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3.5 year old always tired

8 replies

Sugarmagnolia · 13/03/2007 08:05

Over the last couple of months my 3.5 year old DS has started complaining that he's tired all the time. He's more moany and tearful than he used to be (he was never really a moany child at all before in fact!) and more likely to fall asleep in the afternoons despite having given up having a daytime sleep almost a year ago.

He's had a couple of bugs since Christmas so I don't know if he's just taking a while to fully recover. Or if, having been unwell he's just gotten used to being moany. Or if there's something else wrong.

One thing in particular I was wondering about is if he could be anemic as his diet isn't great. He's on a completely dairy free diet to start with and is fairly picky on top of that. Some days he comes home from nursery having only eaten toast, cucumber and apple juice for lunch. He does eat things like peanut butter and eggs but hardly eats any meat, fish or chicken unless it's in the form of a nugget. I've been giving him a multi-vitamin and a calcium supplement every day but I'm not sure it's making any difference.

Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received!

OP posts:
colditz · 13/03/2007 08:12

I think eggs are a pretty good sorce of iron. Could it be the long term at nursery having worn him out?

A few nights of early bed time might help - just by 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

GooseyLoosey · 13/03/2007 08:13

No suggestions at all but await responses with interest as this could be my ds (same age). At certain times of the day he also complains a lot he is cold. I have wondered if it might be because his blood sugar levels are low as I have noticed that after he has eaten he is much better and stops complaining. Is your ds worse just before meal times?

colditz · 13/03/2007 08:14

he could have got used to being poorly

Ds1 still flings himself around and and wails "But I am POOERLY" when he is pissed off with me

("Can I have some crisps?>"
No, it's nearly teatime
"But I am POORLY, WAHHHHH"

colditz · 13/03/2007 08:15

I thibnk 3 year old boys just moan a lot tbh.

GooseyLoosey · 13/03/2007 08:24

Agree they definately do moan a lot and once you have given them an idea they run with it. I asked ds about 6 months ago if his tummy hurt and then on and off for the next 3 months he kept telling me it did (vever previously having mentioned it)!

colditz · 13/03/2007 08:29

yes, just for a giggle, when ds1 used to whine, i would feign sympathty and say "Oh no, does your hair hurt?"

and he would clutch his hair and wail "Ohhhhh my hair hurts mummy!" And cry if I don't kiss it better!

Sugarmagnolia · 13/03/2007 11:35

well yes colditz I agree he could just have got used to being unwell. Instead of "I'm pooooooooooorly" we get "I'm just tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired". We also get a lot of "my legs hurt". It's just that it's been going on a while now so I'm begining to wonder. Sometimes he does seem like his old self again and I realise I'd almost forgotten that he really is a funny, bubbly little boy.

I just don't know - I'm half tempted to get a blood test to check his iron levels but I hate to be one of those mums who's at the docs every 5 minutes.

(LOL at hair hurting!)

OP posts:
GooseyLoosey · 13/03/2007 12:07

Agree its probably nothing and just the way boys go on, but if you think there is something not quite right, get it check out - you wouldn't sound like a paranoid mum to me

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