Does overstimulation lead to hyperactivity?

[Questers]

Just happened to hear from someone that overstimulation could lead to a hyperactive child...I am not sure if there is any scientific backing to this..Is it true? Does stimulating too much have any adverse effects on the child?

Questers

[nadia0801]

I have a very active baby and I have been stimulating her since fetal stage but I am careful not to "over-stimulate". You know you are overstimulating when your baby seems withdrawn or bored with what you're showing him.

I know over-stimulation results in cranky babies but I'm not sure about the supposed link to hyperactivity.

[meandlinc]

Up until some ago, I began to think so - my mom kept saying that too much information too soon would cause hyperactivity. He would just run around, not in an active way, but like he didn't fit in his own skin almost. I noticed an amazing change in my son when I started giving him an omega-3 supplement (Liquid Health Attention) as well as magnesium (Baby Calm in his juice- he gets very little and it's 50% water), along with his vitamins.  I found a great vitamin that you can only get at health food stores or online, it has micro-nutrients and amino acids (Liquid Health - CHildren's Multi) and I also give him extra B vites in liquid form, as he is large for his size. You can read the reviews on Amazon for the products. t sounds like a lot, but they are all-natural and so don't build up in your body and are very absorbable. I do Multi in the morning, and we do magnesium (juice and baby calm)  every once in a while now, at first it was every day. Then Attention with healthy lunch (or breakfast depending on my day) and 1/2 tsp of B-complex after dinner.

I am concerned about the current reliance on main-stream experts for everything, including giving kids ritalin, etc., when the results are not worth the risks and in some cases are counter-productive. Food today is very nutrient-deficient to begin with and since toddlers are notorious for eating disorders, I supplement him and help him feed himself, so he can have more of a variety. Hard now, easier later.... this has really made him focus and calm down. He doesn't drive me nuts running around like he's loony anymore - tantrums aren't as wild, either, though he's getting to that age (23 mos.), but they aren't out of control tantrums.

If you are having any concerns, you may want to ask Dr. Mercola also (drmercola.com) - he is very knowledgeable and sooooooooooo helped me when my baby had colic and reflux and he talks about the importance of good nutrition and supplements. .

[Questers]

Nadia and meandlinc, thanks for your replies. Well, I don't have any problem right now. My baby is quite active, but definitely not hyperactive. I was just worried because we teach him reading, math, and other things and was wondering if teaching so much would amount to overstimulation. We do stop when he wants to stop, and if he is not interested, he will show it by turning away and we don't force him. I was just wondering if any of you knew about the relationship between overstimulation and hyperactivity, if at all there is any.

Questers.

[VictoriaC]

Dear meandlinc,

Thank you for sharing your experience in giving your child omega-3 supplement (Liquid Health Attention) and magnesium (Baby Calm). Could you share in detail what kind of difference you see in your child after having consumed the products? Should we give our children the same even though they're not hyperactive?

Would really appreciate your comments on this. Thanks heaps in advance.

[KL]

Yes, I think overstimulation can lead to hyperactivity.  However, I think the biggest thing to watch out for is excessive TV watching (like hours a day), which is what I noticed with a friend's child.  He was hyperactive.  (He did not do much if any early learning programs like those we do here.)

With early learning stuff like what we do, how long a stretch of time can it be?  I don't think it would even be more than 30 minutes (or maybe 1 hour if you include video products).  For example, using LR and LM twice a day each would probably be 30 minutes total at most (and that's going slowly and repeating playbacks).

[jsmonton]

i completely agree with you KL!i noticed with my cousin's kid who is more on TV(mostly cartoons showing violence and aggression){some parents think that cartoons are safe!}that she is hyperactive and copying what she has seen on TV.
i can say that my son is active though his activeness is nothing like you want to tie him up! whenever i put him to sit in front of the laptop for his LR lesson, he shows activeness as well but i find it positive bec he is responding to the lesson we are having.
I should say that we as parents should watch what we are "feeding" our children young mind. not all cartoons are safe for our children to see. moreover, exposing your child to a good stimuli such as colors,shapes basically educational will benefit your child more than u can imagine. But once the child shows signs of boredom, give it a break, it should always be fun time and enjoyable for both u n ur child.

[wintermommy]

Good to know! Now I will be careful with my baby. He is really calm most of the day and attentive. Thanks for the great forum!

[saniso]

I am not really sure about the correct scientific reasoning behind this but I agree with previous posters that TV is the most common source of over-stimulation.

 IMO Excess stimulation inhibits the childs self soothing mechanisms. The over stimulated child is then not able to calm down and in turn leads to over-activity. I completely agree that Programs like LR/LM or YBCR within their stipulated guidelines are not over-stimulating.

I do not know if  there is a direct link  between over-stimulation and Hyperactivity (as in ADHD)

[Kappasweet]

Babies need lots of quiet time during the day so that they can get the right amount of rest.  I agree, if a baby isn't getting enough sleep, they will be hyperactive.  I remember once I was watching some Mommy show, where experts come in an fix Mommy's problem, and a lady had a 3 year old who she was keeping up until 11pm every night!  Once she started putting him to bed at 7:30, that fixed the problem.  She wanted an ADHD diagnosis and medication very badly though.  It never occurred to her that he wasn't getting enough sleep.  I tell people about this program all the time, put your kids to bed earlier if they seem too active.  And I agree 110% that TV is overstimulating and can cause problems.

[Questers]

Nice to see so many inputs. Regarding TV watching, I was under the impression that too much TV would make the child passive as he keeps sitting in front of it doing nothing. This point is new to me. Anyway, American Academy of Pediatrics says to minimize TV watching until 2. Thats the rule we have at home, "no TV until 2," but its hard to practice when others in the family watch a lot of TV. Needs reinforcement every now and then.

Agree that if we stick to our schedules, we aren't doing any harm. Whether or not we teach them anything, children ARE going to learn/get stimulated from somewhere else. So its definitely better if we channelize it in the right direction as we are doing now. 

Questers.

[shaman]

Latest research also shows that watching TV reduces a child's imagination. They also found, among other things, that parents talk less to their children when the TV is on- thus delaying language development. Watching TV has not shown to improve language skills. Children learn faster when their parents/ others talk to them.

I think that because of the fact that parents don't talk to their children/ pay attention to them when they are watching TV etc, the children start becoming hyperactive- to get more attention- may be both at a subconcious and concious level. Hyperactivity in addition to inattention and lack of concentration are components of ADD. We should be careful of overdiagnosis.

I have not heard of children becoming hyperactive (in a negative sense) when their parents sit with them and participate in various activities, like LR, flash cards etc. It may make children more active, curious and interested in their surroundings and this may be perceived as being 'hyperactive' by parents whose children are not that active! As long as they are concentrate, pay attention and are curious, I don't think hyperactivity is bad. 

My son is always on the move and very curious about things- he appears to be more active compared to children of his age. I spend a lot of time with him and do various activities like math cards, LR, physical activities, music etc. When it comes to reading books, he can sit still and pay attention for 10-15 minutes at a stretch- which I think is a lot to ask of some child who has just started enjoying the joys of being mobile! He has a regular routine, sleeps well and eats well.

So I guess if we recognize the signs of overstimulation- child looking away, not sleeping well, cranky, etc, we can keep them from becoming hyperactive.

The only thing that stops babies from learning, is us- we think that certain things are too much for them to learn- but they always prove us otherwise. Don't limit your child's learning- just pay more attention to their needs, because if these needs are satisfied, they can concentrate totally on what you are teaching them. For all you know, the 'hyperactive' children may just be bored and want to learn more (Read 'learn' as learning from interaction with parents and peers, not from sitting in front of TV)

[octaviaorca]

this is something that my husband and i were just talking about this weekend.  we have a very calm child who, in public, is very shy and fairly well mannered (she has her days of course).  and it was my husband who made the remark that he felt like teaching her to communicate earlier has lead to less of a 'bonkers' child (his words).  and as we continued through our day it was interesting to see kids, older than dd that were either on leashes, being physically chased by an exhausted looking parent or not listening and most of them weren't clearly speaking either (lots of kid babbles and squeals).  i'm not saying my dd can recite proust but she can clearly state her mind and understand simple directions (except when there are pigeons around... because let's face it, they are way more exciting). 
i agree about overstimulation being a culprit of an over active child.  they need peace here and there through out the day (like adults do) but i also think helping (not forcing) to develop communication techniques helps everyone.

[Nana61]

I do know that many studies have shown that watching cartoons is one of the worst things that you can let a young baby do.  I have read studies that say that watching these before the age of two can prevent the synapses, (that hold info. in the brain), from developing properly in babies who watch cartoons.  I think most experts agree that babies should not watch TV until after they are 2 and then no cartoons.  However, I believe that hyperactivity is not caused by overstimulation, but by lack of a correct enzyme iin the brain.  I do believe that watching to much TV can cause overactivity that is similar to hyperactivity.

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