Dont know what to call this?

Hello mom's of toddlers,
I am a mom of 2 years old boy (yet to turn 2 by next week)
So, I am into your club. I have been observing him since he is at age of recognizing the things. He just plays with cars only. He just wants cars nothing more than that, but always wants to hold and even while sleeping also he needs some cars along with him to sleep. He is so crazy only for it and dont even touch any teddies or barbies. Now a days whenever we go outside and if he happens to see any car toys , he just wants to grab them, if we deny he just cries alot. Now my home is a car shed of different size cars. Infact he searches for cars in magazines,news papers and even in his ABC books.
It really made me crazy day by day and he dont even move the pages if he happens to see a car and will show to all of us somany times.
Its driving me nuts that if he happens to grow crazy like ths, dont know about his attitude. Infact he dont sit for a single minute and always a busy body.
He just needs CARS on this earth!!!I feel!!
Please tell me if its a real habit of kids and will go away on its own?
Do any of you are facing this kind of behavior, may not be a car but anything else?
Now my house is full of Cars(30-40),Balls(10) and some guns aswell.
Dont know what to call this?

Just wanted to ask - how is his language /speech? And his interaction with you/otheradults/other kids?

Vanathi.

Vanathi,
Thanks for stepping in.
Ofcourse he is speaking pretty well now a days.
Only words, that too with clarity. Apart from that, he is absolutely normal.
But a fussy eater though.

Then I guess we should put this down as one of those toddler obsessions and hope he outgrows it

V.

Vanathi,
I am just wondering if there is anything to worry about. Because I told the same to my paed, though she told this is child's behavior and will be set to normal soon. Also she told that he happens to be hyperactive and obsessed like this, so may send to child psycologist .
I dont know if its a real good idea to take a 2 years old kid to a child psycologist. If its good, I dont regret to take him.

Priya mommy, It is frankly just toddler obsession. I have met kids with hyperactivity and autism spectrum and their obsession is something else. I know a kid that jumped off the first floor of their house because he had no impulse control. I met him at an occupational therapy centre for Autism. He apparently knew a lot about aircrafts and would reel off every single make, capacity, which war, etc. He was roughly 5/6 years old.
I would think your child comes under the ambit of normal, explorative toddler.
In your place, I would try to diversify his interest in more than just cars (also do you notice that the cards, small items are always left near the point of purchase, trying to get the toddler's attention.) I would also reserve toy purchases as a treat for some achievement like potty training, feeding by himself, etc. If only to ensure that the house does not become a mega garage.

Krithika,
Thanks for your inputs.
Does Autism or hyperactivity will lead to beyond control nature?
He is pretty normal in other stuff and as I told, trying to speak a lot with much more clarity and continuity.
The moment he happens to find a car, thts it. He willjust hold that car, though I have a car shed at home.

Whenever we take him for a shopping mall or restaurant, somebody should be there to run behind him, because he behaves uncontrollable at such places. Most of the times we end up thnking that why can't kid behaves like normal kids who sits silently with his parents.
Shopping itself is a tiered process but taking him for shopping, we will be double tired.
I dont understand where he is getting such power because he is very very fussy eater and dont even sit and eat properly. He is still weighing 9 KG though he is completing 2 in a week.

Priya_Mommy, I too think it is a toddler obsession. My son, now 4 also goes through some of these at times. At one point he was so obsessed with trains (in particular Indian Railways) that he was forever watching the train video clips on youtube. Cars is another obsession - I too have close to 40+ cars at home.

Some ways that I have dealt with it:

1. Use the interest/obsession to learn - you can use his cars interest to teach things like colors, shapes(wheels, windows), size (big and small), fine motor skills (cutting out car pictures using a child-safe blunt-tip scissors), coloring, and other craft not to mention reading and writing.

2. Do a lot of pretend play - during play time my son is almost always down on the floor playing with his car. He pretends to drive to the grocery, school, takes his friend along and what not. You can also join his play and make up stories and scenarios. It is good and creative.

3. I have a rule that at any point he can have only 10 cars in the play area at home. The rest are packed somewhere else. I periodically recycle the ones hidden away.

4. Start enforcing some discipline around buying toys like "We have to make a list before going shopping", "we can buy only one car in a month (or whatever time period", "we have to give away some toys before buying new ones" or something like that. You have to consistently stick to the rules and try not to give in.

I wouldn't worry too much about hyperactivity right now. At this early stage it is very difficult to distinguish normal 2's/3's related tantrums with the hyperactivity tantrums and you don't want to label or misdiagnose the child. Most kids will settle down somewhat by the time they are 4.

Also when you go on shopping trips maybe he can take his car along (take care that you don't lose it) so he will not be tempted to buy a new one. Stay away from toy stores. It is tough but the way they market to kids really irritates me.

Hey Priya ... I dunno much about this. But I have seen 2 of my nephews when they were 2-3 years old who were obsessed with cars. They would yell out the names of each and every car that passed through the road. He knew the names of most of them, could recognize most of them by the look and sound. But now, they are both fine and they are 6-7 years.

Pavarun has really great suggestions here.
My then two year old was fascinated with one book on dinosaurs and would ask me to read it again and again till he knew it by heart. He was very interested in jazz and would ask for one performer again and again. Till you are bored out of your wits and begin to get worried about the monomania. But to them it is a form of exploration of all that interests them at that age. Cars for your child, jazz for mine. I really love the idea of putting away toys and rediscovering them in another box couple of months down the line. We did that when we needed to travel and the "new" toys kept Ds' interest.
Why do you need to buy everything your child asks for? Isn't possible to set a limit of say one car every two months - good opportunity to teach months too. I have taken things out of DS' hands, put them back on the shelves and carry out a screaming toddler to calm him down in the car park.
Food does become a control issue for children. Not the out of control kinda control, but something which they can exercise in a world that is fast expanding for them and totally confusing. Change your tack and see if you can take away the issue of control from him... For eg: You make vegetable rice and he does not want it. Give him one more option of say dal and rice. If he does not want that too, let him be. Offer a snack in the meanwhile and offer the same food say a couple of hours later. If he refuses again, leave it. Offer one more snack. We did that for a couple of weeks when DS started experimenting with control. The first thing he would say is No". So we said "ok, no. we wont force you." Then 10 minutes later offered it again, he would eat it.

The kids I met did have issues with impulse control (not the control in the terms we generally talk about). But were doing very well with therapy and were going to mainstream schools. Autism is usually diagnosed after the age 3 because a lot of the symptoms is actually a part of normal development in toddlers. Impulse control is just one of the symptoms, the others include poor language skills and other developmental delays.
Your child is speaking clearly, from what you say. And all that you describe here is absolutely not hyperactivity, so I am just wondering why your paed is asking for an evaluation. Something is not adding up in my head.