I forgot I hate 3yo's!!! VENT!

[Crew&West]

Originally Posted by mmmom I teach this age group, if he were in my class he would be one of the youngest and this behavior would be a slight red flag to me. Whether I felt there were other issues would depend on other things. The behavior is not uncommon though. Is he limited in his play? Only plays with certain toys certain ways

Not sure what you mean by play with them in certain ways?? He plays with toys ok I think?! He "zooms" trucks and cars, however he does put alot of things go in his mouth! He does tend to like to break toys. :/ He likes to bash the trains, etc. but he knows to "put the baby to bed" or how to feed it. He just doesn't have an attention span to sit very long with any one thing. Lol

[Crew&West]

Originally Posted by safghf I'm sorry mama. That makes for very long, difficult days. I would check in with some of the green/natural moms about eliminating foods from his diet that may be affecting him. Processed sugar an food dyes would be the first thing to go, but they might have other suggestions. I do think it's definitely normal to an extent, but I would want to exhaust all possible options for calming him a bit. My almost 4yo DD has good days and bad days for sure. However, I can usually find something that gets her attention when she is acting out in a negative manner. My DS is just 16 months, but I can tell we are going to have our share of crazy days as he get older!

I DO want to do the elimination diet (?) with him. I honestly feel sugar and certain foods are a trigger. Anyone have good links to how to start??

[Crew&West]

Originally Posted by tallanvor Of the kids I've known like that, including my own, some do end up later being diagnosed with ADHD (treated mainly through diet), some have sensory issues, and some are totally normal with no added difficulties. It is very difficult to tell at that age. You might try keeping a food journal to see if there is any correlation between what he's taking in and his behavior. If he's restless at night, try some melatonin. If he gets a good enough night's sleep, he might not need the afternoon nap.

Good idea on the journal. I'm starting today. Lol! He has however woke from his nap and been fine. He and his brother are dancing in their room and he did finger paint like 50 pictures.

[tallanvor]

Originally Posted by Crew&West Good idea on the journal. I'm starting today. Lol! He has however woke from his nap and been fine. He and his brother are dancing in their room and he did finger paint like 50 pictures.

It can be tricky, but hopefully it'll help. My oldest was very similar and she reacts to wheat, but we had a hard time knowing that because she ate it on such a regular basis. We didn't actually know it until we took her to a naturopath. But, we found out pretty quick that curtains sugars set her off. Later, the naturopath told us her body didn't process sugars very efficiently. She isn't diabetic, though.

And as for sleep, good luck, if that's an issue. I stopped napping at 18 months and my oldest wasn't much older when she was done. But days she needed one were awful. She is now 12 and still often fights going to bed and sleep, but her amount of sleep at night makes a huge difference in her behavior.

[mmmom]

Originally Posted by Crew&West Not sure what you mean by play with them in certain ways?? He plays with toys ok I think?! He "zooms" trucks and cars, however he does put alot of things go in his mouth! He does tend to like to break toys. :/ He likes to bash the trains, etc. but he knows to "put the baby to bed" or how to feed it. He just doesn't have an attention span to sit very long with any one thing. Lol

I have a child in my class who can only use the doctor kit to play hair dresser, when the other kids use the doctor tools to give their friends "check ups" he gets very upset, this is what we describe as "limited play". He is limited in that he can only use things in the way he thinks they are intended as where his peers can naturally evolve their play following their own rules and etc.
Does he have certain things he can focus on for a long period of time?

I would imagine it is mostly his age, the lack of attention span. If there is anything I have learnt in my 9 years of teaching it is that children honestly follow their own rules. If you as his mom are concerned then speaking to a professional may be an option

[dancermommy1]

Well mine is only 27 months but he has no attn span and is crazy active and hates naps... I thought that was just par for the course for some kids. There are a few just like him at daycare and a few that are very quiet and still and a few that are quiet but won't nap and a few that are hyper as all get out but sleep like a rock.

It's frustrating but think of all the adults you know--some are out running or playing tennis or hanging with friends while others are home knitting or reading, etc... We are all different in terms of energy, sleep needs, etc, and that doesn't just develop all the sudden as adults :-D

[stephcrouse]

My son is sensitive to gluten, soy, dairy and eggs that we know of from testing. I suspect other foods as well (artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors...). When we are really strict about his diet, he is great! When we mess it up, he is like you describe your son. I think a food journal is a great idea. It may help you see some sort of pattern. It will be easiest if you stick to limited ingredient/whole foods for a while, avoiding the big, obvious stuff that is known to be problematic.

[Crew&West]

Originally Posted by mmmom I have a child in my class who can only use the doctor kit to play hair dresser, when the other kids use the doctor tools to give their friends "check ups" he gets very upset, this is what we describe as "limited play". He is limited in that he can only use things in the way he thinks they are intended as where his peers can naturally evolve their play following their own rules and etc. Does he have certain things he can focus on for a long period of time? I would imagine it is mostly his age, the lack of attention span. If there is anything I have learnt in my 9 years of teaching it is that children honestly follow their own rules. If you as his mom are concerned then speaking to a professional may be an option

Oh got ya! No he plays with things "normally" so to speak. He does focus on coloring and putti g things together. He's a builder.

[Crew&West]

Originally Posted by stephcrouse My son is sensitive to gluten, soy, dairy and eggs that we know of from testing. I suspect other foods as well (artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors...). When we are really strict about his diet, he is great! When we mess it up, he is like you describe your son. I think a food journal is a great idea. It may help you see some sort of pattern. It will be easiest if you stick to limited ingredient/whole foods for a while, avoiding the big, obvious stuff that is known to be problematic.

So how do I keep it? Like:
breakfast- frosted flakes, whole milk
Lunch: etc etc.

Like this?

[mmmom]

Originally Posted by Crew&West Oh got ya! No he plays with things "normally" so to speak. He does focus on coloring and putti g things together. He's a builder.

I wonder if his breaking toys is his way of learning about them, how they are built. It sounds like he has a strength in math, color sorting isn't usually seen at this age from my experience anyways. I wonder if you could get him to focus on things using this strength, teaching patterning, shape sorting etc
Or finding things that are meant to be taken apart and rebuilt.