Over excited toddler

[Screamer1]

Just wanted to know if this is normal. My toddler gets so overexcited, particularly when he sees his cousin who is just 4 (DS is 2.5). My brother made a comment about how his son doesn't know how to deal with my sons behaviour and for some reason it really upset me.

Ds doesn't do anything too bad, but just talks very loudly and gets super excited, lots of hugging, play wrestling etc. DS also still gets very upset / tantrums if we say no about certain things, and doesn't yet understand the concept of sharing. So it can be quite a heightened atmosphere.

I just want reassurance that this is all normal behaviour? I'm slightly worried. Because he hasn't yet really made any pals at nursery, and I'm worried if his over exuberance is scaring other children off.

Just feel a bit sad about it.

Your DS sounds like a normal exuberant toddler.
As for making friends at 2.5. I think children tend to play along side others at this age and struggle to share. My daughter is 5 and still struggles with sharing

It all sounds perfectly normal and he won't have made any friends yet as he's simply too young. Sharing donesnt normally start at this age.

Try to make sure he's had a good rest before he meets his cousin and don't let him have any sugar, if it was me I wouldn't let him have sugar free either.

How's him speech?

Thanks so much tinkerbelle** and jilted.

His language is really good. But he seems to have the attention span of a flea. He won't sit down to do puzzles, ever. But LOVES imaginative play and reading books.

He did have a piece of cake earlier, but he was crazy excited before that, although I'm sure you're right that it wouldn't help!

My lad would never sit to do puzzles, drawing etc at that age, he was much too busy!

My toddler DS's 8 year old cousin is terrified of him! He totally looses it when they're together, bites him, wrestles him, generally turns feral. We have to keep explaining to the cousin it's just that he loves him so much.
So yes, normal. (Or we've both spawned nutters)

He sounds perfectly normal, but now is a good time to rein his exuberance in and teach him social norms.

Thanks so much for the replies jilted and angelicjen, glad to hear we're not alone.

Crumbs that's what was thinking. I keep takin. Him aside and saying things like "please don't shout inside" or "DC doesn't want you to wrestle him now, he's reading a book etc". Is there anyone else you think I should be doing?

It's good to keep whispering in their ear like that. Things like DC is having some quiet time and is reading a book, would you like to read a book? If DC can read, could you him to read to DS?

Cousin can't read but his grandad was reading to him and I tried to get son to sit down and read too (he normally loves books) but when around cousin he just bounces off the walls.

If it's any consolation my normally very well behaved DS can be a total jerk around his cousins. As they get older they need less supervision and you can just shove them in the garden

Ha, that is consolation! Thanks jilted.
I will keep repeating the calm down messages and hope that it starts getting through. At the moment I just get 'whhhhhyyy?' In response.

Think he sounds a perfectly normal toddler to me.

The answer to the why is that DC won't want to p,ay with him otherwise but sometimes they have to figure that out for themselves.

Ours seem to get among best when there's something to all p,ay with together, like putting a couple of blankets out, giving them sone pots and pans and let them play camping.

Thanks so much backforgood

That's a good idea, we never do imaginative play. Maybe that would focus it all a bit better.

Mine is still like this at 5. People say 'you've got your hands full there' but at home they play nicely by themselves and can focus for ages. It's just when they see someone they love or are doing something fun the excitement overwhelms them. It's getting better as they're getting older though and I'm quite happy to have such a loving, joyful, curious kid.

Your DS sounds perfectly normal for a 2yo, but your brother's DS is also normal - lots of kids who are a bit quieter / more sensitive than average struggle to cope with very exuberant children. Maybe ask your brother if there is anything you can do to make things easier for his DS? There might be something specific about your DS's behaviour which bothers him, I think your brother would really appreciate you showing that you are doing your best to address this.

DoorKnee do we share a DS?

Mine is energetic when he's alone, but can play alone well, Lego for hours etc. But with his same-age cousin, or his friends, or... anyone else. Off the wall.

I let him play with reminders not to be too exhuberent or scream too much. Often the other kids will ask him to calm down themselves - he has to also learn from his peers that he gets too carried away.

If it gets too much we tale him to one side to calm him down or get him to change games.

It is exhausting. There is no 'off' switch. It's 100mph or asleep.

Thanks Mango, I will ask that's good advice. I suppose the thing is that cousin can often be quite physical with dc, and because SA is younger I think he's taken that as his cue to how to relate to children now (we see cousin quite a lot). But obviously cousin is older and has the ability to turn off that intensity a bit more easily.

I could have written this, OP!!! 😂

My daughter is nearly three and for the last couple of weeks has been really hard work while with other kids, totally over excited, shouting, trying to cuddle everyone (sometimes roughly, I might add) and then wrestling them to the floor!!! I feel like I constantly run around after her saying "be gentle, not too rough!" Hoping it's just a phase or she'll have no-one left who wants to play with her!!!