Seeking Moms - Pocahontas, IA

my son is 4 1/2, 5 in about 3 weeks & is doing a lot of the same stuff lately, I really think its just a phase *HUG*

Wow.. I can't believe how many responses say they questioned adhd in their kids! Most professionals in the field will tell you that it can not be truly be diagnosed until at least age 7! You don't 'guess' on it by going by behavior, either. You get some brain scans done... it's a very specific disease with specific brain patterns. If they are not present, it's not adhd and you end up medicating your child for nothing.

This sounds like a phase typical of most 4/5 year old boys. It also sounds alot like a response to the baby on the way. It was unplanned and your son might be picking up on those feelings... and maybe thinking he was unplanned (to a kid that means unwanted), too. Is your 10 month old recently crawling/walking? My 3 year old "regressed" when my daughter started crawling/walking (aka, getting into his stuff!) - not when she was born.

James Dobson has a book called "Bringing Up Boys" I have not read it, but my brother has and said he loved it. I have the James Dobson "Questions and Answers" book and "How to Behave So Your Children Will To and it helped me when my daughter (now 8) was acting up. He makes alot of good points. The school said to have her tested for ADHD and I told them no. She still has her days, but she has changed dramatically.

It sounds like he's maybe trying to get attention. If he's understanding that a baby's coming or maybe he's seeing a change in you (shape-wise). The cart thing...i remember plenty of times when my lil' brother would run hide in clothes racks or start taking grocercies off the shelves. My mom left full carts of grocercies at times or w/clothing items in the middle of the store in order to get him out of the store and just go home. Lot's of energy at this age. Try to make sure he's getting lots of outside time. We are starting into colder weather so that my get hard to find. So maybe going to one of malls or family fun place when he can burn it off would help contain those ornery incidents. I sometimes can not believe how willing people are to use the term ADHD...I think there are legitimately kids who have it, but overall it's overused and often an excuse not to pay attention to what's really going on. Kids are kids and even as they get older explore new avenues of play/discovery. Some just do it more overtly than others.

Hi, I have a 6 year old and i went though this when he was 5. I had him tested for ADHD because everyone said that is what it was. They put him on 2 different meds, and they had the reverse effect. He was worse. I took him off and started displining him big time. I had to be consistent and sometimes it was awful. Now he is 6 and we still have problems, but he knows the consequences of his actions. When your son is on the floor doing that, take him in another room and displine him. Explain that what he is doing is not acceptable, and take something that means something to him away for a certain amount of time. This won't happen over night, it takes a long time.
Good Luck

You should talk to your doctor if you really think it's ADHD, but to me it just sounds like he's start to discover more of his body and trying for more independence. There's a Web site you could look on for the ADHD that could be helpful for you. WebMD.com

As for the behavior, if there's something he really likes doing use it. Tell him if he isn't good he you will take it away.

I've always said 4 and 5 yr. old is the worst age....I have a son who is 5, and will be 6 in April. The whole private parts and pooping thing is just a stage, just remind him its rude to talk about those things. As for acting up, he may be jealous of the new baby and the one on the way. Afraid he will loose moms attention. I was recently married around the same time their dad seperated from his wife. I had talked to my daughter (that is 8) about the fact, there step mom leaving was not her fault and that my new husband would never replace them. I never thought to have this same talk w/ my son until he statrted getting into trouble all the time. On a whim I sat him down and just talked, and he did not want to tell me what was bothering him, that it was silly and I would not believe him, I finally got it out of him, he thought it was his fault his step mom left, after assuring him it was not and he had nothing what so ever to do w/ the split, from that moment on he was back to his normal self. I hope my experience will shed some light. For some reason when something goes wrong kids always think it was their fault.

Talk to his teachers. Usually they have seen things like this before and can tell if this is a possible ADHD. Does anyone else in your family have it as well? The main thing that got my attention with my son was that he has never finished coloring a complete picture. Every page in his coloring book is half done at the most before he would take off or go to the next one picture. He can't sit still for a whole book to be read. He can't even sit during a meal. I told his teachers that I was concerned about it and they confirmed that what they experience shows signs off it as well. So I had my doctor refer him to a child psychologist who works with this disorder. I see it as better to get him help now than before he starts kindergarden next year and gets overwhelmed with everything that they start learning now days.