Odd behaviour in 4yo

Niamh42

DD2 has always had sensitive skin and reacts to some things I.e. washing powder, heat but a few weeks ago she started itching constantly all over and there was no sign of any rash, spots etc, she scratched so hard she was tearing her skin. We tried zirtek and eurax cream but nothing helped.I took her to the doc who gave her a check up but no bloods, he said to avoid strawberries as they are highly allergic and to keep an eye on it. After that it eased slightly but then seemed to start again but now with an odd ritual, she scratches in a few places, just a little scratch here and there and then puts her fingers in her mouth briefly, she could do this 100 times a day! We have talked to her and asked her about it but she just says she doesn't know why she does it. She says she is a little itchy but she honestly hardly scratches and it looks more like habit or ritual to me..........should I go back to the doc and what on earth could be going on with her??

Lisha

Possibly it could have developed as a comfort thing.
Would you consider asking phn or gp is there any need to take her to a play therapist or (prob too extreme) a child psychologist to see if there is any thing to be concerned about.

But really I don't think I'd be too worried,

seosamh1980

A kid I knew when I was small use to constantly stick her fingers in her mouth and then keep rubbing her wet fingers together, in a sort of Mr. Burns creepy hunched over thing. It was so weird. She did it for a good few years, then I assume she just stopped when she realised how odd it was. Kids are weird

Lisha

Are you living in a hard water area by the way? I had to use E45 after my kids baths for a long time .

Big Bag of Chips

It sounds like she has formed a habit now. All you can do is try to break it. Draw her attention to it, every time she does it.

My lad had pretty bad eczema. It's under control noe, but he had I spot on the top of his head, and he would just scratch it out of habit. If someone asked him a question, his hand would automatically go to the top of his head!

I just started telling him not to scratch. When he left it alone, it eventually healed and now he doesn't go near it at all.

Niamh42

Well I feel a bit better now cause at least she's not doing the creepy Mr Burns thing

I have been trying to break the habit by regularly talking to her about it and saying things like "when you notice yourself itching stop and think about it and see if you really need to itch" don't know if its having any effect as she mostly just frowns at me but I don't know what else to do apart from bringing her back to the doc and I don't know what he could do either.

Thanks for the replies!

Big Bag of Chips

I think she's frowning at you, because she doesn't understand what you mean! If it's now developed into a habit, then she won't even realise she's itching. It's up to you to draw her attention to it. When she starts, just tell her to stop.

Not in a 'giving out' way, just in a matter of fact way!

pwurple

Niamh42 wrote: »

I took her to the doc who gave her a check up but no bloods, he said to avoid strawberries as they are highly allergic and to keep an eye on it.

What an odd thing for a doctor to say! Of all the possible allergens that could be affecting her, he randomly chooses strawberries. Weird.

jackcruso

Niamh42 wrote: »

DD2 has always had sensitive skin and reacts to some things I.e. washing powder, heat but a few weeks ago she started itching constantly all over and there was no sign of any rash, spots etc, she scratched so hard she was tearing her skin. We tried zirtek and eurax cream but nothing helped.I took her to the doc who gave her a check up but no bloods, he said to avoid strawberries as they are highly allergic and to keep an eye on it. After that it eased slightly but then seemed to start again but now with an odd ritual, she scratches in a few places, just a little scratch here and there and then puts her fingers in her mouth briefly, she could do this 100 times a day! We have talked to her and asked her about it but she just says she doesn't know why she does it. She says she is a little itchy but she honestly hardly scratches and it looks more like habit or ritual to me..........should I go back to the doc and what on earth could be going on with her??

sometimes the skin tends to become dry and as a result your daughter has immense amount of itching.a massage of olive oil can act a reliever for her.as well as i would suggest you to cut her nails properly to avoid any chance of infection as you said that she tends to have a habit of sticking her fingers in her mouth.....

CrazyRabbit

If she doesn't know why she is doing it (no itchiness or soreness), then the first thing that comes to mind is a physical tic (tourettes). Normally categorised by a overwhelming compulsion to repeat the same physical movement at random dozens or 100's of times per day.

Of course, I'm not offering a diagnosis and there would need to be more than one of these 'odd' physical behaviours before it could be confirmed.

If it doesn't stop, you'll need to go to the GP again and perhaps get a referrel to a behavioural specialist or a dermatologist. GP's have limited experience/knowledge in this area.