Hyper Daughter

Try not giving her any sugar at all (as much as possible/practical), and taking out any other artificial ingredients from her food- MSG is a big one that causes hyperactivity in some people, as are several different food dyes and soy, believe it or not (although soy isn't artificial).

If you don't want to do that, or it doesn't work, you could try chamomile tea. It's safe for young children to drink throughout the day. Make up a pitcher of it in the morning, and give it to her throughout the day in place of juice or water. My son is allergic to milk and apple juice, so herbal teas and water are all he drinks. He actually really likes the tea, no sugar added. I haven't had a problem with him being more hyperactive than a normal toddler, but other moms have said that the chamomile tea has made a big difference (for the better) for their kids.

When my oldest was younger she was very hiper too. 2year olds are! When we cut all sugar it was no help until a fanily member traced it to a dye in the food we eat. You could see the difference when she had it, it was like night and day. Just a thought good luck!!!

Hi E., You should limit sugery foods all the time and get her used to grabbing baby carrot or apple slices instead. She also needs a routine or schedule and time to sit with you foing a craft. I think she is doing this cause the new baby needs more attention.

I have a very busy 2 year old also... she just never stops, and is always into everything! This was a big departure from my older daughter, who from a very early age would sit still for long periods of time, completely engrossed in something. I am told by my youngest daughter's teacher that it is really pretty normal at this age, maybe more so for boys than girls.

We have signed her up for gymnastics that will start in June, in the hopes that that will allow her to channel some of this craziness in a less destructive way. In the past month, she's filled all my dress shoes with conditioner, and also has put crayons in the dryer with a load of clothes, and turned it on. In the past she has climbed my cabinets, including the refrigerator, and will routinely jump off the back of the couch as if she's a tiny Superman. It just never ends!

But I'm told they do calm down eventually. In any case, just wanted to let you know you're not the only one. In the meantime I find that a nice martini helps mommy keep her sanity! =)

PS: I think the sleep issue is probably contributing to some of the activity level - at least, if she's sleeping she can't be running around, right? Love's suggestion about dialing in your daughter's sleep routine is a very good one, I think. I have noticed my daughter is WAY worse when she's tired...

She's probably just active. That's not a bad thing, just tiring!

Someone mentioned red dyes, and I want to expand that to include any artificial food additives. Many of them are neurotoxins, and the FDA tests on them are always done singly, while they are put in foods in groups, which can exponentially increase their intensity in a childs' system (ours too, for that matter!). Look for any kinds of colors, artificial flavors, and even strong artificial scents can trigger hyperactivity in small children. Their nervous systems are not full developed, and therefore more sensitive. Many of these can be hidden in foods labeled as 'flavors' or 'spices'.

You might also want to check out food sensitivities, gluten or dairy can cause this kind of activity if someone is sensitive to them.

Magnesium is a supplement that can help calm, try it before sleep!

If you really suspect ADHD, check out the yahoo group ADHD drug free. Great resource! Tons of links and files with natural approaches, and the chat forum has lots of moms with tons of experience.

Good luck! I know what it's like to have a kid seeming to go 24/7!

Hi E.,
I too have a go go go 2 1/2 year old. About a month ago we stopped the napping. Now she sleeps from 7:30pm to 7:30am and sometimes longer! Also, if you can, get a climbing structure for your backyard.
Best of luck!

Hi E.,

Your daughter sounds like a normal two year old. Mine did the same thing. We established a bed-time routine with a bath, pajamas on, getting in bed and reading a story so she would wind down - but I think that was around the age of three. Let her know up front that every night at (7 pm) that you are going to give her a bath and put her pajamas on and read a story, and then she is going to go to sleep. Kids love routine - it's getting it established that can be tough.

We use to do the drives daily - I'd drive at nap time, and then sometimes we'd have to drive at bed time, but as she got older, it did get easier. Good luck to you.

Hi E.,
I was so glad to read how many mothers were calm in their response. I have a very very, very, need I say more, active 3 1/2 year old and I have always worried. I am assured by teachers and doctors high activity, ie bouncing off the walls, is really normal at this age and not a time to panic about adhd. We are keeping aware of our concerns but here is our coping strategy for now:

stopped nap, put to bed at 6pm, she sleeps like a baby, goes right down and we have a break (she was about 3 when we stopped so may not be appropriate for your family).
read "raising your spirited child" and talk to other parents, I started a small support group to do the workbook that goes with the book. This book will save you and help normalize your little lovely, at least it did for me.
We keep her very active, running, dancing, preschool (play based, not rigid or with any expectations).
We spend only 1 - 2 hours for visits because she starts to overload.
Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me, having a really active child can be isolating because a lot of people think we did something "wrong" to acause the behavior. Very untrue, you are not alone!
K., married mother of two beautiful spirited girls, age 3 1/2 and 22 months.
____@____.com

My experience is that high energy doesn't necessarily mean ADHD. You'll see soon if your daughter has the ability to settle when she is engrossed in something. For my son, who is normally like a tasmanian devil, his outlet is legos... The kid can sit for 4 hours, building. I was totally shocked when I figured this out! Your daughter probably has an outlet, too. So tip #1 is keep trying until you find it.

Our other secret is managing sugar and sleep. We manage sugar by limiting the refined wheat and sugary foods he eats. If your daughter is in the "white food" phase, there are whole wheat pastas that aren't as whole wheat tasting. We opted for whole wheat in general whenever possible, fruit and cheese instead of packaged snacks... I'm not saying it was the difference between Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde, but with sugar my son is like curious george; without sugar, he still has a lot of energy but for some reason it just doesn't get channeled in such creatively bad ways. He has to have a nap, and the only way we could get him to nap at 2.5 was to drive him in the car. At night, one of us had to lay with him and pretend to sleep (or actually fall asleep) in order to get him to settle. He is also incredibly stubborn, so we've had success at getting him to respect bed time by doing things to make the rule the reason it was bedtime, not the fact that I said it was bedtime. e.g. We set an egg timer for some arbitrary time and when it went off it was bedtime. This helped us motivate my son to get in bed in time to read some books before the timer went off, and it also helped prepare him to calm down. Later in life we added a ticketing system where he received 5 tickets each day, and gained or lost tickets based on good/bad behavior. We also have to use the 5 minute warning to get my son to leave or switch gears as he gets pretty involved in things (this comes with that high energy).

The good news is that your daughter may always be high energy, but she will calm down as she gets older. At almost 4, our son is a pleasure to be around. He sleeps in his own bed all night. He can put himself to sleep. He can play on his own for long enough for us to cook dinner, talk like adults, or do other necessary things...

Hi E.,
What is her sleep schedule like?I HIGHLY recommend you read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for age appropriate sleep needs and schedules. Your daughter sounds like mine when she is well rested. Our daughters are the same age and my daughter is trying to stop napping which makes for a LONG day! We established a bedtime routine at birth which helps. At her age, she should be going to bed at night by 6-7pm per Dr. Weissbluth. Google him to check out his experience in sleep training and sleep disorders. If you want to email me I would be willing to try and help you get her sleeping better.

As for ADHD, Dr. Weissbluth has studies that show that ADHD can be linked to the lack of quality biological sleep. The studies are all listed in the reference section of his book.

Sincerely,
L.

I would make sure she's not watching too much TV. That could make any little kid go bonkers. That and not enough nap/sleep time. I would limit the sugar and sodium/salt intake throughout the day as well and see if that will help her relax. Good luck!

If you truly feel your daughter may have ADHD ask your Doctor about testing and when it is appropriate for testing. She may be overly active and needs an outlet. 2 1/2 is still quite young and can be that exuberant energy of a young child. I didn't know the signs when my children were young and now have discovered I have one child with ADD and the youngest has ADHD. I did not get them tested until they were way into school and the problems escalated. I wish your daughter just has the exuberant energy, Good Luck!

Hyper children can be dianosed at different ages. Can she sit still for short periods of time? Watch tv without getting up? Sleep well at night, or jump up the minute she sits down. A psychologist or doctor can diagnose her problem. When you talk to her, does she turn her head the other way and ignore you? Google might have some info. I have a son who is adhd, so I know how you feel.

My daughter was the same way - she is now 18.... She needs more exercise - trying taking her to a field or track to run wild or get her into some park and rec classes... My daughter is still dancing after 16 years.... and she still loves to role down big grass hills...

E., it's hard when you have lots to do and they have so much energy. I have seen this behavior over and over in children that don't have a lot of access to outdoor play equiptment and a yard to play in everyday. You really need to make sure she is getting enough large muscle exercise like climbing, jumping and running, dancing and so forth. Kids need to be outside most of the day if they can. If not, maybe a room or space to exercise or dance in, to burn up all their energy. It's a natural thing and I really hate to see children medicated to calm them down unless it's really a medical problem. Spend the day at the park and see if there is a difference in her behavior when you get home. Good Luck

Hi E.-
I also have a 2 1/2 year old daughter. She is a very active little thing - very different from my older daughter who is very calm. We recently stopped giving her ANYTHING with red dye in it and have noticed a BIG difference. I was very sceptical that removing this from her diet would make a difference at all but low and behold it has. I hope that this helps. Good luck!

E.,

She sounds totally normal to me--- maybe you could get her in a music or gymnastics class to burn off some extra energy.

Molly

It could be ADHD, it may not be. Our son who has ADHD was always bouncing off the walls from a very young age, but also had trouble with focus and aggression. At 2 1/2, you won't be able to get a formal assessment done. Even if it was ADHD with a neon sign, it's too early. They really like to wait until at least three. We only got serious help with our son at three after he was kicked out of preschool.

Hyperactivity is quite common at this age, so some of the tips from the previous posters may help a lot. Routine can make a big difference with many kids -- following the same dinner time, bath time, story time. Our son liked to have music on in his room at bedtime. It was calming to him as he fell asleep, so that might be something to try if you haven't already.

Good luck!

Sounds like a 2 1/2 year old to me!

Hi Erica,

I had problems with my son and it was the dyes in the food like red 40 and blue lake ect. the FDA says there is no link to dyes and hyperactivity but they affected me as a child and my son but not my daughter. I just read the ingrediants, dyes usually listed at the end. You will find that through out the day they were getting 6 to 8 items with dyes in it when I changed his diet even his teacher noticed, and I added ground up flax seed to his cereal or smoothie... and watch the sugar intake...

hope this helps.

J.

Yes, it might be ADHD and the sooner it is diagnosed the better. Don't hesitate to go to a child psychologist or psychiatric for a proper evaluation. You can begin treatment and know you're on the right track. By the way, sugar only affects a very small percentage of kids so usually kids are not hyped up by sugar but by the situation that is associated with sugar, like Halloween, a birthday party, etc. I have been a teacher for almost 30 years and this has been my experience. Good luck!

How much sugar is she getting during the day?
Even a half cup of smoothie will set off that type of behavior in my kids... you'd be suprised how little sugar will do it!
Is she getting enough exercise during the day? Have you ever noticed if she goes to sleep/sleeps better on a day that she can play really hard (run, out at the park, etc)? IT's amazing what a little run in the park will do for sleeping habits!

Don't know about that (only know about ADD) but "bouncing off walls" can actually be from NOT ENOUGH SLEEP! Check out the book "Babywise", that talks about sleep etc. Good Luck!

Hi E.. i am not say it is or is not ADHD. Make notes on how she behaves say for a week or two and then you may see a patten in how she behaves when etc ??. It could be after certain food/drink. She could be over tired. My 12 year old was hell on legs before his nap when he was about 2/3 years old and after it he was lovely.

Check the food and drinks you give her for E numbers, e 110, 103, 133, 102 etc as some of them can cause hyperactivity and aggression.

I have a 5 year old boy and he is full on, in to every thing and you can tell the difference when he has had something with E numbers. His teachers some days had trouble with him, not doing what was asked and within a few days of cutting back on e numbers they could see that he was calmer and doing his work. All I did was change juices, ketchup brand and baked beans brand. Yes he is still a full on child but calmer. He is doing swimming and I have his name down for gymnastics. I keep an eye on what he eats and drinks now.

Also cut back on the TV do quiet things before bed, bath/book/puzzles/evening walk. If you are nice and relaxed it may help her to be. Make it a special time for her as you do not want to be driving around in the car when she is 5 years old to get her to sleep. She could just be wanting some extra time with some one. give her some extra praise, well done for eating all you breakfast, etc or try a sticker chart. They love receiving stickers for things at any age.

I wish you well.