I have a crazy 5 1/2 year old son! Help!?

Question

My son is very well behaved most of the time, but when he gets tired he goes wild! He'll run around, jump off furniture and cause havoc. He does calm down if I insist on it, but refuses to stop moving until he goes to bed. I'm thinking of adjusting his diet. What do you think?

Answer 1

If he's not taking a nap anymore, then yes, adjust the diet.  Stay away from sugar (even sugary fruit; get fresh fruit instead of canned or frozen) and limit the carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta). Use beans to add filling.  Also stop all sugary drinks and instead offer milk or water.

hope it works

Answer 2

Becoming over-tired and hitting a hyper-active second wind is pretty common.  Adjusting to an earlier bedtime and cutting sugar and caffeine from his diet may help, though.

Answer 3

My kids do this sometimes and I was told its their way to avoid getting tired or if they are already tired it helps keep them awake.

Answer 4

A change in diet can help a lot!!!!!  Less sugar, eat mostly fresh live food.  Mostly Fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, seeds, and legumes.   Also make sure he gets enough sleep to help reduce tiredness times.  Even if he wont take naps, it is important for young children to get some quiet time every day.  Good Luck!

Answer 5

maybe you should take him to the doctor and tell him/her what is going on and see what he/she suggests.

Answer 6

Cut his sugar intake and cut yourself a switch and use it if he doesn't pay attention.

Doc

Answer 7

maybe you should spank his ***.

Answer 8

If it is only when he is tired that is actually very normal.  Tired kids can get mean and cranky and they can get a "second wind" and run around acting like a bunch of wild animals.  Make sure he is getting enough sleep.  My youngest son needs 12 hrs sleep at night and my oldest son needs 10.

Answer 9

that sounds like a good idea x

Answer 10

It's nothing to get worried about.  Very natural behavior.  The key is all in the breakfast.  I remember back in 9th grade Physical Science, my teacher explained this.  If kids/students don't eat a good breakfast before school starts they are out of focus and tired before lunch.  After lunch, kids are still tired and out of focus at school because the body gets confused from being hungry than all of a sudden getting more food than needed rushed down.  To digest, the kid gets tired.  Hours later after school, the kid's stomach takes longer to digest because of that food (as I said before he/she eats more because he/she is hungrier than should be).  So the kid wants to eat dinner at 6:00/6:30 rather than something like 5:00.  After the kid's stomachs digests a good hour/hour and a half later than normal the kid is finally done digesting and gets all his/her energy at bedtime.  That's about what he said, it may have been a little different, but it's been a long time since I heard that discussion.

It's not so much changing what he eats, it's changing when he eats.  Specifically when he eats his breakfast.  Good luck!

Answer 11

My little girl does the same thing I have found what helps her is getting her in bed before she is too tired. I suggest an earlier bedtime if he is that tired. My little girl is 4 (5 in september) I give her a bath & then she picks out a book we read, that unwinds her & we say our goodnights & she's in bed. If his diet is full of sugar & stuff then it wouldn't hurt but a routine & bedtime might do the trick.

Answer 12

Yeah, over-tired kids actually wind themselves up. Eating a little healthier couldn't hurt. I have a two-yr so maybe this won't help, but you know that song by Raffi, shake my sillies out? Take him outside and dance and act crazy with that, and then go back in and tell him all the sillies are gone. This should buy you a little time, but the best thing is just to stick to a schedule and not push him when you aren't home. When you are home, just use a well-established bed time routine and put him to bed.

Answer 13

Maybe its the sugar he has.I have 5 kids and when you give sugar to them they will go nuts but then after a while they just fall asleep.So take away the sugar for a few days and if he has sugar again and he does something wrong then punish him.Its normal.

Answer 14

How about making sure he gets enough sleep at night, not overtiring him, and not expecting more out of him that he is capable of handling?

All the best.

Answer 15

Sounds like he's just a normal little boy. My 2 sons are the same way. We usually have to take them to the park or the pool to really get it all out. Unless he's violent or hurts himself or others, I wouldn't worry.