Could this be the beginning of OCD?

[Marshmellow]

I have a 4 year old who is becoming increasingly obsessed with certain rituals. Things in her bedroom at night time have to be set in a certain way (she starts checking whether i'm going to do all this about 3 hours before bed). She doesn't like books or anything to be left out or on the floor (says they frighten her)and wakes up about 10 times a night. She is so apprehensive about things at night time mostly, always looking around and checking. Is this normal behaviour? I've just kind of gone along with it not wanting to make a fuss but it's getting ridiculous now and we're all bloody knackered. I would hate for this to be the beginning of some form of OCD as they usually start in childhood. Great, she's been in bed for 20 mins and is now crying!! this is how it always starts. Please give some advice to a very worn out mother x

It could be OCD - the rituals on their own probably wouldn't be too worrying as 4 year olds often do have rituals, but the anxiety and checking would be ringing very loud alarm bells with me (I suffer from OCD, by the way).

Take her to the GP and dig your heels in for a referral, if this is OCD you need to nip it in the bud as early as you can.

The more i think about it there are other 'odd' things are going on. She can't bear to be left (she has just settled into nursery after months) and (i feel) misses out on so much fun ie ballet classes, half term holiday clubs etc etc and if ever we go anywhere she always panics and asks if i'm going to leave her. She does no activities/classes yet her 21/2 year old sister does ballet without a quibber (although i'm worried dd1's behaviour will soon rub off).
She freaked the other day because i had bought a hair dye, she cried for hours when i had a facial and screams/panics at the propsect of her doing anything without me or me doing anything without her. I can't even leave her with DH without huge tears. I try everything to install confidence etc, i've tried the cross bit, i've tried the understanding bit. I feel that she is missing (and is going to miss) out on so much if she doesn't just get on. She goes to school next year and she's already started on about not wanting to do that. (she missed going this year by a week...she's a September baby)

i don't have any experience of ocd in kids.. but look out for nutcracker... i think her dd has/had it and they are overcoming it

i think she said that she was advised to try and cut down on the rituals. ie, her dd washes her hands a lot and they have to let her do it once and that's all... or stop her from doing it unnessecarily

anyway, hopefully she will pop up soon and can tell you more about it!

sound familiar?

this describes my dd1 to a tee (dont know about the gifted part though ). She is also obsessive about order and ritual. Dh seriously thought she had OCD at one point (I am sure she does not!).

Lots of love and 'pandering' is the way I deal with it chez Enid (although many would disagree ). She was a hugely clingy baby too btw.

I might have to buy that!! We have always said that she is very sensitive and funnily enough does much prefer to be at home with me making and creating. I've never thought of her as fussy, eats anything etc but i guess her behaviour is a sort of 'fussiness'. She's moving on to other things now like clothes...thought everyone was going to stare at her because she had a jumper on and myself and dd2 didn't. She's such a worrier and i worry so much about her.

yes dd1 is huge worrier

also hated all baby groups so we never went to any

she didn't really enjoy nursery and cried nearly every day I left her

funnily enough LOVED school though

Oh god how i hope dd will enjoy school. I can't bear the thought of dropping her off everyday in tears. I don't know whether i've made things worse by simply stopping the things she cried at e.g the swimming, the ballet the gymnastics etc but in my eyes i couldn't see the point of putting her through something that was meant to be for her enjoyment yet it upset her. I just feel that every few days she is becoming more concerned about things or adding new things to her 'to do list' for bedtime. Panics at the thought that i too am not going to bed, has to ask me a good 5 times what i will be doing whilst she is in bed, where i'll be etc

My dd1 had OCD for about 2 years from when she was around 2 until she started school. It was mainly hand washing and cleaning everything from toys before and after she played to having a duster with her all the time to polish things. When she started school she didn't do it so much but now at 7 she still has never used a school toilet.

stop all the things except one

ask her which one she would really like to do

sit with her while she does it

Thats a good idea, seems kinder than just stopping them all or even continuing them all and letting her become more obsessed. I know though that she is going to be terrified.

with my dd it was swimming

she really liked it and was good at it

I really played it up