Does my toddler have ADHD? | ADHD Information

My daughter is 2yrs. 4 mo. old, and I am convinced that something is not right, but my wrife and everyone else says "it's the age".  I spend about 35-40 hours a week  taking care of her by myself, and I really don't think it's normal behavior.  She NEVER listens no matter what we say or do.  She has temper tantrums at least 4 times a day. Can't sit still for anything.  Restaurants?  Forget about it.  Total nightmare.   Any time we go to the store she runs all over non stop.  She gets so hyper in the evening, and bedtime is a fight every night.  Screams when it's bed time.  She's only fallen asllep on her own maybe 5 times since about 6 months old.  She either needs mom or dad to stay with her untill she's asleep or the old drive in the car.  She never sleeps through the night.  She wakes 2 or 3 times a night.  Wakes up wanting to go downstairs, or apple juice or milk and when we try to tell her it's the middle of the night she goes right into a screaming fit sometimes lasting an hour.  I know it gets better, but am I am so sick of hearing that.  Everyone I talk to tells me that their kids don't act like my daughter.   Am I over reacting or is this normal behavior?

It's hard to say what's "normal" behavior for a 2 year old for sure. Even harder to indentify a problem at this age.

I am sorry you're going through this though, it's exhausting! Although you're probaly not going to pinpoint much at this age, there are some things you can do that will only help you in the long run no mater what, if anything, is going on.

I would start a daily log (keep it brief, I kow there's not a lot of time). Just jot down sleep schedule, eating schedule, behaviors, like tantrums.

Get into a STRICT schedule. Wake up, breakfast, daily acitivites and especially eveinngs, dinnner, bath, story time bed. It will be a battle, but BE consistent. The more structure the better IMO.

Read some paretning books and discipline books. There are thousands, but all will have the same basic principles, but the more you read the more tools to help you find something that works for your family. AGAIN, consistency is key.

Keep her out of situations that escalate things. Like stores and restaurants, don't even bring her. It's not worth it. Your setting it up for failure. She cant' handle this right now and you are just getting frustrated.

Go with your gut, this is your child, but 2-4 is a REALLY tough age. Just try to get a solid routine going, solid behavior plan, slow things down if you can,a dn get lots of breaks for paretns. Babysitters for time away, or swap off so each parent gets time for themselves.

Hang in there it'll get better. If things dont improve as she gets older, you'll have her evaluated and go from there, and it will still be ok. Just love her and provide the safe, structured environemnt toddlers crave.

This sounds like a normal 2 year old to me.

Jessica N39908.4045833333I've read 123 Magic and it makes a lot of sense.  Get a copy.  Also check to see if there's something in her diet that might be doing this.  She may be sensitive to preservatives or colorings.  Look at the alternatives board for ideas on what to look for and what to try if you're going to change her diet. 

Another piece of advice I give to new parents:  Go with your gut.  If you feel this way, investigate it as a possibility instead of pushing your instincts away.  You know your daughter best.  Have confidence in  your instincts.
I am going through the same thing. I have an 11 yr old daughter and a 4 yr old daughter. The problem is with teh 4 yr old daughter. She Throws tantrums all day long. No matter who tells her no, she takes it out on me, by hitting me, screaming and even telling me she hates me. I will NOT take her out to eat, and I try to limit my visits to the store. Due to her tantrums and her energy it is hard for me to find a sitter. Her father lives out of state, my family doesnt want to deal with it. I feel like I am lost sometimes. Her father is adhd, and it really concerns me. I have taken her to teh dr's many times only for them to tell me its her age. But I honestly dont think a 5-10 min dr visit they can tell if it is just the age. I have not had a full nights sleep since the day she was born. She wakes up in the middle of the night to play, watch tv. Whatever she wants. I have read parenting magazines and even took a parenting class, to try and learn how to deal with her.I show her alot of love, But I am gonna admit it gets very frustrating to have a 4 yr old run me down like this. I just wish tehre was some kind of study they would do something to find out what or if something is wrong. I nor anyone who is around ehr for a period of time believe it is her age. I just dont know where else to turn. Good luck with you.I knew that something was not right with my son by the time he between 2 and 3 years old.  I didn't know what, and honestly wasn't looking for a diagnosis at that point, just some help to get through the day without losing my mind.  It is horribly frustrating when everyone tells you that it normal to do x,y or z when you know that the child's behavior is just over the top.

One lifesaver at this age was the book 123 Magic- simple, easy to follow, but you have to be super consistent.  Also the advise about routine is right on- make the day as predictable as possible and always give her a heads up when a transition is coming.  My son needed a 10 min., 5 min., and 2 minute warning before every transition or he just lost it. 

I'm also glad to hear that it's not only my kid who gets more hyper when tired!  I totally know what your going through there.  What worked for me was to be super consistent with a routine (bath, story, milk, bed) put him into bed then leave the room.  At first he would scream for hours- obviously with kids like ours you do have to check to be sure they haven't gotten stuck or hurt, but the trick is to avoid eye contact and do not talk to or engage them in any way, which helps to make it clear that the time for talking and playing is over.  When he would wake in the middle of the night I would go in to check on him and make sure he wasn't sick or in need of a new diaper and then I would do the exact same thing as I did when putting him to bed the first time- a kiss, hug and I love you, then I left the room.  I took several weeks (with many hours worth of screaming) but he eventually learned to sleep through the night.

Does she still nap?  My son actually had a harder time sleeping at night if he didn't have a nap at that age.  It doesn't sound logical, but most kids don't get more hyper when their tired either!

I agree with diane V. you need to get a routine down and alway's fallow thru with it , I never read magic 123, but my child is 5 Y/o and a few months ago he had a full, all day evaluation with doctor's that just deal in behaviors and what a relief it was to find out he did have ADHD. I've been dealing with his behavior since he was 2y/o. I didn't believe there was something wrong, I also said it was his age and I was wrong. We went thru 3 daycare and his behavior wasn't getting any better no matter what I did  . All that time we never knew what was wrong, but something wasn't wright with him and know we can treat him with meds. and he is doing much better. The child also struggles with it as much as we do. It's hard to diagnoise at that age, get medical and professional help. The Book that they gave me was SOS Help for Parents and there's a web site also you can go too.