26 months little girl always on the move

[Ladybug1235]

Hi everybody
My little girl is 26 months and have been told by her daycare teacher that she is always on the move and doesn’t sit still for meals . She talks a bunch and they see it as hyper verbal . She does it at home when other people are in the room but I thought it was her way of showing off .
Long story short she’s showing symptoms of adhd and I know at the age they overlap with toddler behaviours.
She is not aggressive in any way and seeks hugs when she knows she has been naughty . She engages with her peers and shares her toys with them . She always follows directions and instructions when told ( age appropriate of course ) . She helps tidying up her toys at the end of the day . She sleeps like a log and tantrums lasts no more than a couple of minutes . I can go a get a quick shower that she would sit on the couch watching telly and I would find her still there when I come out .

Any of you parents recognise these symptoms in their child and then eased off as the years went by or not ?

Sounds normal to me!

This all sounds very normal to me. Has someone else described her behaviour as ‘symptoms’? My child was incredibly energetic at that age and still is, but age-approximately. By all means keep an eye, but nothing there sounds out of the ordinary.

She sounds like a perfectly normal two year old! Mine never stopped talking all day long, or sat still at that age. By the time she was a teen I couldn’t get a word out of her! She’s an adult now and talks an average amount. I do think these days that nursery settings look for problems where there are none.

I also have a DS who was a whirling dervish as a toddler, but a perfectly ordinary adult now.

If you are not concerned about her behaviour then I’m sure she’s fine. Mum knows best.

She sounds like a lovely kid. Being on the go and talkative is not a symptom, it's who she is. Not a bad thing to be vigilant for if there are genuine issues down the line, but not everything needs to be pathologised at such an early stage of development. Kids are energetic and chatty. You'd be worried if she wasn't.

Nothing unusual.

2 is a wild age! I would not worry OP. People bat the term ADHD around so much these days. Toddlers are all individual and are learning lots of new skills but without the regulation needed of these skills. It makes me sad that kids cannot just be high energy kids anymore without a label.

Agree that this is normal toddler development and possibly some stereotyping about girls. I bet if she was a boy, everyone would think it was marvellous that she was so active and energetic

These don’t sound like symptoms to me, just sounds like a child who is confident and happy.

but yes - my son was like this and still is for the most part (he’s about to turn 9). Still hates sitting still, talks nonstop… but focuses on things that interest him and behaves well at school for the most part. I have no concerns at all and no one else does either.

Thank you everyone . It is just typical of nurseries sometimes and they have made me feel a bit of a failure . I mean I know she doesn’t sit for meals at nursery she does at home ( she sits on the couch 😞) . She can self settle to sleep and always able to . I guess I feel that mom whose kid gets looked at by other parents because she doesn’t join circle time 🙂

She sounds adorable, to be honest. If exhausting. :)

This is my son, never stands or sits still, never stops babbling, never stops climbing, falling over, running around and screaming "outside" all day long haha. It's totally normal :) all of my family have had children at the same time and we gather every Wednesday for dinner and activities. They can set up a full craft station for example, and all the kids sit around lovely making pictures and my son has made an obstacle course on the settee, stripped off every bit of clothing and is playing spiderman 🤷‍♀️ I love him he's great. Let them be kids while they can be x

She's two. She's full of energy and excitement at the joys of life and discovering new, wonderful things every day. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her and she has no 'symptoms'. If anything, she sounds rather bright.

i had a nursery teacher tell me she thought my son had adhd or asd as he was throwing stuff a lot. She seemed slightly horrified that he didn’t want to sit still like everyone else so in my experience boys don’t get a free pass.

He’s now on a county cricket pathway - we channelled the throwing and turned it into bowling. And he’s neurotypical.

Generally ADHD isn’t diagnosed or even referred for until the child turns 5 or 6 at the earliest because a lot of traits are common in 2 year olds, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, impulsivity, emotional outbursts etc. but by school starting age if those traits are still really pronounced and persistent then referrals get made. You can however monitor behaviour and keep an eye on traits your daughter might be displaying for the time being. Nursery have been good to let you know what she’s like when she’s there too as they’re obviously giving you communication and that’s a good thing. With my son who is most definitely ND he won’t always want to follow social routines in the day (like circle time) at his setting and the thing is that’s okay at this stage. Letting a very young child do their own thing whilst being encouraged to join in is what nursery should be doing IMO and try not to let it make you feel judged or inadequate as a parent. How would other parents know about that anyway? Your child whilst at the setting has a right to privacy.

One of mine never stopped moving, never stopped taking at aged 2.

I was worried how he would manage at school but actually it’s never been a problem.

Like a previous poster we channeled his energies into sports as early as we could. He now plays at an elite level.

Don’t worry too much OP, some kid just have lots of energy.

She’s too little for this sort of assessment, OP. Best thing to do is just see how she develops into school age.

Honestly, my DD was always on the go and very talkative at that age. Several friends asked if she had ADHD. It was a completely normal stage of development for a bright girl and school didn’t raise any concerns. I agree with a PP who said that it wouldn’t be questioned in a boy.

Absolutely - ADHD shouldn’t be diagnosed until 7 years.

That was my thought too.

far too young ime
they need to be at least 6 years for any consideration to adhd

might be a n idea to encourage her to sit at the table to eat, with you for example, although i am sure you know that

Ironically she did sit for a support this evening . Anyone recommend a good table for toddler on amazon ?

Rewind 15 years and we were in your situation. Loved her energy and it always worked well as we are a busy family and we channelled it. But don't ignore it. If it is ADHD girls mask really well until year 7 or 8 when more is expected of them, hormones kick in and it can go wrong very quickly. Agree it's too early to diagnose but if you have educators saying the same in a few years time then get her on the waiting lists. Even if you don't want to do anything about it at least you are ready for when and if things change.

Why the need to pathologize normal childhood behaviour?

She sounds like a busy, curious, perfectly developmentally appropriate 2 year old! They generally have the attention span of a goldfish at that age, as the world is a big and exciting place. Sitting still for periods of time is boring when there's so much else to do and see. Ignore them (or ask them what they expect you to do - gaffer tape her to a chair?)