Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Pre-K Diet

We have been busy, busy at the Marsh house. I know I have said this before, but when both parents have full time jobs- one of them being night shift, things can get just a little hairy. To top it off, we have all been sick. I know it's hard for a family to stay well with 2 little ones at school picking up nasty germs. Such is life, I suppose! ....................................................................................... We have had some problems with Aaden throwing temper tantrums at school as well as at home. Not to sound crazy, but he has always been a ball of fire. He lives with a passion that I know will benefit him one day. A passion that I have been praying he will turn into passion for his Savior and to lead others to Christ when he gets a little older. However, at 4 years old, this character quality is looked down upon. ...................................................................................... In utter frustration one night, I began googling "temper tantrums in 4 year olds". Apparently alot of parents still have problems just like we do. That same night as I was doing my usual "blog stalking", I happened upon a blog that I had read many times before, but had not visited in a while. She mentioned that they had seen behavioral issues in their daughter and found that she was very sensitive to preservatives, sugar, and food dyes. Once eliminated or reduced from her diet, her temper tantrums were fewer and she was more receptive to discipline. ...................................................................................... It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Aaden's diet is not good. He is the pickest of all picky eaters. He hates any vegetable. Ever since he has started his new school, we have been responsible for feeding him breakfast before we drop him off. Every morning his request is....drumroll.....pancakes. Yes friends, mommy of the year award won't go to me this year. We are (basically) following the Feingold Plan for him and limiting sugar, no foods with dyes, and natural ingredients. ..................................................................................... We started him on this new diet and almost immediately saw an improvement. His teacher said he had a great week last week. Now instead of pancakes, he either eats a biscuit with natural grape jelly or cheese toast on wheat bread. He likes water, so drinks aren't really an issue. Believe me when I say that I understand that this won't get rid of every tantrum, but so far we have seen amazing results. ....................................................................................... We also scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician just to talk to him and tell him that he had been acting out and even being aggressive with us and he assured us it was normal. Even though he is 4, he is still very immature. He said if he was still acting out when he was 6 or so, then we'd talk again. He also told us that some of the brightest kids are the most "difficult" behaviorally . Honestly, I was afraid he'd take one look at him and write "ADHD" under his diagnosis. I hate labeling kids. That wasn't the case. He was very impressed with how Aaden talked to him and answered his questions appropriately. ....................................................................................... So I guess this will be a new normal for us, and that's just fine by me. We all want what's best for our children. Even if that means saying NO to sugar and things that aren't good for him. If you will, say a little prayer that somehow his tiny 4 year old brain could understand a little and be receptive to his new foods. I'll do an update again in a few weeks.

1 comment:

  1. I could have written this myself. My daughter (now almost 9) has always been high strung and almost hyper. When she was 3ish or 4, she went to preschool while my husband and I were working. I was getting bad behavior reports almost every single day. It got so bad that the school wanted us to medicate her for ADHD. They were convinced she had it. I started watching her diet and limited sugar and especially red dyes. It helped tremendously. She started kindergarten and her behavior improved drastically. She is really smart and I think she was getting bored at the preschool. I think she needed to be challenged more. We never did have to medicate her and she is now a great student and loves school! All that to say, I have found that a lot of energetic kids are super smart and need to be challenged and occupied or they tend to get bored and act out. Just my humble opinion! :) We just have smart and animated kids. ;) Sorry for the super long comment.

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