Distinguishing between 'normal' boisterous three year old behaviour and 'hyperactivity'

[popsycal]

Ds1 was three last week and he is a whirlwind. He is bright, intelligent and excellent fun.

But he never shuts up from the moment he storms into our roon at 5:45 and jumps on his 5 month old brother until he goes to sleep at 8pm singing his zillionth rendition of 'Rocking Robin; or 'Blame it on the boogie'

He storms around, shouting and chatting endlessly, booming and banging and whooshing. He plays his air guitar. He whooshes round on a wooden spoon like Little Cook Small. He answers back, deliberately does the opposite of what you ask him to do.

To me, he is just DS1 and makes me chuckle (and tear my hair out). But over the last few months, several different people have commented on him and have said how hyperactive he is and doesnt he sit still or shut up etc etc etc.

My gut reaction is that we just have a boisterous 3 year old who find life exciting all the time.........but DH wants me to ask 'those Mumsnutters'

What do you think.....

[tortoiseshell]

hi popsy, i posted something like this a while back and someone suggested 'highly active' as opposed to 'hyperactive' which sounds pretty like your ds. I'll see if I can find the thread...

[tortoiseshell]

thread here - some good suggestions as well for how to deal with it!

[belgo]

I read something about having bare feet to help use up your child's energy - can anyone confirm this?

[belgo]

I suppose the trick is to guide your child's energy to something useful, he could do very well in life but without pressurising him. I have a very active little girl, not hyperactive, she's perfectly normal, it's just that all the other kids around her are fairly slow.

[popsycal]

thanks

off to look at tortoisesheel's thread....

he got worse and worse as hthe day went on

[popsycal]

Read it now

I think he is probably just highly active - and combined with being overtired and probably bored with me and ds2 all day everyday at the minute makes him loopy.

We are getting out every day to do some sort of activity - but he needs LOADS.

He is a really early riser and shattered by lunchtime. Trying to sort it out by letting him have a brief nap and putting him to bed later...which is beginning to work - otherwise, god help his reception teacher in 2 weeks time during the afternoon!

[Cathycat7]

This post is really old but I've got a boy who is coming 4 who sounds very similar - please tell me what happened!!

Did he grow out of it? Or was there 'something else going on?' as my son's nursery keeps hinting with my child..