5 Year Old Becoming Very Emotional.

Hi Brandie,

New information is coming out everyday about the effects of food allergies and sensitivities. The sensitivities are different than the simple blood test or skin tests for allergies to food. With sensitivities they have digestive problems with certain proteins they can't digest, so they test by taking the stool and doing a comprehensive analysis. It make more sense to test this way by finding out what the body is expelling.

Also kids that fall on the high functioning end of the autistic spectrum disorders usually have a lot of emotional issues. They are can be creative and intelligent, but super sensitive and take things very literally.

If you want to research this angle a little more please take a look at a website inspired by my daughter Alexis (she will be 4 this month). There is free information and tons of links dealing with food allergies/ sensetivities.

You can email me from the site if you have any questions at all....it can be a lot to sort through, so I have made it a little easier by condensing some of the facts. Plus diet is the most basic way to get the body to function properly most of the time and without medication.

Good luck,

A.

What changed? Chankge it back.
Scool? Food- this is a big one- emotional comes often fr lack of b vits, and that can be because of adding or chankging something in his diet.
Also did you ask him?
k

B.,
As a mother of 4, 2 older than 5 and 2 younger, my knee-jerk reaction is to say that something must be wrong. Do you have a nanny-cam to watch & observe how his day goes when you are at work? It would be worth taking a day off unbeknownst to him or the daycare to just observe. Once you are empowered with your personal observations, you can either confidently place him in a new, more suitable daycare, or (just the same) confidently deal with his behavior-of-late as a discipline problem with re-testing the boundaries. ALL children test and re-test the boundaries. Consistency is key. I hope this helps!

I would try adjusting his sleep or sugar intake to see if it helps.

You don't say if he is going to school or not. But that can be a big change in a little ones life. There are a lot of things that can make a child change. Personally, I don't consider this normal. I think something in his life has made him this way.

My first thought was, does he have a younger sibbling? He may be jealous? My daughter is 4 1/2 and when her little sister was born, she was fine, it's only now, after 6 months, that my oldest has started acting up, particularly around us (or anyone else) giving attention to the little one.

Any change in behavior is not necessarily something to worry about, but for sure something to look into at any age. Try and really think what may be causing it. Is he in kindergarten or PreK? Speak with his teacher. Maybe the stress of academics is getting to him (yes, even that young) or maybe he needs to try and go to sleep an hour earlier. I do remember my son coming out of his shell a bit more around that age and becoming less shy, but I don't remember him being more emotional.

Hi, My name is C. and i have 3 beautiful children 2 boys 1 girl. My oldest is 13 now and when he was 8 i had my daughter, when she was 3 i had my son. I noticed behavior changes with both my older children when the new baby came they were jealous of the attention the youngest gets. I know that my 5 year old daughter gets very emotional. When i kiss the baby she says (what about me?) So i kiss her too of course Long story short i think at that age they miss being little and needing all your attention maybe some reassurance would help.

Hi B.,

It might be sibling jelousy, babies are adorable and we can hardly control our delight, but pls be mindful of the older childs pain because he is no longer the favorite.

Or you might investigate the invironment that he's in when your at work. Is the care giver loving or abusive and cold.
Also there is always pediatrics.com for any questions regarding children. WebMD.com for adults.

May you all be protected by Gods white light.

D. P

My son just turned 5 in October and is in VPK. I noticed some emotional issues one day out of the blue that went on for a few days. I thought maybe it was a phase. I asked if there was something wrong. I asked about his day (as I do every day) and he assured me everything was good. I ask who he plays with and he names some kids. One particular day, he got really upset and cried over nothing. I mean literally, we're watching TV and I get up to get a drink and I come back and he's crying. Fortunately for me, he has a twin sister in his class. She told me that someone pushed him on the playground and a couple of kids called him names. He told her "don't tell mommy, I said!" It turns out that after some prodding he told me that some kids were picking on him and that one hit him 3 times in the face at school. We had a family meeting and discussed what a bully is, what to do about it, etc. We stressed how important it was to tell and that we loved them so much and they did not need to have people treat them that way. We assured him we'd talk to the teachers and told him to immediately tell the teacher and us if something happened. We did talk to the teachers and they were great about resolving it. The child's parents were notified and it hasn't happened since. I make sure to ask every day how their day went, who they played with, etc. I don't ask about the bully issue any more since I don't want to make it a bigger deal. Sorry for the long response, but it's definitely worth looking into.

my daughter is 5yo. she started kindergarten this year, and since she has started, everyday she comes home she is very rowdy, cries easily, etc. and she has a lot less patience w/ her little brother. i also noticed that this behavior is hardly there at all on the weekends when she is at home. if he started vpk, then it coudl be that he is still adjusting. honestly, i don't know how to fix it :), but i know that i've had to have a lot more patience also. i know my daughter also gets upset bc her brother is in preschool 3 days a week and she gets mad bc she has to go all the time. maybe it's a time issue in that he doesn't get to spend as much time alone w/ you as he was.

I have 2 boys and this has been a phase at times for both of them. Sometimes it's a growth spurt and they're tired because they need a bit more sleep for a while...I also try to figure out if there is any recent change that could account for it. Sometimes it's a new teacher, sibling, etc.

But don't worry, just be attentive, give some extra hugs and keep an eye out for anything that might be contributing to it. Barring that, it is just a phase.

Best of luck!

Talk to your son, he may just be missing you or something may have happened that has upset him, This is the age when it's a good time to talk to your child about good touching and bad touching as this is when it often happens for the first time as he is out more without you being there.

Assure him that he can tell you anything. I'm not saying this to scare you or anything, but a significant mood change is one of the key symptoms. It may be something as simple as he needs to get an extra hour of sleep everyday as he's tired and cranky. Just talk to him sometime and keep it light, very light, and ask him, you'd be surprised by how honest kids are if you just approach them in a lighthearted and carefree way.

Is he in Kindergarten? Lots of new pressures, anxieties etc abouut getting bigger, not being your little baby anymore (even if he has younger siblings)school work pressure, will he please the teacher amd or you, does he fit in, is he like the other kids, is he different, there are a billion new things that come with being a Kindergartener. VERY common for Kindergarteners to have all these new feeling, emotions, questions, just let him voice it, listen, answer questions, and ask lots of questions about the kids, the teacher, the other teachers and students he sees at school, cuddle with him a little extra, write notes in his lunch or make a heart in his backpack, and tell him your heart is with him all day :)

Its between 5 - 12 weeks after starting Kindergarten that all this starts to become "real" they hear things from bigger kids, see things other kids do that you would NEVER let him do, etc - LOTS OF NEW STUFF Goin on - so again: ask questions, listen, respond, cuddle, etc.

Good Luck mamma

Did he start school? Sometimes big changes where their worlds seem to get bigger can make them clingy and emotional.

I am so sorry, B.. Since my 3 are still 3 and under, I am responding more from a teacher perspective (I taught K-12). Since a typical 5 year old attends school, for maybe the first time in his life, becoming increasingly emotional is not so much a phase developmentally, but a way of coping to many new things in his life. How are things for him at kindergarten (or VPK)? Any changes there? Any new students in his class? Have you spoken to his teacher about this? Just a thought but kids spend a lot of time in school and any number of changes/things could make a 5 year old child more emotional in the classroom or school setting.
Just a thought. Hope he feel better soon.
R.

I'm wondering if he recently had any vaccine shots?
this can lead to marked changes in personality and learning abilities.

My son is 5 1/2 and is the SAME way. It is definatly just the age. His friends are the same way when they come over to play. Very sensitive, over emotional, and whiney. Its just the age. Try and make things consistent for him. This age is full of new changes for kids usually, so make sure his life stays predictable, this usually helps:) Good Luck! Remeber that it wont last forever;)