different. One was cuddly and quiet, the other jumpy and you had to pin her dawn just to change her diaper. And today, they are 15 and 19 and wonderful, in their own ways. Enjoy the quiet, enjoy the downtime, allow him to find his own rhythm.
As for the multivitamin, I agree with Mimi - anything for a local store is pretty much a waste - I will PM you the link to where I always get mine. They deliver right to your door and they are all natural - and taste great!
B.
