dd2 has really pushed me over the edge today.

[misdee]

and i dont know why. i think it was the yelping and gagging at mealtimes. not her fauly. but somedays i cant cope with it.

plus she doesnt want to eat, so i am having to feed her.

maybe it just that we have all been ill this week.

Any of the above would be enough to push me over, Misdee. Sorry you are having such a tough time.

she was really rough with peter as well today. had to pull her off him several times. she is only 4, but so much bigger, so she does hurt when she goes overboard.

very excitable atm, if she had been eating junk then i would undertsand it, but nope, no fruit shoots here.

oh well just pop her round the corner to her GP and you'll have a dx by this time next week, then you can claim DLA.

Seriously though misdee- do you relax once she's gone to be (stupid question I know). I hope you're getting some time to yourself though, makes it easier to cope with everything.

i do relax. but i do worry about her. she is the oldest in her year being a 1st sept baby, if she had been born a day earlier (even 9 hours earlier) she would be starting school in jan. thank goodness she wont be starting till sept as there is no way she would cope at school right now. she seems so distracted all the time. even when i pick her up from nursery she is swinging off the chairs.

do chidlren with ADD sleep? i know ADHD children tend to have sleep problems, but hers seem to have gone for now.

today she didnt want to eat her lunch. she gagged so much she was sick.

how do i deal with that?

Is she underweight? I suspect not. In which case, offer her food at the usual times - no snacking between meals - and if she refuses to eat, then she gets nothing. Next mealtime with luck she will be more hungry, and thus more likely to eat, though still may refuse, so she still may get nothing.

Important: encourage sufficient fluids, especially water, to avoid dehydration. If she is eating no food at all, try making milk shakes using fresh fruit for flavouring and/or fruit smoothies.

It may help you to keep a note of what food she does eat - even if it's just a spoonfull. If she does not eat ANYTHING for a period of 48 hours, consult a Doctor. However, my guess is that within 48 hours she will eat something, even if it's just a bread stick.

Try to avoid giving her sugary snacks, like biscuits, also avoid things like crisps. Try and get her to eat the regular family meals you are preparing. Hide/remove all snack products from the house, so she (or any siblings) can't go raiding for snacks between meals.

In my experience, children rarely stave, though they do go through periods when they don't eat much. If you get concerned that she is losing weight, and/or no food is going in for a period of 48 hours or more, then consult a Doctor to check that there is no medical reason why she won't eat.

If she refuses fluids, then consult a doctor with some urgency.

she rarely get snacks between meals. she is losing weight, but because she ius a big girl for her age (off the charts for height and weight) the docs wont worry just yet. she has eaten some cereal this morning.

she cant eat without spilling foo everywhere, her tongue appears to come forward too much when she eats, pushing it out of her mouth.

think she needs to get seen soon by the SALT eating type person.

Sleep problems can be caused by numerous factors. Autistic children, children with ADD/ADHD etc can all suffer from lack of sleep. Adults are just the same - I rarely sleep for more than 4-6 hours per night.

Swinging off the chairs at nursery pickup time indicates to me a possible lack of physical outdoor exercise. How long each day does she spend outdoors? Do you find that when you spend time running around the local woods/park that she's easier to handle? I find that with a lot of children getting them out each day helps enormously - I'm lucky where I live as we have big local towns, as well as countryside, so easy access to woodland for the children to play in, country walks to see the cows etc.

Where possible, try to build in exercise into every day. It could just be walking to and from nursery. A little helps. Then at weekends, go for longer walks/runabouts. I find children prefer woodland to grass areas, as in woodland they can play more, hide, climb low trees, splash around in streams etc. So wear suitable clothing and footwear and don't panic too much if they get completely covered in mud! Your aim is for them to enjoy themselves and burn off lots of energy.

It's 8am, she's eaten cereal... so that's a good start. Out of interest, was it with or without milk? If with milk, then you may want to try without milk - as she may cope better with the crunchy consistancy. Offer milk as a drink with the meal. If she then decides she wants milk on the cereal, she can just pour it from the cup. Also, try adding small bits of fruit to the cereal, or have as a side-dish.

we walk to and from the school 3 times a day (well just twice really for dd2), which is about 3miles in total. we ran round the lakes yesterday, spent about 2 hours out (my dh requires 24 hour care, so we cant just go out on a whim). she spends a lot of time playing out at nursery. tiring her out doesnt seem to work that well, she is still energetic after a full afternoon out at the park or play centre. she is a very bright little girl. her CDC assessment placed her at 2 years ahead for some mental activities. she has started learning to read, and spends a lot of time doing puzzles and creative activities as well.

i just feel like i cant do enough for her.