https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:34:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1126330 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 13:22:01 +0000 sarac 1126330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: I mean, I see overweight, inactive children, and I think about how frustrating that must be for them. I think that instilling a love of movement and activity is an enormously healthy thing to do for a child. I consider that more important and more developmentally appropriate for a toddler at this point. Curiosity is also very important to our family, and supporting her in following her interests (even if they're not what I'd like her to pay attention to in that moment) is very important to me. </p> <p>One of my main parenting goals is to raise healthy, happy people who feel passionate about something in their lives. Supporting a toddler who wants to run around exploring things instead of passively listening to what is offered to her feels like a great way to do that.</p> <p>And I would hate for anyone to read this and think that I'm not exhausted or kind of sick of running around at the end of the day. Sometimes I wish that my daughter would just sit quietly for a while in her stroller and give me a break out in public. The level of activity that my daughter requires totally wears me out, and I really get being tired and overwhelmed by a life of it. Totally. I give myself permission to let her watch Sesame Street or the equivalent when I really need a break. But I think that we're doing a great job of raising active, healthy children. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1126203 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:34:47 +0000 looch 1126203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: Remind me to tell you the experience I had when I brought G to a playgroup, around this time last year. I have never been so mortified in my whole life, but when I look at how it was a year ago to how it is now, it's like I have a different child! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1126190 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:32:06 +0000 meredithNYC 1126190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Keppa: I totally get you on feeling "alone". It really gets to me that of a group of SO many kids they're all just sitting there nicely. Even though everyone's nice about it, I feel embarrassed and like I am a bad parent. I really need to get over it because I think it's mostly in my head, but it's hard.</p> <p>@sarac: You are exactly right as far as "embracing" her personality goes. I am trying to look at the positives of having an independent, active girl and if I'm being honest, there are quite a few. I just need to remember that when I'm frustrated! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1125197 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 04:48:56 +0000 honeybear 1125197@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Keppa: You're not alone! Also, I can pretty much guarantee you'll have lots of opportunities to make friends with other moms in the next year or so. I did it and I'm not exactly extroverted. I had no mom friends (or non-mom friends, for that matter, although I don't really consider them separate categories!) in my new neighborhood around the time my son was your LO's age, but now that he's 3, I have quite a few. It gets easier to meet people as your LO gets older, even if he doesn't slow down at all (my LO is much more active than he used to be!). :) We had the head-butting and middle-of-the-night-waking phases, too. They pass! </p> <p>Totally unrelated, but I like your kitten avatar. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1125176 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 02:21:16 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1125176@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm starting to read this book: Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic.</p> <p>I haven't gotten so far, but it does mentions adding more physical activities. For my DD, I try to get her to run around outside everyday, even if it's just in the yard. She's 15 months and I can't imagine getting her to sit quietly for a whole hour at this age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1125159 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:58:11 +0000 VanillaBean 1125159@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used to coordinate an infant through twos program years ago and have observed many toddlers your daughter's age doing exactly the same thing. Your daughter is displaying very age-appropriate behavior. Toddlers are known for being very independent, curious, loves to explore and they cannot remain seated for longer than 5-10 minutes and are on the constant go (lack of self-impulse and control which they will have more control over as they grow older and are exposed to more experiences where they are expected to). </p> <p>I wouldn't expect a preschool (3-4 yrs old) child to sit for more than 15 minutes if the child has never had preschool experiences and/or been in group setting where s/he is taught to sit still through a reading or any type of activity. </p> <p>I would follow her cues and help her learn about her surrounding as that is her way of learning. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1125150 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:08:37 +0000 HLK208 1125150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: this was DD at a play group today! She's 15 months and she's not really a ball of energy at home but every time we go to a place where she's expected to sit still, she won't. Every other child at the play group was sitting in his/her's parents lap during circle time. Nope, not my DD. She runs away and gets into anything she can. I do think it's just the age and some children are less likely to sit still. Church is also a nightmare for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1124935 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:33:09 +0000 Mrs. Stroller 1124935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is EXACTLY like this - we just don't go to story hour anymore because it's exactly as you describe. After our first tumbling class I called my mom in tears because all other other 1.5-2 year olds sat and listened to instructions or at least didn't run off wild. I've been assured it's normal and to not try to quell it. I just go with the flow and try to get him outside as much as possible and let him explore as much as I can. I definitely empathize. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1124868 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:14:38 +0000 junebugmama 1124868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My guy is the same way. He just really wants to keep it moving all. the. time. Our oldest wasn't like that, so it's kind of a pain, and at times embarrassing, but he's really smart and seems to be physically ahead of the other kids. I try tiring him out earlier in the day as someone else suggested, but it doesn't always work </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1124858 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:12:23 +0000 sarac 1124858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some children are just drastically more active than others, I suspect. Part of it probably has to do with the way they're raised. My toddler has been encouraged to run around and to be active and to explore from birth. She's never been required to stay in a pack n play, or a swing, or a small gated area. We make sure that she's never required to be in a stroller for longer than absolutely required. </p> <p>As a result, she certainly would not sit still for a story hour. She won't sit politely in her stroller for long. She wants to be up, exploring, running around, climbing, being active. I valued those qualities in my daughter more than I valued a child who would sit still and be quiet. I expect that ability to evolve more and more as she ages, but at this point I happily embrace her energy and desire to explore. </p> <p>Your child just may be very active and need a lot of activity. You can certainly work with them to sit still longer, but some children just aren't into that. I've given up on story hour, myself. We just go to the library, grab some books, walk around exploring, then go run around outside. Just as good, in my opinion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1124856 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 20:11:49 +0000 Mrs. Oyster 1124856@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I swear I came on here tonight to ask a similar question!! My son is 13.5m old and is always on the go. He started crawling early, and began walking right around his 1st birthday. I've been told that he's very smart (I haven't been around many babies, so to me he's just normal) - probably more on par with 16-18m olds.<br /> We do gym class once a week but he can't sit still long enough to get through the "warm up" before he's off running around the gym (which is fine). He also has some other traits that I'm not sure what to make of. He bangs his head quite often. Usually, it seems, out of frustration or anger. He doesn't cry afterwards, but seems to be testing it out to see how it feels. </p> <p>I don't mind him being active, although it does tend to get exhausting. I think the hardest part is feeling like I'm alone in this whole thing. I hang out with other moms who have babies around his age that sit and play with their toys, stay in one area, and sit on their mom's laps...and my son is across the room, so I don't get the chance to socialize really. He also has yet to start sleeping through the night...so I feel pretty alone in that part of things too. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1124746 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:25:09 +0000 littlecasita1122 1124746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is 15 months and sounds pretty similar behavior-wise. I've never tried going to a story time hour with him because I know he won't sit still, even though he loves reading with me at home. We purposely signed up for Gymboree to help get some of his energy out - we go to class once a week and take advantage of open gym hours a couple other days. We also try to go to the park every day so he can run around on the soccer fields. My mom said she remembered my sister and I "calming" down a little as we got closer to the 18 month mark. but I'm not counting on it with my LO. I don't really mind anymore, I've just learned it's part of his personality! He's super curious and needs to explore. And me trying to keep up with him all day makes up for the fact that I never go to the gym! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123957 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:11:22 +0000 wheres_c 1123957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is 9 months and won't sit for storytime. He can't even walk! Once he does, I'm sure we will give it up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123917 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:00:17 +0000 Lozza 1123917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 2.5 year old son has always been like that- I think we tried a story hour type activity once and he lasted maybe 5 minutes. I think it's normal. He loves gym classes, but even then he will sometimes choose to run around and do his own thing rather than participate in the group activity.<br /> We joke that our kid is like having a dog- he needs to be run/walked several times a day if we expect him to behave at all ever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123909 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:58:39 +0000 meredithNYC 1123909@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: Agree that sometimes it's not such a bad thing having to keep up with an active LO. However, I dread thinking about if/when I get pregnant again. Yikes! The first trimester will probably kill me between the morning sickness, the sleepiness and the challenge of wrangling LO.</p> <p>@hilsy85: Yep, sounds like it! When I first took LO to a library class around 9 months, all she wanted to do was crawl away from the action :)</p> <p>@BabyBoecksMom: I definitely feel better hearing about another really active little girl, as I think the norm tends to be that it's boys who have such high energy levels. Here's hoping her new, calmer self sticks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123888 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:53:12 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 1123888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: yes, they only did a couple of songs in the beginning and end in the circle and the rest was more individual. The teacher demonstrated a circuit obstacle course and then each kid did it with mom helping. It was really the perfect balance for that age ( we did it from 14-20 months), </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123830 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:37:32 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 1123830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: You're not alone! I think you describe my daughter to the T. She's now 20 months and (knock on wood), she JUST started to calm down a bit. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she understands more of what we say and that she can tell us exactly what she wants. We never get to sit down with her though, and she will never fall asleep in our arms. She won't watch more than 2 min of TV without having to get up and move. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123825 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:36:15 +0000 banana 1123825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also wanted to add that my son wouldn't sit down for story time at all when he was 1-2. Now that he's 3, he'll sit down without any problems. He actually LOVES it now. And you would have never guessed coming from a kid who would be running up and down the supermarket aisles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123824 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:35:48 +0000 hilsy85 1123824@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can see my LO being exactly like this once he's walking...in ALL The classes we take, the other kids are sitting in the circle, and he's crawling around the rest of the room. It's exhausting constantly picking him up and bringing him back! Not to mention, he gets annoyed. I think he's just super active and super curious, and does NOT like staying in one spot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123818 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:34:09 +0000 honeybear 1123818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I concur that this sounds totally normal. We gave up on story time (for a while) and found a gym class instead around that age. Eventually we quit that too, because he needed more exercise than he was getting there. ;)</p> <p>LO is now 3 and I take him to the park or pool for literally hours every day. And he still has energy to spare. I think some kids are just built to move more. I try to look at this as a blessing in disguise, because keeping up with him definitely means <i>I</i> move a lot too, and it's nice to not need to make extra time for exercise! </p> <p>Anyhow, regarding addressing the behavior, it sounds like she's just bored. Some story times are better suited to some children than others (and some story time leaders just aren't very keyed in to what little children find interesting, to be totally honest), so try another one and if that doesn't work, maybe just wait a few months. Look for ones that involve touching stuff (zoos sometimes have events where they let you pet some of the small animals), or lots of physical activities like bubbles, maracas, and those ribbons on sticks. And don't get discouraged, children change so rapidly at this age that stuff that isn't compelling one month may be totally engrossing the next. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123795 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:24:46 +0000 Pepper 1123795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is still really young, but my parents tell me I was EXACTLY like this. They would try to enroll me in dance classes or other activities as a 3-4 year old, and I'd be off in the corner playing by myself or running around ignoring the instructor! Im sure I'm in for it with LO, he's already active (as active as he can be for A 3 month old) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123783 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:21:55 +0000 meredithNYC 1123783@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Yeah, I'm starting to realize that chasing after her isn't working, so I try to only do it when necessary.</p> <p>@banana: Yeah, I think she needs to be worn out a little beforehand, too. It's tough sometimes striking the right balance between getting the excess energy out and wearing her out to the point that she's tired/grumpy.</p> <p>@Maysprout: True! It's a new environment with new people, toys and things to look at - no wonder it's tough to make that transition between free play time (first 10 minutes of class) to sitting still and reading/singing time.</p> <p>@looch: Just glad I'm not alone! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123748 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:05:51 +0000 looch 1123748@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it's her age. My son was the same, I couldn't even THINK about attending the library for story hour. I think we might actually brave it soon, he's almost 3, lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123746 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:03:30 +0000 Maysprout 1123746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It sounds pretty normal to me. Library story time was significantly more chaotic when it was all 1-1/2 year olds. Our library was close by so we walked over, which helped get out some energy. We also have a playground behind our house and LO spends lots of time there climbing so we make sure she has lots of outlets for her energy throughout the day too. We talked about expectations beforehand though it only works somewhat at a young age, and if she was really misbehaving we'd leave the classroom for a few minutes at a time, come back and try again, but if she was disruptive then we'd leave for a few minutes again, they learn what's expected of them but I don't think it's intuitive for some kids to know to sit still when they're in a new place, it's too exciting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123731 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:56:59 +0000 banana 1123731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @mr.bee's suggestion. Maybe she's craving some sensory stimulation! Perhaps you can try letting her play at the park for a while before taking her to the library and see how she does. Or have her sit on your lap during the story time while you rock her back &amp; forth/ side to side. I've seen this technique work well for some children! Similar to how some people bounce their legs or chew on pencils. Some people just need a little activity to help them focus. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123667 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:34:25 +0000 brownie 1123667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't chase him. We let him go and ignored him because he thought our attention was fun. We also make sure he has lots of appropriate outlets for his energy. A siting mommy and me class may not work out well. What about a gymnastics class with lots of running around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123664 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:33:59 +0000 mrbee 1123664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: One thing you can do with sensory seekers is to structure stimulation into their day... maybe start off the day at the playground on the swings or running around in a field?</p> <p>Once they've gotten a certain amount of stimulation, it can really help them focus on other things beside the sensory seeking... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123656 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:31:43 +0000 meredithNYC 1123656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babycanuck: I would appreciate that - thanks! And it's reassuring that she's found a way to work with the hyperactivity.</p> <p>@mrbee: Hmmm... she definitely has a couple of those traits, which is interesting.</p> <p>@T.H.O.U.: I do think that's part of the problem with me being a SAHM in that she just isn't getting as structured of a routine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123644 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:28:07 +0000 meredithNYC 1123644@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lovehoneybee: Yes! My LO loves to tear bows from her classmates' hair and any time I run after her she just laughs, thinking it's a game. Sigh...</p> <p>@Baby Boy Mom: That's kind of what I'm thinking. Right now the perfect activity for her is going to the children's museum, where it's a giant free-for-all with lots of things to do. When you put him in the gym class was he able to cooperate in terms of doing things with the group? Or was it less structured. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-my-extremely-active-child-abnormal-im-starting-to-worry#post-1123643 Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:27:55 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1123643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think daycare helped a lot to teach her how to sit nice in circle time and do structured activities like that. </p>