Hyperactivity

Hi,
my name is Suzie... I have a hyper active child and he is 17 and still hyper.I know the news tonight is have a person telling everyone it is not a proplem.. it is... take the child to the dr make sure you have a log of what is going on... can the child watch a short little movie... play with a toy..the Dr needs to knwo specifices. times and activies you are trying... I know this is a crazy idea..soemtimes they need worn out... they need to go to the little gym and really worn out or dance class.. I did this for my Son it helped.. we had no naps during the day from age 1 on..he took lots of energy. can you rent a teenage to play hard with your child at the park. anything to wear them out. I hope this helps..I know it is hard. good luck...

Sounds like she is a normal toddler to me. I really wouldn't worry at all about hyperactivity at such a young age. All children are different. My daughter and son are like night & day. My daughter would sit still in a restaurant (if you gave her something to play with) but not my son! Don't worry about any comments that other people have - ever child is different. It is hard chasing a toddler all day but keep in mind that this will pass & before you know it they grow up!
Best of Luck
Heather

Your daughter sound a lot like my daughter at that age! She is now 23 months and things are a lot different. At 15 months we could not take her out to eat and she would run from us at stores and even on the way from the car to the house. At bed times, we followed a very strict routine to get her to go to bed. She went down fine, but only if the routine was just as it was every other day. No differences or distractions! Now that she is older and more able to understand time and more vocal things are easier. We are now able to go out to eat, but we must give her advanced notice and tell her what to expect and what she is going to do. Same with going to stores and parks, etc. At 15 months we just avoided taking her anywhere that wasn't going to be fun for her. If we had to go out to eat (like when on vacation) one us would go in and order while the other kept her busy outside and when the food came, we would sit down with her to eat and eat fast before she was done! Not fun, only when necessary. At stores, we would try to make sure to get the fun carts and have her put the grocery's in the cart. That way she got to touch everything in the cart. Things will get easier. Your little scientist is just learning about everything and doesn't want to stop.

sounds about right. My husband always say that our 2.5yr old daugther has two states...running full speed or sleeping. It is very hard to have a child who is so high energy, and belive it or not, in a few years you'll be proud of her ability to outrun her peers..however, now is now.
For a long time we didn't bother going out to eat unless it was absoulutely necessary (ie. traveling) then we tried to hit the most kid-friendly places we could find. Around 18mos we insititued 1,2,3 Magic by Phelan. It has worked wonders with behavioral issues.
However, we are aware that really, my kid needs to be outside running, playing, climbing, whatever for hours each day. She needs intense structure, a lot of warnings for transitions (in 2 mintues we have to leave....), and clear and consistent discipline/boundaries. You and your husband need to be on the same page about what is allowed and what is not....and for now, it can not be changed or altered. If she is not allowed juice for dinner..then no "oh, well, it wouldn't hurt for one night.." not with kids like this. Along with their high energy usually comes a high IQ..they get it and they get it fast.

...and when mommy needs her to sit for a time..well, i hate to say it, but TV works. we limit tv to no more than .5-1 hour a day for her...but when i need it it is there.

Good luck, if you need to talk or whatever, feel free to email me....=-) it gets better and easier..i promise

It doesn't sound like she is much different from other 15 month old children. She sounds very curious. She's in the stage of exploring and learning about the world around her. Sounds like you might just need some distraction techniques.
Try bringing a toy or a paper and crayons to keep her busy when you go to a restaurant. If she can't sit still you may have to leave or wait til she's a little older to take her out to eat with you. Every child is different. I don't think I'd worry too much about it at this point.

this is normal behaviour for this age, they just discovered walking and they want to explore and do what they want! that said, how active is she allowed to be? is her schedule/daytime chaotic or structured? (rhetorical question, just throwing some ideas) when my children were little i made sure they learned how to play by themselves and entertain themselves in a quiet manner by making it accesible to them during the day. make sure she has quiet time so she gets used to not always having to be on the go, go go.
(this was one of the best advice i got from my grandmother 20 years ago, and it's something that they'll enjoy for the rest of their lives, the ability to find something to do on their own, quietly, in their room or playroom) my oldest child loved reading, the middle child coloring and glueing, etc. (of course your child is too young for these things, but you're setting the stage right now to teach her) and our youngest at 12 still plays with legos. ensure there's nice and quiet moments during the day (by reading to her, or holding her) to settle her down, de-stress her...allow her to relax mentally and physically.
p.s. the terrible twos...start at one and a half! ;) and they end...at 4 years old! 4 is the magic age, don't know why, but that's how it was with all 3 of my children. they suddenly "got it" at 4. LOL
good luck, every age is a fun age, it's great to watch them grow~

15 months is very young to make a hyperactivity assessment. She is probably going through a stage but perhaps you should change her diet a little. Does she get a lot of sugar soaked snacks? BTW, there are a lot of foods that have loads of sugar and you would think (if you didn't read the label) that they were "healthy". Also, another trick to help build her attention span is get down on her level and play quiet games or read with her. One last and final bit of advise (something I had to learn the hard way with my two boys)...when you go out to eat bring things for her to do and snack on. If she has something to do that she is interested in, I think she will be less likely to give you fits. Oh, BTW, if you haven't already tried this...make sure you and your husband know what you want right away and order it with your drinks. Let your server know the problem; they are usually very willing to help where they can. Good luck!

Hi K.,

While being "active" is normal for most toddlers, you should be careful about her diet. I noticed you posted another question, which I already responded to. My response to your other question holds true in this case. For your convenience, I'm coping my response to your other question below...

One of the biggest mistakes people make is trusting the television. Many foods that are advertised as "health" are really not.

What to watch for and AVOID:
~Hydrogenated oils – bad fat your body has difficulty metabolizing, causing cellular miscommunication
~Dyes (like yellow, red, blue) – banned in most countries and cause behavioral problems
~Preservatives (like nitrates, sodium benzoate, BHT, & TBHQ) - neurotoixins
~Refined sugars – immune suppressers

Whole foods are best. Real fruits, real veggies, real meat.

Speaking of meat, anything coming from an animal (including dairy and eggs) should be organic. You definitely don't want to be feeding your daughter hormones, antibotics, and genetically modified, unnatural food.

Best wishes to you!