a question about intolerances and behaviour

[momtonb&ab]

OK, i know most of you are dealing with much younger ones, but i also know your eyes are the ones i need here to figure out if this is what is happening....

DD is 4     i notice we go through spells with her where her behaviour is really aggressive /talking back/pushing and shoving/not listening where normally she isn't like that - i always linked the behaviour to her being tired as it always happens when we are busy at our house.

but now we are away from home and i know she is rested, she is sleeping in the room with me and i know she is sleeping her normal 11.5-12 hours each night.  her mommy cup is as full as i can get it, but she is still aggressive.  now what i realize in discussion with DH is that she has been having a lot of milk and a lot more sugar than usual (because we are traveling and it was her birthday).

can an intolerance to milk and/or sweet cause this behaviour?  and if i cut out the sweet (but for the natural stuff in fruit she always has) and cut the milk back as much as possible (can't completely remove dairy because we are staying with friends for a few weeks) do you think that i will see an improvement? 

help!!! my baby is miserable and we are really struggling!!!!!!!!!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

hmmm...that's a tough one, could she be acting out because of the fact that you are somewhere new?  Spencer get irritable and has way more meltdowns if she has eaten something she shouldn't, so it could certainly be that.   

I'm not sure I would cut both at once because then how would you know for sure if it was the milk or the sugar?  But then, to keep the peace while you are away it might be worth it and then try some more experimenting when you are home again.

[KathrynK]

Definitely! I have seen this with Sophie, not so much these days, but certainly when she was younger, like 2 or 3

I suspected she had a problem with colourings in food, so one time when she was 2.5yrs at a soft play place gave her a Slush Puppy (like a slushy ice drink thing) as an experiment. It was bright blue! Well she was like an animal all afternoon, and by 5pm I had locked myself in the bathroom and cried because my angel had been replaced by a monster 

Thinking about that makes me lol, I was there with Helen (Ennypen) and Jen (Maffoos Mummy), god it seems like a lifetime ago....!

My guess is the sugar, that seems like the obvious culprit. Can you eliminate for a few days and reintroduce to see what happens?
hugs xxxx

[Buntybear]

Hi, I have no experience but my first instinct would be the sugar. I think if it was milk then the behaviour would be down to pain and she would be telling you at the age of 4 that she was uncomfortable.

[Roseii]

I might be wrong but I think that it's additives/e numbers that can cause behavioural problems rather than sugar...I am v much thinking along the same lines with DD1 The milk aspect had never occurred to me..
Xxx

[~*~Louisa~*~]

could it be acting out because of feeling ill due to the milk?

Both my other two if they become poorly at all its like a couple of monsters!

[KathrynK]

Yes, the only time Alex really misbehaves is when he is poorly/ teething

[momtonb&ab]

thanks.  i knew you all would have some advice for me. 

DH (who is not with us on this trip) suggested the milk.  our chiro (who also does acupuncture) suggested eliminating milk - and she has been askign for it a lot lately.....which is why i wondered about that.  but the sugar/additives, we have also had a lot of things like that lately too.... 

i think, just to get through this trip, i am goign to severely limit what she has. she was better today and all i allowed was water to drink (it is usually just water or milk anyway, juice is a special occasion thing) and no sweets.  she had a bit of chocolate before supper because the little girl we are staying with, her grampa was here and brought little treats so i could hardly refuse, but she was a bit crazy going to bed.  which makes me wonder....hmmmmmmmmmmm

thank you so much. 

i love you ladies for sharing with me.

[*Liz*]

I find with treats it is more than it affects his appetite and then the bad behaviour is partly a sugar high and partly hunger - as he is too young to feel the difference and self regulate.

Interestingly I gve J a biscuit for supper last night and he was an ass at bedtime and had a very restless night. Hmmmm indeed.

[Katet]

could be the milk... milk is an issue for me & interestingly 2 days ago discovered more of an issue than I thought with DS1... although other factors too.

I've been working long hours the last 2 weeks & DS1 has been an emotional wreak the last few days. DH had some time off & has been doing things like shopping & picking boys up from school. DH bought full cream milk... I nearly threw up after 2 days of it in my coffee /cereal & DS1 has not been himself.  Now part of me thinks it could be the long hours that I've been putting in, but the other part knows that DS1 does have a dairy allergy & he's been sneezing lots since the full cream milk (& all other factors are eliminated.  So milk could be a part of it.

I'd also wonder if DH isn't there & you are away from home if also she is a child that doesn't cope with those sort of changes, I know that we ALWAYS have more problems with DS1 when we are staying in someone elses house & he doesn't get to run around as much as he does here... physical exercise is a big stress reliever for DS1 & so without it he is more easily frustrated & difficult.

[Mom to M&M]

The additives are a big one for us here with DD. Dyes make her nutty - only dye free meds here, organic or homemade yogurts, etc (evil kids yogurt with cartoon characters made her NUTS when she was like 3-4).

And for some reason Oreos (and the organic alternatives) make her reflux flare up AND make her cranky and weepy.

Taking DS to a holistic doc next week who specializes in food sensitivities. We KNOW he reacts to the gourd family, as well as coconut and pineapple. Also suspecting milk to some degree. Affect mood/behavior as well as physical reactions...

Hope you figure it out and have a good rest of the trip!