Nervous habits?

[scrub-jay]

Strep is pretty uncommon in children under 5, although not impossible, it generally affects children 5-15 years old. Still, great fodder for discussion with the Ped. I love what I learn here.

[v-girl]

I think PANDAS is something sudden onset that can respond to abx, steroids etc. There are clear guidelines. This is why she should seek out her pedi.

Oh yes, definitely. And it does respond to abx (though our friend's daughter will also see a psychologist when she's been exposed). It was just a thought. And of course she needs to talk to the ped.

[diggitydot]

DS picks his lips, too. Kiddo has excema so his skin gets funky when the cold, dry air of fall/winter arrives. I goose-grease him up with Vaseline because it makes him keep his hands off of it long enough to heal. He doesn't have any OCD stuff going on, but the Vaseline stops him from licking his lips and picking at the dry skin. The rest of his skin stuff is a whole different issue. (Tangent: Cetaphil and the super moisturizing Gold Bond lotions are the best things ever for ridiculously dry skin.)

Maybe just use the stop gap stuff (Vaseline and pigtails/braids/buns) until you can get in with her doc?

[Michele]

Kai picks his lips too and any mosquito bite he gets. I just figured he was a "picker". I didn't think about it being anxiety....hmmm. I'll try the lotions and lip stuff.

[weeniegeniewife]

Any kind of repeat picking behaviors are anxiety-related....the picking/pulling is a soothing coping mechanism.

[SoonerTexan]

There is a connection between strep and OCD behaviors -- the insistence on always putting everything away properly is what made me think about it. It's an auto-immune called PANDAS (not the cute animals from China). My friend's daughter has it so our awareness has been heightened.

That's really interesting. I had Strep 7 times IN ONE YEAR as a child (I cant remember what the final outcome was, but my parents eventually figured out the cause) and developed some mildly compulsive behaviors in the same time period--obsessive hand washing, if I touched one leg I had to touch the other, etc. Of course, this was also at the same time my family moved to a different state, so it could have been all anxiety as well. I eventually grew out of it (ha, for the most part), but it's certainly interesting.

Alison--no advice, but best of luck!

[v-girl]

L does things like that during a flare-up. She stays in abc during strep season.

[weeniegeniewife]

Also, keep in mind that most kids display OCD-type behaviors in childhood, and they will go away around puberty. A small percentage will experience anxiety into adulthood, but the obsessive behaviors will likely go away.

[alison]

You guys are scaring me.
I wonder if this is connected to her not getting any food for 4 days after she was born... . I am bringing a cart full of formula to the hospital for the next one.

[v-girl]

Don't get scared. If she hasn't had strep, I'm pretty sure it isn't pandas. Just tell your ped about the behaviors that concern you and see what he/she says. Might be nothing.

[Phoebe]

Although, those behaviors sound like something attributed to anxiety. Lots if IMSN kids have them as the posts indicate. Something else that came to mind was sensory issues. My middle daughter is constantly seeking sensory input for brain stimulation and for soothing behavior. She sucks on her fingers, jumps up on things and chews on everything. When she wants to soothe herself, she sucks her fingers and rubs her stuffed baby doll from infancy on her forehead. My roommate in college used to suck on her tongue and twirl her hair as a soothing characteristic when she was reading or was tired. Just a thought.

[Vishenka69]

I think many people have anxiety/soothing behaviors that we don't even notice. Of course nobody will ever pay as much attention to them as a mother. I constantly play with my hair when I'm bored or nervous, hence I had very short hair as a kid. I also bite my cuticles into a bloody mess. At the same time, I wouldn't call myself OCD. I certainly have issues and everyone does.

Anyway, the point is that she's probably feeding off your anxiety and nervous energy. Does she knot her hair and play with her lips when she's with your parents or the babysitter?

[alison]

I didn't mean to convey that I'm huddled in a corner.
I talked to my pediatrician bil and he said to try to work on one habit at a time--not to go cold turkey on both, because it could frustrate dd. I've been pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, because she can see pigtails. . She didn't even attempt to knot her hair yesterday!

When we gave her a bath last night without the ponytail, she started knotting it again when dh was drying her off...
We'll see how it goes!

[alison]

I'll give it a month and if it's still as bad as it has been, I'll call dd's pediatrician.

[Michele]

How's M? I'm thinking of getting Kai evaluated. When I think back to how depressed he was last year, adding in the lip picking and the fixation he's been getting on things...and I'm just not so sure it's all normal toddler stuf anymore. He's starting to not want to go to school anymore saying he's getting in trouble for hitting all the time. I asked his teachers and they all have said he never gets in trouble. He's a really great kid there. But they have noticed his reluctance to be there. He does so well with pottying there too though. It's weird. His behavior is very inconsistent.

Is 3 too young to be evaluated for mental health issues? I may be over reacting now too because of my ILs issues...