OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I get many FM's weekly from moms with questions about their DC's development.

I can see signs of autism very clearly, but I am not so sure of other issues.

Mental illness runs on my mother's side of the family. My mother is bipolar and has OCD. I just spoke to a maternal aunt for the 1st time in years, and she told me how she herself is on anti-depressants because of her issues, and how their mom had untreated depression, etc....

I worry about that being passed on to Cailen.

Sometimes he does things and I'm not sure what it is. Some of it is adorably quirky, but I laugh and hope it's not indicative of an underling issue. My mom and aunts would tell me hysterical stories when I was little about things they "needed" to do before going to sleep, eating, etc - but looking back, they were OCD rituals...

From early early toddlerhood - Cailen always needed to hold an item in each hand. When walking, he needed to hold a small toy - the smaller the better... Even at 6 mts old he would sit with 2 items. And usually the items needed to go together - this pig and this dog needed to be together, things like that.

He insists on wearing certain shirts each morning. If he doesn't, he gets upset - I don't usually give in (or if they are in the wash there is no choice) - but it seems like typical 2 yr old stuff - he wants to wear Spiderman, Moose & Zee, or Transformers. If he is wearing one of those shirts, he is hesitant to eat yogurt because he will get the shirt dirty, so he will not eat, or will agree, with a lot of cajoling, to let me take his shirt off to eat. He hates yogurt on his belly or chest or anywhere, but that is pretty typical.

He insists on only wearing his sneakers. But only his Nike ones. I have some little Vans ones, won't wear them. Its a struggle to convince him to wear his Keens. And then its just complaints and nags of when he can wear his "Neekers" At daycare he gives them issues about getting undressed into his bathing suit and taking his sneakers off to wear his water shoes.

The biggest issue I feel is - in the bathtub, he lets me wash him no problem. I can use a washcloth on his face. But on nights he doesn't take a bath, I still wet a washcloth and wipe him down - his face, belly, chest. This is when if you were in another room, you would think I was killing him. No joke. He turns into an other child - like a wild animal. Last night I had to sit him on the floor, wrap my legs around him, and restrain him - just to wipe his face. He was screaming like it was an exorcism. He gets so distraught about it, he can't calm down right away. He will run to the laundry basket and hit the washcloth But angry....

He is such a happy and easy going child. He is a dream when we go out. He always makes us laugh with his comedic style, and I'm sure he will always be successful no matter what (and I have quirks, but no OCD issues) and I love him to pieces.

I just see how my mother and her family struggled, and would hate to see him go through any of that.

Does this sound like 2 year old behavior, or something else?

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I'm not an expert, but it seems like typical, stubborn 2 year old behaviour.

My nephew can be like that, had to have his way. Like he has to be wrapped in a towel a certain way and be carried like a prince

Perfect example, we were going to sesame place a few weeks ago. Me, DH, DD, my nephew and my mom. Went to my nephews house to pick him up, he was in his pj's. So his mom says, "time to get dressesd" he says "no, I have to eat my eggos first."

Made me laugh but its true, just somethings need to be done at certain times.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

That's what I figured. I would hate to have to tell his shrink these hysterical stories some day and have him look at me like "And that didn't concern you???"

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I say the same thing about my nephew. He is nuts, but makes me laugh.

Maybe one day they will be in the same OCD support group.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Posted by saraH



I say the same thing about my nephew. He is nuts, but makes me laugh.

Maybe one day they will be in the same OCD support group.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Posted by lipglossjunky73

Posted by saraH



I say the same thing about my nephew. He is nuts, but makes me laugh.

Maybe one day they will be in the same OCD support group.

Yeah, but what a mess that group will be if they don't introduce everyone in the "right" order.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Alex showed a lot of quirky behaviors at that age, and still does. It can be SUCH a fight to get her dressed in the AM, so now I just let her wear whatever the hell she picks! Suprisingly, she's a good matcher!

I wouldn't worry just yet

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I was writing a post like this a few months ago but got distracted and ended up just closing the window without ever posting. This was during the period when DD wanted 3 of everything food. I'd have to cut her serving up into 3 portions or she'd melt down. It had me worried about OCD at the time but now she doesn't do that anymore.

I think it's normal 2yo behavior. They are gaining independence and making their own choices and showing their own preferences. He will probably outgrow some of them eventually.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I'm no expert, but I take all of those things as typical 2 year old behavior. Lily is VERY particular about her crib....she has several stuffed animals in there with her, and I tried to rearrange them once. She FREAKED when she got in the crib. And then she put them all back where they "belonged". If any of them fall over, she says "oh no!" and fixes them. She has to have a blanket on the bottom of the crib to rest her head when she sleeps...and it has to be 100% flat or she'll have a freak out (like the princess and the pea ).
I sometimes joke and say I've passed my OCD onto her (I have some mild organizational habits)....but I think mostly, she's 2, knows what she wants and doesn't want what she doesn't want.

If not....at least they'll have a nice big therapy group when they all get older!

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

My dd is only 13 months but i see some ocd behavior already, example- when we clean up her toys she goes right behind us messing them up, the little people in her farm CANNOT be standing up neatly or when i give her puffs in a nice neat pile she has to scatter them all over the place. both me and fh have our little quirks, i hope thats all it is.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Ainsley wears her pink crocs every day. Every. Single. Day. We went through a brief period when she would wear her sneakers - but that period ended and it's all about the crocs. She freaks out if she has to wear another pair of shoes.

Sounds like typical 2 year old behavior.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

It sounds like pretty typical 2 y/o behavior.

Seems like he has a lot of personality... Which really is a good thing, even if it's a PITA. Lol

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I'm not an expert, but it sounds pretty typical to me. My DD has strong opinions of how and when she wants things done or she throws a fit. She does certain quirky things that I don't understand - like insisting on wearing a wool winter skull cap all day in the middle of the summer or if she wears a hoodie, the hood MUST stay on all day even during naps (but I make her take it off.) She is also extremely routine which drives me nuts sometimes. I could go on and on....I think they are just learning to exert their independence and decision making skills and they don't want to be told how to do it.

Try not to worry to much. Talk to your ped.

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

Posted by KerriSteve

It sounds like pretty typical 2 y/o behavior.

Seems like he has a lot of personality... Which really is a good thing, even if it's a PITA. Lol

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

i have worked with kids with OCD before, but never that young, so I wouldn't be sure to see how it manifests itself in a home setting, i've only seen it in a school setting.

some of what you wrote about reminds me of what could be signs of a sensory processing disorder. i am sure you know about this working with kids on the spectrum, but these kids are very sensitive to sensory input. maybe the sneakers he wants feel better to him because the others may annoy him in the heel or the tongue feels funny. the bath issue.. a lot of those kids react strongly to water, etc.

i think overall, it may just him being two and wanting to exert his independence and "see what he can get away with" but the sensory processing thing might be sometihng to look at a little more closely. is he sensitive to noise and smells?

Re: OCD versus 2 year old Behavior. Is there a difference? A bit long...

I think he has typical sensory issues - most 2 year olds have issues with sensory stuff. That does not concern me. The reason he wants to wear his sneakers is he is obsessed with sports, and when he started at soccer tots he got big boy sneakers. He calls them his soccer sneakers He is physically comfortable in anything, but sneakers represents playing ball
ETA - No issue with sound at all, and nothing with smell either. He has gone camping, frolicked in mud, rain, played with goop, playdoh, etc, gone to loud movies, concerts, etc - nothing fazes him. It is mostly his clothes have to "represent"

Message edited 8/16/2009 8:26:12 PM.