Eeek - my DS (5) is tearing his hair out - literally!!

[poppynic]

In the past week my DS has started pulling his hair out - from one spot and has already created a bald patch!!! Okay, so it's been a bit stressful with a possible change of address (now not happening), and him being moved from reception into year 1 (about to happen tomorrow), but it's hardly a war zone. Does he need urgent psychotherapy???

No, he doesn't need urgent psychotherapy, but this is certainly a sign that he's feeling stressed.
It could be that what you see as 'hardly a war zone' is having a far bigger effect on him than you think.
Do you think there could be any other additional factors that you haven't thought of yet?
This phase should pass and the hair will grow back quite quickly, but try to consider all the possible causes of the stress so that you can help him deal with them.

Why is he moving now?

It's a bit of a long story about why he's moving now - and probably connected to his stress. We were supposed to be returning to NZ so his lovely nursery teacher let him stay in nursery as there wasn't a place for him in reception. Then she let him go into reception for the few last weeks we would be here (she's head of the nursery and moved to teach his reception class). But now we can't go back for another year the school principal said he must go into year 1. To tell you the truth I was gutted as his reception class had 15 kids and two fabulous teachers. His birthday is 21 August so he was just outside the official break anyway. On two days before I had told him he asked me if I was happy!!
As for other stresses, he's always been a bit sensitive, a big nail biter, which we had been trying to get him to stop - but now we've told him to do that rather than pull his hair????? We have discussed everything with him, maybe too much. Not sure how to help him be less stressed. (He's also had a baby sister arrive in Jan this year which of course has caused some disruption although he seems to internalise any resentment.)

oh my goodness. I know it seems not a 'war zone' to you but to your DS I'm sure this is his whole world being turned upside down; a new sibling alone is enough to REALLY trouble some kids....being moved to year one will be scaring him alot I would think...and knowing that one day before too long he'll be moving half way accross the world....phew.

I think he's clearly showing you he can't cope.

Maybe you're right, in trying to talk to him to keep him aware of what's happening and prepared, maybe you've given him too much info. It's all too easy to talk to them like grown ups, they're bright and can understand so much, but they can't necessarily cope with it.

I think you may have to accept he'll be unsettled till you go really.

Any chance of home education till you go? If he has no future in the educational system in this country then there's not so much point in him struggling on in year 1? I know you have a young baby so maybe home education doesn't feel like an option, but it doesn't have to be formal, or even for a set number of hours or anything....