Hyperactive @ 5mths??!

Hey everyone,

I’m having a really hard time with Adara lately. For the last 3wks she’s been crazy! I know it’s very early but I’m worried she’s starting to show signs of hyperactivity already..?

As soon as she sees anything she wants, she starts to shake, squeal & reach out with this determined look in her eyes & wants me to take her there but then I can’t put her down on the floor to play at all - if I put her on her tummy she’ll play for about 10secs, try to crawl (goes bkwds instead) and then cry. If I put her on her back she’s on her tummy as soon as she hits the ground anyway. For some reason she won’t even sit to play anymore.

I had to buy her a cot bumper cos she moves around so much & rolls over in her sleep, then wakes up with her arm or leg sticking out all twisted through the bars in the middle of the night. The bumper did help but now, even though I added a whole heap of extra ribbons to it & tuck it in to the mattress every night, she still manages to undo it somehow. Most mornings she’ll have a whole side of the cot bumper in the middle of the cot, usually holding it over her head as a kind of upside-down pillow which freaks me out. Forget about daytime sleeps...

I can’t do anything that will make her happy anymore. Whenever she’s awake I can only hold her in my lap with some toys she wants & then she’ll still screech & tell me off most of the time anyway. She always has been an extremely active & alert baby but she used to be so calm & happy.

Is this a stage that babies go through or should I be worried about ADHD? I’ve never seen a baby act like this before & none of the babies from my mums group are going through this... HELP ME PLEASE, she’s really creeping me out!!!!

Mel

Hi There Mel,

I'm having the same problem with rolling in bed with my 5 month old, (she started doing this at about 4 months - so frustrating) she loves rolling and thinks that bed is for that too. I haven't tried the cot bumper yet... i have tried the rolls that go down beside her but she wriggles out of them too. The same thing, sleeping thru the day is a battle, she spends most of the time with her arms and legs hanging out, when she finally goes to sleep it is usually only for 1/2 hour after spending an hour mucking around in bed.

She is a good baby but is so active, she is army crawling already!!! Jolly Jumper is great to keep her amused for a while.

I'm not sure about hyperactivity or not, I think mine is just extra busy all of the time.

At 5 months i wouldn't worry about ADHD. My Bub is nearly 5 months and she is extremely active also and lately i have been having trouble getting her off to sleep even when she is tired cos she is to interested in everything else that is going on. This is a probem cos once she is tired she doesn't want to be put down. Also i think they like to look around at everything and they can't see much from the floor. She likes to roll around in the cot as well i have one of those things you lay them in to stop them from rolling over but it doesn't work and usually she ends up falling asleep on her stomach upside down in her cot. I think it is just a phase. They are just discovering new things and are just really excited about them.

I also have a jolly jumper and they are brilliant my son loved it and my daughter loves it as well.

hi Mel,
My son is 9 months old and is a very active boy and has been since they day he was born! I thought he was just a tough lad because you see that most babys just lay there and do nothing, never my son always moving some how. Yes the same a your bub in his slepp it dosnt stop bumps his head that hard he wakes himeself up! I havnt tried a cot bumper for I thought of him pulling it over himself but do what I in the process of making is bumpers that just go around the poles its pretty strange idea but i think it might work! I wouldnt worry about her being active though just buy some toys that change alot and can keep her guessing, The things I got my son that he loved was his jolly jumper than he had a walker but once he crawled he didnt like it, his fav now is a leap frog table and a thing they stand up on and put the ball in and its plays music as it goes down (cant remember the name) but just things that have them always challenged! I never brought things that were for his age he always likes things that are for older kids!
My son is only nine months and walking and starting to get really clear with his talking, I think the more active the better! We just have clever kids on our hands! I hope you find something for you peace of mind!
mel

Hi Ladies

My little son is 8 1/2 months old he too is very active. Everytime we went to our Mother's Group my son seemed to be ahead rolling sitting up crawling etc not that I minded. I found the same problem as soon as he could crawl there went the jolly Jumper and walker so I also went out and bought a table thingo and it does all kind of cool stuff keeps him entertained for awhile. I have found that with an active baby you have to be one step ahead.
Cheers Mel

Hi Mel,

My boy was 5 months 2 days ago and I find him very hyperactive.

Luke always wants to be sat upright he loves the TV and loves to sit on your lap. If something is annoying him or he's tired he will screech, arch his back and now just started pinching and scratching which sometimes draws blood.

I too am worried about ADHD, especially since Luke was a little premmie.
I just hope it's his way of communicating at the moment and will grow out of it.

Luke is a real happy kid he's always laughing, squealing and smiling but in the last 2-3 weeks he has started all this. Hopefully it'll pass...

Good luck.

Thanks for your replies, it did help ease my mind about it a bit.

Isn't it always the way - after 3wks of worrying about it I finally give in & ask for advice, then it all gets better??? Yesterday, I went in to pick her up after a sleep & found her crawling up the cot!!! Strangely she can only manage to crawl some of the time (I assumed once they'd figured it out they'd be off & running for some reason) but she's definately getting the hang of it.

She's calmed down a lot more again now. I think you're right, for some reason some of us got babies who came out very determined with their own agendas & want to rush through everything full steam ahead. It can be little hard to handle sometimes.

I'll give the Jolly jumper a go, they look like a lot of fun. I think I'd get one for me if they made em big enough!

Thanks again guys!

HI Mel

I don't think your precious little one is hyperactive I wouldn't worry about that yet. My little one is now 7 1/2 months and at about 4 months she also started to get restless and she wouldn't let me put her down because she wanted to sit or stand instead of lying down she used to get bored lying down all the time. The one thing I did was buy a walker and set her up in that even though she couldn't touch the ground she enjoyed the freedom of moving around. I used to wheel her around while I did the house work and she loved it.

Hope this helps and believe me it does pass I was so frustrated my self I felt I lived on the couch as well

good luck

Annette

Hi Mel,

You said that daytime sleeps don't happen. My daughter was the same and I found that even tho she refused to give in she really needed that sleep. She would become overtired, overactive, grumpy, determined and never bloody happy lol.

Glad to hear things are better now.

My 8 month old also use to shake and go stiff almost like a convulsion. I think they are soooo eager to get up and move that they get very frustrated. Now that my baby is crawling he is much happier...until I come along and spoil his mischief.
I also had problems getting him down for a sleep during the day but now when he is tired, he will cry until I put him to bed. Then he snuggles down under his blankets and goes to sleep.
I think we should cherish our little whirlwinds. I would much prefer an active child rather than a couch potato.
Have you got a toy library you can join so you can rotate the toys so she does not get bored with the same ones all the time.