Is this just a phase or should we be concerned?

[micheleindelaware]

Wow! It's been FOREVER since I've been on here:ohno: Hope everyone is doing well these days!

Reason I'm here...Grace is close to 4.5 yrs. old now. Over the last month or so she has become CRAZY over her hands! Meaning if she gets ANYTHING on them- marker, glue, etc. she wants to go wash them at pre-school.

At home she does some of that but more so when she gets a "boo-boo". I use that term VERY LOOSELY because even if there is a pin prick of a boo-boo you'd think her world is ending!

She is almost like obsessed over it?!?! IF there is blood involved...look the heck out!!!!!!

Just last week my in-laws had her for the day & over night. They gave her a snack in the car & it was crackers. Well a little bit after she finished those my MIL said she looked down at her finger & saw there was a little bit of cracker stuck around her nail & she started having a FIT!!!! She said she had blood & that it was a boo-boo! They finally got her calmed down some & explained to her it was just some food leftover from her snack. That she was fine & to just lick it off or something. They said she kept looking for HOURS after the fact & would keep getting upset on/off.

Is this just a phase or should we be concerned that there is something else going on?

I do have to say that Grace has ALWAYS been a little obsessed with stuff. Once she gets her mind of something she will just FIXATE on it for a long time until she really understands or you keep talking to her about it.

Just a little worried & need some thoughts/ideas:eyebrow:

TY! :winks:

[Jai]

I would say normal, maybe a bit of a sensory issue but still normal but honestly I'm not positive. Hopefully someone else can chime in with a better answer.

I do know Jayden is sort of like this (2.5) He HATES his hands being dirty. With anything but especially food. He HAS to have a napkin at all meals. I've tried getting him to lick the tiny bit of sauce off but he won't. He needs the napkin. He does love playing in the dirt but will stop probably 15-20 mins to wash his hands, then start over.

BTW, HI!! How have you been!?

[Dreya]

Well my DS1 who's almost 4 is sort of like that. If he gets an injury he becomes obsessed over having a bandaid on it. Even after the injury has healed if I take his bandaid off he will freak out and demand a new one. He dislikes having his hands "yucky" too and ask me to wipe them.

[Bridget]

This sounds a lot like Savana has been her whole life and with her she became more obsessive about the hand washing and other things as she got older. She has no official diagnosis but it's an ongoing thing around here and we work with her on controlling the behaviors. It seems like once she gets one under control it just morphs into a different one. Logic and reasoning doesn't work very well for her as far as telling her hands are not dirty and such. We have to stall her from doing it until she forgets about it.

So I would say that it could be phase but I'd keep an eye on it.

[i.<3.cheesysmiles]

sounds a lot like my son, but he is younger (3.5). he gets very concerned abot the tiniest little cut and he can't get in the tub if the water touches the cut. it's hard. I am keeping an eye on it since I don't think this extreme is normal, but on the other hand, I do think that going through a phase of it is probably normal - not sure how long, though, if that makes sense.

[bzjenn]

I wouldn't think it's something to be concerned about. I would be concerned if she were in high school and beyond and had to wash her hands every 5 minutes.
But she's still very young and it could be a sensory thing and like a lot of youngsters that I know (my 3 yr old included) hate the feel of sticky/gooey/muddy hands, and go to wash them anytime they get that dirty.
Better safe than sorry is what I say!

Jenn

[Bec]

OMG :hi: Hi stranger!!

Maddox went through a phase like that and now DD is going through it. It's been just a phase here.

[DucksLikeRain]

If it has just been going on intensely for a month or so I'd be inclined to chalk it up to a phase. Stay aware of it but sort of take a step back and see if it runs its course in a few months. If it gets worse and worse and in like 6 months there are no signs of moving on I'd start really looking into ways to help her handle things a bit more typically. But for now I'd just stay observant. She is at an age where that sounds pretty typical. But if it starts to really negatively impact most areas of her life I'd look into helping her work through it.