Mood swings in children

Parenting Australia

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6 Votes

Name: Mia
Subject: Mood swings in children

Hi, i have a 3 and a half year old boy who has started to behave very strangely. I tried to put him i child care about a month ago and it didnt go so well, he cried and i had to pull him out because it was getting very bad.

No in one day he can be very happy one minute, than all of the sudden turn around asking for me and be in tears if i am not around, want to cuddle and just be moody, than within 10 minutes he gets agressive and jumping all over the place, throuwing toys. I dont know how to deal with his behavier and its starting to scare and embaress me aound other people. Could the child care have caused this and is it normal for a 3 and half year old boy to have mood swings. I would really appriciate your response.

Thanks Mia

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Response from Janet Cater www.janetbcater.com

MOOD SWINGS

Thank you for your question Mia. This is not "usual" behaviour for a child of 3 and a half. However it is important to note that it is most likely caused by something which the child cannot control. While the behaviour can be embarrassing please know it is not your fault. When you are out and about and you feel embarrassed turn to those nearby and say "He is learning to use gentle touches" or "He is learning to use his words".

The first thing that comes to mind with mood swings is food allergies. Your descriptions of a child who is fine one day and not the next is not normal and it is important to look for the underlying cause. His behaviour indicates it could be a food allergy. Today practitioners are finding more and more children have food allergies or food intolerances. Some children will eventually grow out of food allergies. Meantime some actions to take:-

FOOD

I would immediately remove all foods that are high in sugar such as coco pops, cordials, sweet biscuits, ice cream, sweets and highly processed foods. Replace with rolled oats, unsweetened muesli and cornflakes. Avoid cordials & juice and give milk or water. Remove foods with colourings particularly red and yellow. Notice if there are any changes in his moods.

Arrange for allergy testing through blood test, scratch tests or kinesiology. (Kinesiology is the least invasive way to test young children).

Seek advice from your preferred health practitioner.

Some children are allergic to "healthy foods", such as wheat, dairy, and even apples! So best to get it checked out by your preferred health Practitioner. (GP, homeopath, kinesiologist, or naturopath).

Preservatives can set some kids off: 223, 224, 228 (and many others).

Purchase a book from your local news agency or book store "The Code Breaker".

MSG is hidden in many foods and can cause mood swings/irritability -It can be listed as 621, ’flavour,’ 622, 623,624. It is found in soups, biscuits, and even some brands of rice crackers

Provide frequent nutritious snacks for children that age - up to 6 ’meals’

a day as some children "lose" it if stretched for too long without food

Drink water - regularly - get the child to sip at least every hour.

Get a chiropractic check up - if it has started ’out of the blue’ it may be associated with a fall, a nightmare, following illness or a fever.

Provide a low GI diet for you’re your child. This will sustain his energy so he can better deal with frustration and change. This means providing a protein and a carbohydrate with every meal or snack.

Some ideas would be:-

. Baked beans on toast

. Fruit with nuts and yogurt

. Fruit with cheese

. Ham & tomato

. Chicken & avocado

. Hummus and carrots

. Pasta with mince sauce

. Rice with vegetables

. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes/spinach/beans

. Plain biscuits with peanut butter

. Smoothie with banana, milk, yoghurt, honey (a little), frozen

berries, and a couple of teaspoons of almond meal - to add protein = longer lasting energy.

Can easily make it dairy free with soy or rice milk

TRANSITION/CHANGE

Some children do not manage change easily so it is important to guide them gently through change. Give plenty of warning eg "In ten minutes it will be bath time" " In 5 minutes we will need to get into the car" etc.

Commencing day care can be a big change for a young child and you may need to work with the centre to instigate a gradual "settling in" process. Ask them to consider letting your child attend just a few hours a day for a few weeks. If he is really upset see if you can stay with him for the first few days. Then leave him for only one hour and gradually build up the time.

Another suggestion is to leave him for short period of time with a friend for say just 1 hour. This reassures anxious children you will return.

Give him a photo of yourself to mind in his pocket.

Please contact me if you need help to source to a child care centre that is willing to work with you in this way to settle your child happily into care.

It is achievable!

BRAIN GYM

Brain Gym is a series of gentle exercises that help children to focus, concentrate and to be calm. It can help with mood swings. As a brain gym practiotner for many years I have used this in conjunction with dietary changes to help with mood swings. A brain gym practiotner can test to see if your child needs this modality

RETAINED PRIMITIVE REFLEXES

They are reflexes controlled by the brainstem and associated lower centre of our nervous system. These reflexes develop during pregnancy and are essential for a baby’s survival in the early stages of life.

As a baby’s brain and nervous system mature, these uncontrollable reflexes are no longer needed, and in normal situations the higher centres integrate and take over the primitive reflexes. While everyone has these reflexes they remain with us for the remainder of our life, it is very important they become integrated or controlled by the higher centres in the brain early in our childhood. If not remediation is required. A good osteopath can help with this work or a paediatric physiotherapist.

Please contact me to ascertain if this applies to your child. It is vital that practitioners really understand about reflexes. I can discuss indicators with you and recommend a practitioner.

TIPS FOR MOOD SWINGS

. Remove all sugar from the diet

. Provide low GI food to sustain energy

. Drink lots of water

. Check indicators for worms

. Have allergy tests with preferred health practiotner

. Introduce change gently

. Consult a brain gym practitioner

. Consult an osteopath who understands sacro cranial work

. Stay calm

Symptoms of worms are itchiness, restless sleep or irritability.

Listen to Janet Cater’s podcast at

http://www.parentingaustralia.com.au/content/podcasts.aspx

4 Comments

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Kim makes this comment

Monday, 12 April 2010

My gosh mia! this is so my story. i was beginning to feel so alone in the world. My son is also 3 and a half. I done the day car thing also with teh same result! He has trouble making even the simplest decision. He is intellectually switched on and has the biggest vocabulary of anyone i know. Yet the mood swings are unvbelievable. One minute he can he cuddling me and then jump up and start throwing things and yelling at the top of his lungs, then hitting me then crying all in a matter of seconds. I came across your story as i was researching my sons behaviour after having his GP telling me he is a normal 3 year old, seeing as he sat in the doctors office as if butter wouldnt melt in his mouth. Thank you for your story and making me feel not so alone. Now if only someone would believe this terrible behaviour and stop telling me he is a "normal" boy.
Susan makes this comment

Sunday, 06 June 2010

I can alos relate to this story with my six year old daughter. She has always been a sensitive child and since starting school this year, has been having mood swings almost on a daily basis. Mornings she is usually having a tantrum about something, by the afternoon she is bouncing off the walls some days. It is concerning me, which is why I have begun searching this site to hear other people in the same situation and whatt to do about it from here.
Loretta makes this comment

Sunday, 05 September 2010

Hi, It gives me hope just to hear other parents are faced with these challenging situations. I have a 'nearly" 5 year old daughter. Her moods can be so terrible and nasty. One minute she will be sweet and say "I love you mummy" and then in the next she can be throwing a tantrum and screaming in an out of controllable way about I don't know what. We cannot reason with her or even know what the tantrum is about. She can be outright nasty in her comments too. I even started seeing a psychologist and she has even suggested she has some behaviour related to autism which personally I don't agree with but it is concerning. Another outcome is that she is highly anxious. She is totally normal when staying at other people's homes. She saves the bad behaviour for home which makes me think she doesn't have autism. It's a mystery and we don't know how to handle it.
The Contented Body makes this comment

Tuesday, 14 September 2010

Mood swings in children are just one of the symptoms that could indicate that your child is suffering from food intolerance. Other common symptoms of food intolerance in children include diarrhoea, constipation, bedwetting, headaches, skin conditions, ear infections, asthma etc. If you are concerned about mood swings in your child one of the first things you should do is eliminate the possibility of food intolerances. Cutting out certain foods from their diet without identifying their specific intolerances does not account for biochemical individuality and is too random - ie you may eliminate foods that they are not intolerant to (that have important health benefits) whilst still be feeding your child problem foods. You must identify exactly which foods to avoid - either by a IgG pinprick test or by an elimination diet. Considering how many children suffer from food intolerances (as many as 70%) this is as good a place to start as any when dealing with mood swings in your child.