My son turned 2 in June. At his 2-year-old doctor apppointment, I mentioned to the doctor that he seemed tired alot. She tested his iron and said it was fine. She did not seem worried about it. The issue went away. But, in the past week or so, the issue has returned. He is tired all the time again. He will lay down on the kitchen floor while I am making dinner, with a pillow and blanket, and say he is tired or sick. He has no other symptoms - no fever, no runny nose, etc. He will ask to go to bed before his bath. He will want to go back to bed after he wakes up in the morning. Overall, I think he gets a normal amount of sleep. He goes to bed at 8/8:30 and gets up at 6/7. He takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday. During this same time period, he has also started drinking a LOT more milk - several more cups a day. So, I am chalking all of this up to a big growth spurt. Do you agree or should I be concerned that it is something a bit more serious? Should I check in with the doctor again? Thank you!
Thanks for all your great advice, everyone. I took my son to the doctor this morning. She ran a CBC and he had the classic signs of a virus (low white cell count, etc). She thought it might be mono, which is not as serious in little kids as it is in older ones. She said to make sure he gets plenty of rest and he should be over it in another week. (It usually lasts 10-14 days.) There is no other treatment for it, but it makes me feel better to know what it is. She did a check for diabetes and he is fine. She thinks the milk drinking it related to a growth spurt. So, all is well (or will be in a week). Thanks again!
Hello, L.:
I would like to add to Terri's comment that my husband had quite severe food allergies as a child (fortunately he's outgrown most of them) and sleepiness was one of his reactions to milk. He would fall asleep at his desk after they'd had milk that morning at school.
Hope you get to the bottom of it!
K.
Since it seems to alarm you, I'd call the pediatrician's office. You know when something is just not right. It is better safe than sorry.
Even if it ends up being nothing, you will at least KNOW for sure.
Good luck Mama!
J.
I agree, you should have his WB cells checked. Also consider iron supplements. Do your research b/c iron and calcium can work against each other. Also I am wondering if he is getting "good" sleep. Can you see/hear him sleeping? My nephew talks in his sleep and has nightmares, he would wake up not so rested. He now take melatonin... natural sleep aid. He is 10, but this began around 5. Ask your Ped. Give it a try.
My son did this every time he had a growth spurt...i kept calling the doctor, he actually measured him right before this happened, but it last over a week, so we went back, he had grown 2.5inches. It also happened right after the start of school this year, changing into a more structured routine (even though he was in day care all summer). If it doesn't go away I would call the doctor back...you don't want to ignore something, you'll never regret bugging the doctor a little, especially if it is something more serious!! Good luck
he may not be tired at all. My daughters have all been that way. Sometimes they just want to be close and cuddle with mama. I wouldn't be too worried unless he's actually sleeping a lot. Good luck
You have probably already arranged for this, but I would certainly recommend a full blood work-up, including a fasting blood draw to check his blood sugar. Good luck to you.
I would keep a journal with how much he's sleeping. Write down every time he naps and for how long. Total it at the end of the day. Most 2yo need between 12-14 hours of sleep a day. Journal any other sysmpotms (like how much milk he wants).
I also agree that it could be a sleep problem. He may not be getting restoritive sleep overnight. THere are pediatric sleep specailist. CAll his doctor and ask for an appointment (maybe in a week or two) just to address this problem. Write down as much as you can between now and then. Continue to advicate for your child until the problem is resolved.
Have him checked for diabetes - see this article. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32583.asp
I worked at a Day Care years ago and there was a little boy there who was having the same problem. The doctors took him off milk and there was a dramatic difference in him, he had so much energy. Another mother then decided to experiment with taking her son off milk, he was very clumsy and unfocused, after taking him off milk for a while, he seemed to be able to focus better and to have better control of himself.
I know that milk is an entire food group, I have a milk allergy that was diagnosed as an adult, so I know this is a hard thing to take out of your diet and I don't think you should probably take it out of his diet completely, but you might experiment and see if there is a difference.
Has his schedule changed at all? I know when I switched my daughter from an in-home daycare to a preschool, she was tired all the time too. It took her a few months to adjust to her new environment.
Did you mention to the doctor that your son is drinking more milk during the day? I know the doctor checked your son's Iron, but I read that drinking to much milk can lower your levels "Regular cow's milk does not contain very much iron in it and it can actually prevent your child from absorbing other sources of iron in his intestines." I know a lot of doctors will only recommend so many oz or cups a day. I don't know if that was any help...let us know if you find anything out! I hope your son will be ok!
Hi L.,
This could be just a growth spurt, but I noticed your other post as well. While neither of these issues sounds like a huge deal by themselves, it sounds like you feel as though something is going on with your son.
My daughters have both had strep throat at times that made them act "different" and concerned me, but had no "traditional" symptoms. Sinus infections can be that way as well. My point is, something like this may be going on, and he either can't voice the pain, or just isn't in any.
My standard advice is to go with your gut. Better safe than sorry, right? If this lasts through the weekend, you may want to make another appt. just to make sure all is well. Good luck!
Did he check a white count just to be sure? I would want to make sure that he does. It's normal for them to need more sleep sometimes. BUT, childhood leukemia does happen and it's pretty easy to rule out.
Suzi
