3 with ADHD Mommy needs some help. | ADHD Information

I was never diagnosed until I was an adult already. I have ADD my 3 year old has ADHD. I remember my mom screaming at me all the time and when I turned into that I packed us up and off we went to the Doctor.

I thought he was a little unusual compared to other kids. My son simply has more energy and has a harder time focusing. I definitely knew something was off when his insomnia got worse than my own. He simply couldn't hold still long enough to fall asleep.

So he's 3 and we already have a diagnosis but the thing is I really don't want to medicate my 3 year old. He's not in school and at daycare where he's stimulated all day non stop they don't seem to have a problem with him at all. Actually he's quite a sweet little boy and works really hard to please people.

I have a few questions now though. Should my son be seeing a therapist? The doctor says unless I want to medicate him there's nothing she can do.

I'm having a hard time organizing my home does anyone have tips?

Are there really foods that can make this worse other than the obvious sugar and caffeine?

He still has trouble getting to sleep and it feels like we've tried everything. I'm at the point where I lay in his bed and hold him in a vice grip and make up stories until he drifts off so he can't squirm himself awake.

Is it normal for him to be destructive? He's so sweet and yet I have three broken windows in my house and he hits his baby brother.

I've read through some other people's posts and I know I'm repeating a little bit but I'm hoping to make a list of people's suggestions and it'll be easier if they're in one place lol.

Thanks everyone who reads and has suggestions. 

I would suggest therapy even if it is more for your to learn better coping skills and techniques to help him. I have both my kids in behavior therapy but they didn't start until they were 4 and 6. But it was a life saver.

Also, I am not sure about that young of dx but Omega 3 is highly used among many of us to help our children. I know some give their kids melatonin for sleeping issues but I am not sure when it is the appropriate age to do that.

There is a marble lesson or Magic 1-2-3 that you can learn about on here to help with discpline.

This is the place to be. Ask questions - no question is dumb - so ask away. We are all in here for advice and I found in the 4 years I have been coming here that I have learned some of the best lessons to help me and both my children (both ADHD).

You are not alone. Read a lot of the posts. Good luck!

Some tips:

 

Melatonin for sleep, research dose or ask doctor what correct dose should be. You should try it too. Omega 3 best kind you can find. Multi vitamin and magnesium and zinc.

To help with your organization. Do one chore per day. Pick one thing and do it before the day ends. If you are about to go to sleep, you must do it before.

No soda, no foods with dyes in it, unless natural. Apples, berries and lettuce should always be organic, they have the most pesticides. Peanut butter and cereal  too - organic.

You will have to do behavior modification as well.  Good luck!

My son really benefited from play therapy when he was younger- I highly recommend it.

I also highly recommend to book 123 Magic- it saved our sanity and I've been using it with awesome results for ten years with both my two kids (one adhd, one not) and my daycare kids. 

I'm pretty sure 123 Magic address bedtime issues.  My son was the same way- if I could just get him to stop moving he'd be asleep in a flash.  You might try looking up how to help kids develop good sleep habits.  What our kids tend to have trouble with is self- calming and that is the key to them being able to get themselves to sleep.  

Food dyes are the other thing we try to avoid- studies have shown a link between the dyes and hyperactivity but they claim to be inconclusive.  My personal experience has led me to avoid them.

My son has also always been rather destructive, though it's not from anger or malice.  He just takes everything apart or it's a result of impulsivity.  He often takes toys apart (even if they're not supposed to come apart) so he can play with the pieces. It usually involves the pieces getting thrown, banged or pounded.  It drives me crazy but we've never figured out how to make him stop.

I also have adhd- at our house organization consists of a wall calendar to keep everyone's schedules and stacking paper trays in the dining room with separate sections for the kids' school stuff, my stuff, and other stuff.  I got really inspired a couple years ago and typed up a list of meals and their ingredient lists along with the recipe location if necessary.  Now I plan meals using that list and copy and paste a grocery list.  That was worth every bit of time and effort.

[QUOTE=jaderock54]Now I plan meals using that list and copy and paste a grocery list.  [/QUOTE]

Wow!  I have monthly calanders that I keep what we eat writen down on and it is a huge help, but I haven't gone this far.  Care to share?