Excessive blinking in 3 year old - anyone else's child done this?

[firststeps]

DS1 is 3.1 and for the last 3-4 weeks has been blinking excessively, coinciding with him starting nursery just after Christmas. He says there is nothing wrong with his eyes, they don't look sore and he isn't rubbing them. I wondered if it was just a habit or if I should be concerned about this?

my toddler also was blinking and twitching and it was driving me nuts, after afew weeks i took a close look and the poor dear's fringe was taking root in his eyes... a hearty cut and one week later the blinking has stopped!

My 4 year old had done it for last few months, usually when watching tv or over tired. Best to ignore it, as tics get worse when commented on or monitored. Also an eye test is recommended for children with blinking tics just to ensure no vision problems. Hope that helps xx

My son also did this when he was bout 3.
All we did was ignore it, it used to drive me crazy but me bringing attention to it made him do it more. It did go away eventually.
Although now, he keeps licking his face and all round his mouth is constantly sore.

My 3 year old daughter seems to have developed a blinking tic in the last 24 hours which is really worrying me. She has said that she 'can see shapes in front of her eyes which is why she is shaking her head'. Has anyone else's child said anything similar? I would be extremely relived if it is just stress and fatigue - she has an ongoing stomach complaint which is definitely dragging her down a bit.

O123 I think you should take he rto an optician if ahe is saying she can see things in front of her eyes.

DD2 blinks like mad when she is really tired, I do the same. The only thing that makes it go is to get a lot more sleep.

I was googling 'excessive blinking in toddlers' and MN was the first hit!! Should have known I didn't need to elsewhere for info.

My just turned 2 year old is doing this but thanks to this thread my mind is put at ease a lot.

My DD1 is also going through a blinking phase - when we ask her if her eyes are ok, she says they're fine and her vision doesn't seem to be affected. It does tend to get worse when she is tired. It is a concern, as I feel as though she may be internalising some kind of stress, which upsets me as she's only 3. I think I will take her to see an eye specialist, just in case.

Wow, how common is this! I have spent that last few weeks worrying myself sick about my 2yr old DS. He started it about a week after his flu jab so all sorts were going through my mind but I feel more at ease now after reading this thread.

ds1 does this when he's stressed or tired. It was very bad at one point when he was in playschool but it just stopped as suddenly as it had started, he still does it on occasion.

He is being assessed for dyspraxia though, I think it may be a sensory thing

My son did the same thing at the same age. It tends to come and go... It returned a few times during childhood and was always stress related. As he got older he learned to do things which were less noticeable instead. We never made a big deal out of it but tried to deal with the underlying stress.

My child is currently going through a blinking tic, started when he was about 4, and has been hanging around for about 10 months, but has gone for some months at a time. It looks so uncomfortable for him, and it's worse when he is watching TV but is there other times and other kids are starting to comment. It's gone mad the last few days, he does is constantly. Is anyone still interested in talking about this? Are any of the original posters still around on Mumsnet that can share their experience / outcome? xx

Shameless 'Bump' for any more input x

I'm so glad I found this post. My DS is 3.2 and has just started with a blinking tic. I am a huge worrier so I'm glad to hear most peoples experiences indicate that it will pass quickly.

My son is 3 years 3 months and started hard blinking about 2 months ago it seems to go away then comes back, any tips? His seen a eye doctor and eyes no prescription and appear normal?

HI Chantelle9876. I posted back in February as my son had been doing this for over 10 months. He is still doing it, but like your son is goes away and comes back. We consulted a Paediatrician who assured us it's just a tic, lots of kids get them, they do tend to come and go before spontaneously resolving. Best not to comment, try and keep things 'normal'. It's so hard not to worry about emerging tics, I have lost countless hours being upset and researching for a reason/solution but I am still where I am 1.5 years on. He is fine and happy in himself so try not to worry and try and remember it will hopefully pass. If you want any other info feel free to PM me as I have been dealing with this for a while now and understand your worried x

My daughter is 7 years old , 5 months ago she suffered from.eccessive blinks when she is watching tv then it's developed even when she is talking especially blink with one eye; my daughter wearing glasses since she was 3 ; I went to 20 opthomologist and all.said eyes are fine; some of them.told me dryness allergy . I saw then a neurologist who told me my daughter have tourette and I should Gove her medicine name frisium (anti anexiety)
But I don't want to give her..it's been 6 months and am.crying every day ..anyone experienced that???

Hi Alamirah sorry to hear you are so distressed. From what you've written it sounds like a simple tic, and as you'll see from this thread they are apparently quite common and usually go away. I am surprised by your neurologist's diagnosis.

My 12 year old son had tics since he was 18 months old. They have got much better over the years, he sometimes had facial and vocal tics together and it was really distressing to see at times. He rarely has them anymore and if he does it’s normanly stress, tiredness, anxiety which causes them. Try not to pay too much attention to it and reassure your child, most tics completely go by the time they hit their teens, or much sooner.