Terrible twos or adhd?

i'm sure she's hyper. she never sleeps, only about 3 hours a night. she'll lie in her cot and kick at it laughing all the time, she's always running around, doing things she knows she shouldn't do. she hits me and screams and cries like i've hit her if i tell her off. she's always screaming for one reason or another and it always sounds like she's hurt herself. when we're out she either wont stop laughing and running about or wont stop screaming if i keep her in one place. i love her, but even at my young age i have absolutely no energy for her by the end of the day (which is the main reason i let her cry it out). if i try to get her to sleep she'll scream and cry more so it's just a case of bath, PJ's, bottle, bed. when she isn't screaming she's laughing, which doesn't seem like such a problem, but it's so shrill and loud it makes my ears gunk up and pisses the neighbours off.

breakfast either cereal or toast
dinner either a sandwich or tinned foods
tea white meat and veg 2 times a week, red meat and veg 3 times, the rest of the time it's what ever we have in
supper, toast or two biscuits and milk.
she has fruit juice and water throughout the day. some times she'll have a happy meal but thats not that often, only when i'm already near where her dad works, then she'll have a fruit shoot, chicken nuggets, carrot sticks and she might get a bite of my doughnut

Have you ever punished her? Because I didn't see you saying anything about that. Discipline her before it gets worse. Don't result to thinking something is wrong with her if she doesn't behave.

only sleeping 3 hours a night?
you must be so tired.
try cutting out all sugars
no chocolate
no white flour
buy all whole wheat/multigrain breads and cereals and pastas
try to feed her all whole foods, not processed(no can food, no fast food, etc...)
just give it a try for a month and see if it makes any difference
also try a bed time routine and stick to it as much as possible.
you should also discuss this with your doctor

My brother was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age so it's possible, especially with only having 3 hours sleep, she has the same symptoms as some of my brothers friends from the special school he goes too. That is a severe case though 3 hours sleep, you must be knackerd!

I have a son who was dx with ADHD the month he turned 2. The neurologist suggested medication, clonidine. We chose not to medicate at this time. He is very impulsive, doesn't sit still, climbs incessantly, and cannot hold your hand and walk outside.

aww..Well she is just living her little life to the fullest!
I don't think they detect ADHD at such a young age...You should take her to a park or something to get all that energy out...and she will be tired. Some kids are just excited about everything.

My brother has adhd, but he wasnt diagnosed until he was about 7

if you take her to a specialist they will say the same, its too young to really tell if she has adhd or not

good luck

Check her diet, maybe she has some food allergies. Is she taking any medications?

whats her diet ?

Please Please get in touch with your nearest children's centre as they offer the kinds of support you are looking for (and boy do you sound like you need it!!) I work at a children's centre and am an experienced early years teacher. Obviously i cannot see your child but based on what you have said i would not give any attention to the fact that she is not sleeping, or when she does something wrong it sounds like she thinks you are playing an game.Usually two year olds don't have a great awareness of right or wrong they just work on peoples reactions, if you don't give her a reaction then she won't 'act out' with this kind of behaviour. Also 5 minutes time out is too extreme for a 2 year old and can be interpreted as a game. Try distracting her by moving her attention on to something else ' come on lets play this' The rule i have for 2 year olds is to tell them 'NO!' when they hurt someone and i would remover them from the situation if need be (this is different to time out though). 2 is the worst age as most people do not understand what their behaviour AT ALL. Also the more stressed you are, the more she will pick up on this and it will be a downward spiral. Hope this helps.

sounds like terrible twos. this is the age that they test their limits. your job as a parent is to set those limits. it seems like it'll never end but it does; you just have to be consistent. time to teach the difference between indoor voices and outdoor voices, make it a game. as far as the bedtime thing make it a routine and keep it that way, add a story after bath. and letting her cry is ok too, that's how babies(and yes she's still a baby) deal with stress, even though it stresses you out too. and for the love of god don't put one of those ridiculous kid leashes on your daughter. eliminate naps during the day if she won't sleep @ night, and make her go outside and play more. let her wear herself out. there is a lot of sugar in fruit juice so you may want to cut back. i wouldn't worry about the neighbors, if they've had kids they understand, if not; well, that's just how it is. it's just a phase and it'll all be ok.

one sorry to sound mean but the whole adhd thing is a big waste. my doctor said i had add. i am the clam type they put me on pills for seven years and no one believed me that they were hurting me. that was from 2 grade to 7 grade. come to find out my teachers were just passing me cause they did. have u tried taking out all sugar. and all fake sugar. that is what my sister had to do with her son and man was he bad. also your daughter needs something to do during the day. something that gets her going. not only running but her brain too. a tired kid is a good kid. same way with dogs. i like to train dogs. i use the same rules with my son. he is only 18 months but when he gos to bed he is so tired he doesnt even cry. but he also has a teddy bear. did u ever think she might be afraid to go to sleep by her self. try letting her pick out her own sleeping buddy a doll maybe instead of a bottle. and oh stop the cry it out. that will cause her to be this a way. read doctor sears book the baby sleep book i think it is called. babies cry for a reason not just cause. something is bugging her. it will take work. trust me my husband left to go to war three weeks after i had our son. i had no family to help me out and a week before he left our son became colic. if i can take care of a colic baby and worry about my husband safty for 15 months. and meet both of their needs u can do this. also have u tried helping her get to sleep. laying down with her. i think she doesnt like the cot she might be afraid of it. that mommy isnt there. my son started getting afraid of his room about a year old. i have a saying when he gos to bed it is love u hunny sleep tight see u in the morning, mommy will be in the other room. when i started saying that last part he comed down. he felt safe knowing that mom was just in the other room. kids know more then we think. remember that. i would also talk to your doctor about this too. but dont ask about the adhd just yet. i think it is just the twos kicking in. hang in there.