Was Yours a High Energy Baby? How Was He/she Received?

My DD2 is like that. Plus some emotional powerhouse thrown in. She is always on the go always into stuff, always drawing on walls, breaking something, etc. She has been a challenge from the get go. She is 3 now, and we see an occupational therapist occasionally to help with her sensory seeking personality. It helps a lot!

My 5 year old is still high energy. She cannot sit still. My mom is worried. A lot of people don't like her energy. I think it's fine. Maybe she will be a long distance runner or something....

Been there! Our oldest has ADHD and he was spitfire from the beginning. When other people would say they had active kids, I'd watch theirs and think their kids were on sedatives compared to our son. Toddler years were insane! He'd climb anything, run nonstop and we couldn't even get him to sit at the table for a meal (we called it "drive-by eating" -- we'd feed him a spoonful as he ran by). Take time to blink and he'd be jumping on furniture. He was too smart for babyproofing or redirection. I dropped to my high school weight chasing after him nonstop! No kidding.

As far as how he was received, it varied greatly. Out in public, not so well. We got the "why can't you control your kid?" glares a lot, despite our best efforts. We learned to just stay home as much as we could. Family and friends were far more accepting.

Impact was tremendous. Severely limited what we could do. We thought he was just spirited and would outgrow it, but in his case, he couldn't because he was born with ADHD. I could write a novel on the impact this has had on our family.

Add me to the group that says, "yes" and goes on to explain that our kid has ADHD. We do have babysitters, but they are very experienced, high energy people themselves. One of them has a stepson with ADHD, so she totally gets my son.

My son hasn't been well received by his peers' parents until recently, when we started him on medication. Until then, he was known as "the bad kid." So sad for a kid to get that label (he acquired it when he was 4).

I really like the way you worded this question.

Yes, I have a high energy child. My daughter was high energy from conception!!! Constantly on the move and getting into things. she stopped taking a nap at the age of one, has always gone to sleep late (we could never get her settle down at night) and early riser. She was exhausting. Not only high energy with physical activity, but high energy verbally. Almost impossible to get her to do what she didn't want to do and like your child No was not a word in her vocabulay. Grocery shopping was a difficult task because she would not stay in the cart, she screamed and pulled things off the shelf. She was the kid that you find hiding under the clothes rack. In fact one time we had to call an amber alert at Walmart because she ran off in an instant and I could not find her - turns out she was hiding under the clothes rack! She is 11 now and still very high energy - just a little more cooperative.

When she was younger, we had stop going out to eat with her because she was the kid that was crawling under the table or throwing a tantrum. long rides in the car where a nightmare, so we stopped taking rode trips. People were not lined up at our door to babysit either.

discipline was difficult because she could care less, time outs did not work, reward charts didn't work - I read all the books about spirited children, none of the techniques worked and I did stick with them.

She is 11 now and very creative, curious, highly intelligent, knows what she wants, does not take no for an answer (this will serve her well someday, although may put me in the nut house). She is passionate, a good friend, a great sense of humour - often the life of the party! She is kind and copassionate and a good friend. And her temper is that of a madman!

I would not trade her for the calm, compliant, quiet little girl that many of my friends have in a minute! I love the way my high energy daughter thinks outside the box. She is growing up to be a beautiful person inside and out.

I also have a quiet, calm cooperative son - he is 15, has always been easy. So easy that I had another child - I always say if I had my daughter first, I would never have had a second, she wore me out.

Our high energy son ended up being diagnosed with Aspbergers, but before we had a diagnosis, we just had a child much like you described (minus the very affectionate part). For the most part, people steered clear of us. He was hard to get to know, didn't want hugs or kisses, threw temper tantrums that rival Satan himself, and was all over everything, ALL THE TIME.
We still don't have a babysitting situation in place, because people have a hard time with him. He's 6 now, and does great at school, makes friends, and is liked by most. We did notice that for the most part, people either love him, or can't stand to be in the same room with him. Those that fall into the latter are typically people who have mild children (and think they had something to do with that due to parenting!), or older people who think we don't parent/discipline effectively. We have learned to let that roll off, and I have finally stopped apologizing for his crazy, rambunctious, and sometimes, blunt behavior. It is who he is. But boy, is he one FUNNY kid. He has the best sense of humor, and the sweetest little smile.
Hang in there; out of 5, I only got one like that. Its just luck, and your parenting very likely had nothing to do with it. Embrace him now; when he's older, all that energy can be channeled into grass-cutting, weed-pulling, and heavy lifting!

I have 2. Neither are babies anymore but they're still just as high energy and crazy as they ever were. My husband and I welcomed our children's temperaments albeit they're not always easy or "fun." My daughter, 9, is ADHD and bounces off the walls whereas my son who is 6 is autistic and also bounces off of the walls and anything else he can.

The children make lives stressful some of the time but can't that be said about any children in a family? We also do not have sitters nor would I ever expect anyone else to be able to handle either of my two as a twosome. Others enjoy our children in minimal doses. I can completely understand this view but wish that others would take a minute to consider just what it's like for them to be as they are.

Highly energetic and spirited children are fun to raise and engage but at the same time they can also be a whirlwind of complexities that, I would think, do not come as an issue for docile children.

Love the way you describe your son :)

I just want to add, that I literally shake my head when I see babies or toddlers sitting, yes, actually sitting, in a stroller. How did they get their child to do that I wonder? My kids ran everywhere, and we used the stroller for the ride back to the car only, if they were exhausted from playing.

I have two of them, now 13 and 16. The 16-year-old eventually mellowed somewhat and now appropriately channels his energy into team sports and getting good grades. We are still waiting for the younger one to "mellow!" As I just stated in response to another post, the reaction to them varies. Some people love them, others not so much. I've definitely been able to distinguish between teachers who appreciate and work well with active boys and those who don't. I like the Mary Kurcinka books about Raising Your Spirited Child and Power Struggles. Both of my boys have also gone through PT for sensory issues.

As for the impact on our lives, it is probably why we have two children and not three! Our oldest was so off the charts colicky that people were surprised we were willing to have a 2nd. When the 2nd was colicky and "spirited" too it was time to stop! I am not a mom who could sit at the park, pool, playground, etc. and chat with the other moms while the kids played. I always had to keep a careful eye on the boys for safety reasons--they had no fear. And there are times when they weren't well-received that it impacted my ability to develop relationships with other moms, unfortunately. That aspect has improved as they've gotten older and especially since I've met other moms with similar children or children with similar interests. As he gets older I think it helps to find an activity they really enjoy to channel their energy. My older son loves hockey and baseball and my younger son is really into theater and speech and also plays baseball. It took them a few years to find their passions, but they both have done that. Good luck!

I, too, birthed a "squirmy worm!" As a newborn she would flail her legs on the changing table as if riding a bike and hasn't stopped moving since!

She talks from the second she wakes up until she falls asleep (save for a two hour nap, in which she sings herself to sleep)

And is nonstop physically and mentally. Just today she ran across a soccer field at the park for the heckofit, and climbed up a faux rock wall, scaring me to pieces.

And like you, hubby and I are exhausted. She likes to be entertained at all times but we are working on more independence.

But yeah, embrace it.

Yes! We're still waiting for a dinner where our 7 year old can sit through the whole thing without jumping up to reenact a sports play or dance move that he HAS to show us. It's only been in the last year that he's able to sit through a movie at home with the family. He used to swing on the furniture, make forts, play with a ball, etc.

The active side of him switches to engaged and outgoing in school, so it works well for him. He's able to sit as still as necessary in the classroom. Fortunately, in first grade, they know to move the kids around often and let them get up between tasks! No ADHD in his case, just a lot of energy!!

I feel for you. Our oldest is very spirited and falls on the far end of the "difficult to parent" spectrum. Thank goodness she is not really high energy. Our second, now 3yo, is easier going and more socially adaptable but extra high energy. Together, they are a challenge. I've been told on numerous occasions how independent, curious, and energetic my girls are.

We also do not receive any volunteer babysitters, and we do not go out very often. My husband and I are absolutely exhausted by the end of each day. It's rough.

We manage by keeping the thought that the same qualities that make these kiddos challenging at this age might, if directed properly, result in some really, really outstanding adult children. Fingers perpetually crossed.

Good luck.

My nephew is extremely "high energy"! Cannot sit still for 5 minutes--ALWAYS on the go!!! He's 7 now.
That said, 2.5 is certainly not a "baby" a d my nephew foes well with strong and consistent rules and swift consequences for non-compliance. They've never spanked, but at 2.5, counting to 3 and the threat of a time out were more than enough to rein him in.

Sounds like a pretty typical 2.5 year old boy to me! Both of mine were high energy. We've since learned to channel that energy into chores and busywork and play.

Mine are now 10 and 12 (tomorrow!). They're GREAT kids.

With dinner you need to start not allowing it at home so he doesn't do it going out to eat. That calls for at least a time out.
I have one Very high energy kid , my oldest is 11 and has ADHD. She was high energy from the start. AWAKE ALL THE TIME as an infant. And EVERYWHERE as a toddler. We didn't go out to eat with her until she was maybe 5 and that was armed with toys, crayons , books etc. you have to keep their hands and their minds busy. Keep yourself armed with little puzzles and coloring books, toy cars , etc something to keep his attention. When we were moving when she was little we'd stop at a rest area and have her run laps from lamp post to lamppost or to the picnic table and back ,etc.

but anyway I feel your pain. She's still everywhere as soon as her medication wears off. She's also brilliant. Has a HUGE vivid imagination. And that energy comes out through that imagination. I have the best in laws they would volunteer to babysit for us .

my dd is very high energy.

I frequently brought her to parks, the mall, etc. where she could run around. She is 9 now and she is a great gymnast...most of the other girls at her level are in high school. As soon has they learn to channel their energy productively, it becomes an asset.

I still worry when she's at other people's houses, but most of her close friends have similar enegery levels so their parent's are used to it. I host a lot of playdates at my house just so that she's not raising the roof at someone else's house.

Mom, what you've detailed here was so well written, and so enjoyable to read! I had one difficult child in temperament and felt what you feel from people, to be honest. I remember when he was a baby, after I weaned him, he would just plain scream for his bottle, zero to 60, I swear. It was like he all of a sudden realized it had been 3 hours since his bottle, and BOOM! He wanted that bottle instantly. Dealing with this overall temperament was sometimes really hard...

Both my kids were very active, but not as much as what you detail. You are indeed lucky that he stays in a crib. If I were you, at the point you have to put him in a bed, I would DEFINITELY replace his room door with a dutch door that has the lock on the outside, so that he can't climb out of it. His room can be his "crib". If you always close the bottom half of the door, he won't get used to the door being opened. It will keep him from getting up in the middle of the night to go out of the room.

I'd also keep him on a really strict schedule. I think that would really help your entire family, even though it certainly can put a crimp on your social life.

A lot of physical activity is great, but you have to make sure that it's controlled. Too much activity with too much stimulation can provoke meltdowns and lots of problems.

It sounds like your son is very talented in a lot of ways and you'll really enjoy him as he grows. But I DO understand that this period can be a bit exhausting, LOL!!

Smiles!