Does my toddler daughter have sensory issues?

amother

Royalblue

Wed, Feb 27 2019, 1:24 pm

I just have to reiterate- yes this all sounds like common toddler behavior for this generation. But how did you decide that this is normal? Is what is common normal? Or is the body and brain working well normal? I think many first-world children of this generation have sensory difficulties due to the standard American diet- lack of nutrients, mostly synthetic vitamins, overdose of sugar, lack of healthy fats to build sufficient brain connections, etc. So yes, you’re surrounded by people who have similar issues - is that enough? Or would you rather fix what’s making your daughter’s brain fire so actively all the time. And make every day life easier and less of a struggle. My advice is to try to find the root cause. I highly recommend reading articles by Dr. Mark Hyman.

If you want, try this as an experiment- there’s literally nothing to lose-
1-Give a non-synthetic, food-based multivitamin
2- give fish oil every day (if she’s not having fish multiple times per week she’s likely deficient in omega 3)
3- start a high quality probiotic
4- look at labels and try not to buy things with added sugar, or at least get familiar with the numbers and buy things with less added sugar

Treat it as an experiment. Do this for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference in her sensory reactions. I’d be shocked if you don’t.

amother

Cerulean

Wed, Feb 27 2019, 1:33 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you.
1 - I give my kids those gummy multivitamins
2 - how would that help?
3 - she takes probiotics
4 - as I understand everything has sugar in it. She also is in day care I can't control everything she eats. At meals times they only get water and I sometimes allow juice after my kids eat supper. This is definitely good to keep in mind because the sugar is not good for any of us.

A while ago I took her to a kinesiologist as she has ongoing ear infections, not sleeping through the night etc...it came out that she was sensitive to corn and basil.

amother

Royalblue

Wed, Feb 27 2019, 2:30 pm

amother wrote:

2-Fish oil has omega 3 fatty acid which is needed for proper brain function - and about 90% of Americans are deficient in it. We are getting high levels of omega 6 fats which are inflammatory, and not enough omega 3 fats which are anti-inflammatory. The fatty acids (DHA and EPA) in fish oil improve mood and cognitive performance, reduce stress response (cortisol and adrenaline), and benefit brain development.
4- yes sugar is very common, and even in products that you don’t think of as sweets. But don’t let this overwhelm you. Start by just looking at the numbers on the nutrition label and becoming more aware/try to reduce. Don’t be fooled into buying products with synthetic sugar substitutes though as those are even worse. Send your own snacks to the daycare or ask to see what they provide.

I’m sure the ingredients in the daycare snacks are also full of corn. Many people are sensitive to corn as most of the corn in America is GMO. You can do an elimination diet if she is thought to be sensitive to corn - remove corn for a couple of weeks - then add back in and note any changes/symptoms (there are more details online on how to do an elimination diet). I would send my own snacks to the daycare.

The sleeping is definitely a big factor in mood too! Sounds like she may have sleep disordered breathing - the airway is obstructed (sometimes by tongue posture/tongue falling back into the throat, or large tonsils, etc) and so the body wakes itself up throughout the night to make sure it’s getting enough oxygen. This is also common. Does she have open mouth posture during the day or night at all?

Don’t discount how much these things can impact behavior and mood. When we feel good, we are much more in control. And even more so for kids.