athomeontheprairie Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Help me think this through. My 3, almost 4, ds is crazy high energy. All. Day. Long. Always moving, very hands on, sensory seeking, etc. He's had an in home speech therapist for close to 2 years now, at her last visit (comes weekly) he was way over the top. We've tried adjusting his diet. We've tried weighed blankets and this snug vest (used for special needs kids, I don't know what it's called) but he hates them. He needs to calm down. Working muscles helps (trampoline, walking/running outside, helping haul firewood. But the results ate short lived and with winter coming he's g'night to be trapped inside) She mentioned talking to the doctor about it. And another child has an appointment next week. (As a side note, my youngest daughter was like this, only worse. She's better now, but if she was in school I guarantee she'd need to be on medication for Adhd. Dad was/is the same way. In the past, when I talked to my pediatrician about my dd I felt like she totally blew me off-not a huge deal to my dh who is against medication. BUT, ds has a specialist who is trained and has seen him every week for a very long time. She is willing to help send in evaluations if we so want. (Evaluations were the big hang up with my dd-because she was only ever with me and the doctor wanted to hear from her "teachers") not opposed to medication, but he just seems so young.On the other hand would be really niceto take the energy down a notch (or three). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I know you're tempted to try and force him to calm down all the time but he needs dangerous play. Think merry go rounds, climbing rocks, walking through the woods, playing in a stream, jumping off a jungle gym or jumping off of swings. We have ADHD in my family. I know it's frustrating, but spinning, being tossed in the air, and generally the types of rough play that little kids love that give moms anxiety attacks are VERY GOOD for kids. Forcing them to be calm and never do anything dangerous, and focus on academics too soon greatly increases ADHD. Google "vestibular stimulation ADHD" and "delaying kindergarten decreases ADHD" for the science on it. Cold weather equivalents might be a tot tumbling class at a gymnastics studio, swimming lessons, and eventually diving lessons at an indoor pool. I know someone who bought a small bounce house for her basement so her kids could get out their energy in the winter. Another friend built an indoor jungle gym off of Ana White's website. I would, as much as possible, make a schedule. Make sure you have ROUGH play scheduled at least four times a day. If he gets too wild, run around the park with him. Up and down hills. Over playground equipment. Have him spin until he gets dizzy and collapses, then fall into a pile of leaves and search for patterns in the clouds. Tire him out. I know it's hard, but you'll ease into it and find it a blessing. You'll learn to live in the moment more, get a little more exercise, and get happier. You do it once a day. Have dad do it once a day, and schedule at least two other activities that will get the wiggles out. Kids cannot focus and be calm if they haven't had enough vestibular stimulation. Being in nature also calms them down. Don't feel guilty about putting him in preschool or using a mother's day out program nearby to take time off when you need it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Can you get him a small trampoline? We used to have one and the kids loved it. What about signing him up for a sport? Lots of running in soccer :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 There's several threads about this topic with good ideas too. I'd google search for the topic though. Google seems to get better site results than the search here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Do you have a wrestling club that you could sign him up for? I mean "real" folk-style wrestling (not the goofy WWE stuff on TV). These clubs are great for boys because they are usually run by men, who aren't fazed by boy-energy, and they are all ages (though they only wrestle against kids their own size). It's good for younger boys to be around older boys. These clubs can be a great place for young boys to get out lots of energy and aggressive tendencies in a controlled, non-harmful way. There's also a good chance he'll make a friend or two and you can arrange some times to get together for them to practice, where he can get out even more energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I ended up putting my high-energy 3 year old in a gymnastics class. It's worked out pretty well so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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