Does this sounds like a possible sensitivity?

[RollerCoasterMama]

DS(28 months) has an aggressive streak. We've tried EVERYTHING. DH even got so frustrated that last time DS scratched him he smacked his bottom (THAT was a whole different issue we've discussed at length--hopefully the first and only time).

He's a very healthy happy bright kid. Empathetic. Socially engaged. Stays focused on a task for a remarkably long time for a 2 year old. No concerns but for the aggressive streak. When he gets worked up, excited, frustrated, angry, and sometimes just at random...he tenses his body up and grabs the nearest body part of the nearest person (usually me) and pinches, scratches and sometimes hits. He's getting better about the hitting. We've mostly worked past the biting (not completely). But the random pinching concerns me. He doesn't do it much at daycare. Rarely with DH. So it's mostly just me. I'm covered in scratches and bruises on my arms, chest and even my face. Just this evening he went from perfectly happy to turned around and grabbed my face, narrowly missing my eye. I HATE flinching when my baby turns to me suddenly!

DH thinks I'm crazy for thinking about food sensitivity. I think I'm a little crazy, and I'm overwhelmed at the thought of trying an elimination diet with him while he's in daycare.

Maybe it's just that he pinches instead of hitting like other two year olds. I'm just glad he doesn't bite much any more! Except for this aggressive streak he's such a lovely kid! Most people that know him are really surprised when he acts out because 90% of the time he's wonderful.

Last year we ended up switching daycare after extended behavior and biting issues. Within one day at the new place, the biting and tantrums were almost eliminated. There was no longer a behavior difference between daycare days and home days. So at least we got that resolved! But almost a year later, we're still dealing with this pinching!

Experts...does this behavior pattern warrant exploring food options?

Thanks from a bruised and scratched up mama!

[mamafish9]

No idea on the food sensitivity side, but this does sound like maybe a sensory issue (my DS does exactly this, he's 26 months, and for him the triggers are definitely sensory). When we meet his sensory needs better in his day (for my guy, that means lots of time out on our trampoline, and squishy hugs), I get pinched and hit way less - it's gone from the bruises everywhere you were describing to stretches of days now where it doesn't happen at all, within about 3-4 months.

The thing that made me wonder if this might fit your situation is the dramatic difference that changing his daycare environment made.

Anyhow, if this sounds at all possible for your little guy, you might want to pop over into the special needs forum (my usual "home") - there are lots of great mamas over there with high sensory needs kids who would have great ideas for you.

And now I'll stop totally hijacking this thread and hand it back over to the allergy forum .

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by mamafish9

No idea on the food sensitivity side, but this does sound like maybe a sensory issue (my DS does exactly this, he's 26 months, and for him the triggers are definitely sensory). When we meet his sensory needs better in his day (for my guy, that means lots of time out on our trampoline, and squishy hugs), I get pinched and hit way less - it's gone from the bruises everywhere you were describing to stretches of days now where it doesn't happen at all, within about 3-4 months.

The thing that made me wonder if this might fit your situation is the dramatic difference that changing his daycare environment made.

Anyhow, if this sounds at all possible for your little guy, you might want to pop over into the special needs forum (my usual "home") - there are lots of great mamas over there with high sensory needs kids who would have great ideas for you.

And now I'll stop totally hijacking this thread and hand it back over to the allergy forum .

Ok...something new to think about! The old daycare was definitely an overstimulation thing. It just got worse and worse as the older kids got home for the summer. He was randomly biting the next kid down the food-chain! And he was AWFUL for the first hour or two after getting home each day. The new one is calmer, smaller, MUCH more structured and she gives them plenty of outside time and lets them run off the energy but doesn't put up with aggression from any of them.

I really don't know anything about sensory issues, but I know for sure that we took care of a whole lot of his issues when they were at their worst last summer by avoiding getting over-excited (no tickle fests for several months since it was a big trigger), getting more sleep, less or no tv. As much c.a.l.m. as possible. Those helped at home, and the daycare change helped. What I'm dealing with now is NOTHING comparatively!!

And reading about food I keep thinking this doesn't feel quite right. There's no other symptom. I will read about sensory issues. But it almost sounds like the coping mechanism is mostly doing what we're doing. And help him learn to channel that impulse in another direction as he gets older.

[kjbrown92]

It's possible. Anything is possible. Could you start a food journal and see if it's happening after a certain food? The top food intolerances are dairy, gluten, soy, and corn in case you want to try taking those out. But I'd check out the sensory issues too because the overstimulation thing sounds like it could be possible too. Any food dyes? Or do you do unprocessed foods?

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

It's possible. Anything is possible. Could you start a food journal and see if it's happening after a certain food? The top food intolerances are dairy, gluten, soy, and corn in case you want to try taking those out. But I'd check out the sensory issues too because the overstimulation thing sounds like it could be possible too. Any food dyes? Or do you do unprocessed foods?

Lots of dyes, dairies, glutens and a fair amount of corn! I try to keep his meals healthy and his daycare is careful as well, but he gets a fair amount of all of the above both places. The only thing I'm good at avoiding is soy--I have a lot of trouble digesting it, so I just avoid it altogether for my son.

I did a lot more reading...there just aren't any other symptoms, so my gut tells me it's not food. I do remember my mom doing an elimination diet for my brother when we were 7 or 8 yrs old to see if there were behavior differences. I don't think there were though. It was only for a couple of months. It could just be he's extra wired and extra tired that's making it flare up again. He's been taking longer to fall asleep.

Thanks for the input. I'm going back to avoiding triggers, keeping the tv and laptop (!!!) off when he's away and trying to get more sleep. Same old struggles we've been having for a year.

[kjbrown92]

Did he have colic?
Any rashes?
Very thirsty?
ring around the anus? (I know, sounds like a kid's joke)
diaper rashes?
ear infections?
perpetual runny nose?
itchy eyes?
clingy?

Egg and gluten were the ones that were keeping my DS from falling asleep at night. Food dyes can do weird things to some people. Does he ever do it before breakfast, or is it later in the day usually? Could be a build up of things over the course of a day. I'm not saying it is food intolerances, but I'm saying it still is possible.

Our neighbor has a child that was very impulsive in the hitting, pushing, biting, etc. and she was finally diagnosed as autistic at 8yo, and now on meds, doesn't do it at all (her mother doesn't have the patience to try a GFCF diet).

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Did he have colic?
Any rashes?
Very thirsty?
ring around the anus? (I know, sounds like a kid's joke)
diaper rashes?
ear infections?
perpetual runny nose?
itchy eyes?
clingy?

Egg and gluten were the ones that were keeping my DS from falling asleep at night. Food dyes can do weird things to some people. Does he ever do it before breakfast, or is it later in the day usually? Could be a build up of things over the course of a day. I'm not saying it is food intolerances, but I'm saying it still is possible.

Our neighbor has a child that was very impulsive in the hitting, pushing, biting, etc. and she was finally diagnosed as autistic at 8yo, and now on meds, doesn't do it at all (her mother doesn't have the patience to try a GFCF diet).

None of the above. That's why I'm leaning away from it. And USUALLY it's reactionary. Those I get. He's not even 2-1/2, so the impulse control isn't really there. It's the times he's acting out of nowhere that worry me sometimes.

I keep thinking that if I could just get another hour of sleep it would help so much! But you can't hold his eyes shut! So we're working on it. And once he falls asleep (about 8:15) he's OUT for the night until 6:30 usually. At which point he wakes up and plays quietly by himself in his room until he hears one of us wake up.

[mamafish9]

Originally Posted by 3901sca

Ok...something new to think about! The old daycare was definitely an overstimulation thing. It just got worse and worse as the older kids got home for the summer. He was randomly biting the next kid down the food-chain! And he was AWFUL for the first hour or two after getting home each day. The new one is calmer, smaller, MUCH more structured and she gives them plenty of outside time and lets them run off the energy but doesn't put up with aggression from any of them.

I really don't know anything about sensory issues, but I know for sure that we took care of a whole lot of his issues when they were at their worst last summer by avoiding getting over-excited (no tickle fests for several months since it was a big trigger), getting more sleep, less or no tv. As much c.a.l.m. as possible. Those helped at home, and the daycare change helped. What I'm dealing with now is NOTHING comparatively!!

Food intolerances can interact with sensory issues, so definitely keep following the food angle to see if it fits, but everything you write above screams sensory to me. Come on over to SN as well, there is a lot you can do in addition to what you are already doing to really help with this , and lots of mamas who have BTDT.