Incredibly clumsy toddler

[MrsNouveauRichards]

My son is nearly 3yrs. He is fit and healthy, sleeps well, eats well, has a lot of energy and is very affectionate. He is also excessively clumsy. We often describe him as a Labrador puppy - all big feet, exuberance, huge appetite and no coordination!

He has a speech delay, so has had his hearing/ears checked (all fine) and an alternate squint, which means his eyes are checked regularly.

I am starting to get quite concerned about his clumsiness. I think it is excessive, and he always covered in scrapes and bruises which don't bother him, but do look dreadful!

He was about average with his milestones apart from the speech, although we had some rather violent behaviour from him around 16months, lasting just under a year, but getting progressively better. He is now deciding he wants to potty train, and seems bright and alert.

The clumsiness definitely comes in waves, growth spurts are a nightmare. He also has rather large feet for his age/size.

I just wondered if anyone had any advice at all, as I am running out of patience with having to scrape him off the floor every couple of strides!

Best to talk to his HV. I think he's too young to have his vision checked but is obvious possible explanation.

Thank you.

He has his eyes/vision checked every 3months by the eye specialist. They have a series of pictures they use.

He does seem to have more energy than other children his age that I know, so maybe it is just a case of more likely to fall if running at great speed?

HV is a good idea.

3yos don't multitask very well, it may be a case of you telling him to do one thing at a time, get him to focus on running and not that ball/ that dog/ where's mummy / etc.

I always find that when DC get clumsy, they seem to need new shoes as their feet have grown. I don't know why this is, but it happens in our house!

Yes, new shoes are always needed! He has just been measured up and is now in a 9 (!)

I am quite clumsy, and my sister and oldest niece are very clumsy too (although DS is a bit extreme!) So maybe just a family trait?

He has very good coordination for drawing, using touch screen etc, and also is very good at climbing, jumping, throwing etc, it just seems to be that he falls over nothing, trips over chair legs, falls off sofas etc.

It might be worth asking the HV about dyspraxia? (Daniel Radcliffe has that) or it could just be that toddlers are often clumsy.

It has crossed my mind, my clumsy niece is now being told it is more likely dyspraxia than ADHD as originally diagnosed, but she is 10, so I suppose you know it is no longer toddler clumsiness by then!

I am wary of these 'labels' as every behaviour seems to have a condition attached. When DS was throwing violent tantrums that lasted up to 2-3hrs anyone and everyone would tell me it was autism. When he likes to play for hours lying on the floor with his cars or trains it is clearly aspergers, his energy is ADHD etc.

To be honest, it would almost be a relief to find he fit one category!

I love him to bits, but it has been a real slog, every step has had some added extras that I wasn't expecting. He was a miserable baby, not happy unless either feeding or asleep, he was walking around 14m, and within 6wks he was climbing out of his cot, then the tantrums got more and more violent, hours of screaming and banging his head against the wall or floor, the behaviour improved as the communication did, but the speech never progressed, and we had awful problems with him biting other children, now he is starting to actually talk to us, and is becoming a really lovely little boy, but I wish he would slow down and not fall over every step he comes across.

I used to get really cross when he was hurting himself on purpose, how dare he damage himself when I spend every moment trying to keep him safe! And I feel a bit that way with the falling over/off things, I try my utmost to keep him safe and he just has to do everything at full speed and inevitably gets hurt. It is like he goes too fast for his legs iyswim?