Energy Bunny

Updated on April 04, 2009
J.V. asks from Rohnert Park, CA
4 answers

I need help my 2 1/2 daughter never stops she goes and goes and now doesn't even take naps. She is tooooo friendly, social, and full of energy I need to know what I can give her to whine down she doesn't go to sleep until 10:00, 11:00 etc if we are lucky she will pass out early. She literaly never stops even though she is a joy to have there has to be a break for our household

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A.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I have to say, she sounds relatively normal. My first thought is something homeopathic or some chamomile tea 30 minutes before the preferred bedtime to help her go to sleep a little earlier if anything and make the environment calm (ei: no TV or much talking, just reading, a bath, etc...) You could massage her regularly, and that might help too.
My eldest daughter was similar. She stopped taking naps at age 2 and was VERY active. Although she did go to sleep earlier than your little one, partly out of my insistence on her having a 7PM - 8 PM bedtime. I just found things for her to do that would keep her busy on her own for a little while so I could do other things. I also had her go to a home-based day care 2 - 3 times a week for a few hours which gave her social time and me time to do cleaning, nap, or self care.
If she were unhappy or seeming out of balance in some way, I would be more inclined to advise seeing a homeopathist, but maybe it's just a matter of creating time and space for yourself without trying to make her sleep more.

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M.K.

answers from Chico on

My 2 1/2 year old is a lot like that sometimes too. If we sit with her and read or sing songs it helps her wind down. Having a schedule that is predictable could really help, too. You can also bypass some of the craziness by having her stay on her bed after a certain time (like 8 or 8:30 pm every night) but not insisting that she sleep. Just tell her it's quiet time now, and you need to stay on your bed. Eventually she will stop fighting it! I really don't think "giving her something" is a good idea... though warm milk is said to make some people sleepy.

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W.E.

answers from Sacramento on

please dont start "giving her something". my husbands mom couldnt deal with his overactivity so she gave him ritalin during the day and phenobarbitol during the night to knock him out. he has had drug addition problems his whole life as he does not know what "normal" feels like. our son is very hyper too, the key is to wear them out during the day. i even went so far as to make obstacle courses for him to run (get a stop watch and time her and challenge her with beating her own time) he also loved to watch me try and get thru a course designed for a small fry. lots of outdoor running and playing. lots of play with "action". one of our favorites was called "transmogrification" where we would hide in a big old cardboard box then shake the box and come out acting like an animal and the other person would have to guess what animal. we attended a gymboree type program at our local rec center. you could probably get the older boy to help build the obstacle course. then we had a nightime ritual of one hour before bed we would read and relax with warm milk and play games like who can be quiet the longest, or who can hold still the longest, or who can stay in a frozen position the longest. sensory integration therapy is a good suggestion, we did that too. they have a list of animals that the child pretends to be that helped a lot, and different massages that calm the child. our insurance paid for part of the therapy. i know its tough, just hang in there, for this too shall pass. my son is still quite a busy boy at 12, but nothing like he used to be. he is able now to sit and play quietly with legos, or read a book, or even watch an entire movie without having to get up and run around. good luck !!

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C.M.

answers from San Francisco on

This might sound off the wall, but maybe she needs what occupational therapists would call vestibular stimulation to calm her down. Ever wonder why babies fall asleep in the car or with their car seat on the vibrating washing machine, or in a baby swing but not in their crib?

When my kids were young I used to spin them on a chair (office chair or in our case a living room chair). It was amazing how much that calmed them down. My daughter (age 16) still claims that jumping on the trampoline every day calms her down. She does it every night.

Look into sensory integration.

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