ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

Most of us have heard about ADHD in children, specifically referring to school age kids, but today, we see a growing concern about ADHD in toddlers. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD comes with a long list of symptoms. For example, you would expect to see hyperactivity, lack of concentration, clumsiness, aggressive and/or uncooperative behavior, normal to high intellect, fidgeting, and trouble building and maintaining relationships. As you can imagine, spotting these symptoms in school age children is difficult but possible. However, when talking about ADHD in toddlers, many parents chalk these actions as normal behavior for that age.

It is true that toddlers will run parents ragged but if you begin to notice exaggerated levels of energy, often running on endless energy day and night or you notice any of the common symptoms but again, accelerated chances are you have a toddler with this disorder. The question for parents when it comes to ADHD in toddlers is how to cope. Again, dealing with toddlers without ADHD can be challenging as it is but then when you add in the struggles associated with this disorder, life can be frustrating for both parent and child. One of the most common problems parents deal with is being isolated because of their child’s ADHD. In other words, because the child causes havoc wherever they go, the parent would prefer to stay home and not have to deal with the public situations along with the snide remarks made by other parents.

ADHD in toddlers is a frightening thing but if you have suspicion that your child is not like other toddlers, start by talking to your family doctor or the child’s pediatrician. While some may want the child to take medication, and this is one option, we suggest you give this serious thought since generally the drugs used to treat ADHD should not be administered to children under the age of three. However, you have many treatment options. For starters, change your child’s diet. Avoid sugar or products containing sugar, avoid wheat, and avoid foods with additives. Instead, feed your child lean meats, low carbohydrates, whole grain, fresh fruit, and vegetables, and limit the dairy intake. Many times a change in diet will make a remarkable difference.

For treating ADHD in toddlers, you also need to build a support system. Going it alone will wear you out and create a high level of frustration and anxiety that will only be passed down to the child. Your support system should include educating family and friends about ADHD and then taking regular breaks. With this, you will be a far better parent, more relaxed, which again will be passed down to your child. Next, even though your child is young, he or she needs routine. Getting your household organized will remove tremendous stress from the situation. That means getting your child up and putting your child to bed at a certain every day. This also means scheduled meals, naps, and playtime.

Discipline is also crucial to treating ADHD in toddlers. You need to remember that your child is small. Therefore, rather than discipline for all the behaviors, he or she presents concentrate on just one or two aspects first. Your toddler is simply not able to pay attention for long periods. Therefore, you need to make your discipline clear and concise and above all, be consistent. Other helpful tools for handling ADHD in toddlers is to keep the noise level in the home to a minimum, get rid of clutter, make eye contact when talking, which is crucial, and always stay calm. If you need a break, rely on your support system. This will give you some breathing room, which again are both beneficial to you and your child. Remind yourself that ADHD toddlers are not the end of the world once you have the right tools for coping.
 

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