DS has regressed...advice please!

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DS took his first steps at the beginning of the month and went rapidly on to walk for several steps at a time, enjoying letting go of my hand and heading off by himself. We have been so amazed and happy.

3 weeks later DS has suddenly refused to let go of my hand. He will walk with one hand held as he has been doing for ages but has reverted to sinking to his knees as soon as you let go. I am so upset about it.

He has also started waking at about 5 a.m. and screaming. He is normally a good sleeper.

It has suddenly occurred to me that this regression has conicided exactly with his third birthday, when we moved him out of his beloved cot which he has been in virtually since he was born, and into a new bigger cot bed. Of course, we also have a new baby who sleeps in with me and DH at teh moment and DS's cot stands empty in his bedroom. I thought I was being sensitive by moving him into the new bed a while before DS2 is ready for the cot, but I do think this has had an impact.

What should I do? Any advice would be really appreciated. Also, when he wakes screaming I have been leaving him to scream for a bit as we have never let him get up on the rare occasion that he wakes in the night. But we have had to get him up eventually because he cries until it is time to get up anyway. I don't want this pattern to continue, and previously we would just let him cry until he went back to sleep. Any tips?

He seems more or less fine in other respects about DS2 although we have had the usual jealousy and he is a bit more emotional when he is tired.

It might just be that her has a new brother and has moved bed and it has upset him. they all seem to regress when a new child/sibling is brought into the family.

How are you feeling? Is everything ok?

Hi Pages,

I was going to say the same as Fio re the bed but would add is your HV at all helpful?.

Thanks Fio and Meerkats. DH spoke to nursery and they said that three other (NT) children with new siblings have regressed in their deveoplement, and that it is quite normal. DS has also been examined and is going to have AFOs, as he needs more support on his left foot. But he is racing around the place holding onto my hand or skirt, so it seems it is really more of an emotional/confidence thing and I gusess he will do it again when he is ready.

He has now got to liking his bed and walks up to it and grunts to say he wants to get in! So no more problems there.

PS And yes, feeling okay now thanks, though it was getting me down until I realised what was up. He was really starting to walk and it's horrible when something stops like that (and also worrying) but now I know there is a reason I don't feel too bad about it.

Hi Pages

no advice I am afraid - you are further down the line on all this than me Here's a big sympathetic hug though, I can only imagine how hard it must be coping with ds waking in the night [especially at that hour - I find waking at 3 ok, but waking at 5 a nightmare, as by the time they have got off to sleep again its almost time to get up again (aargh!)] and having to cope with a new baby.

I am dreading having to move ds2 into a bed. Are you using the new cot bed in cot mode?
I'm just wondering whether we are going to have to search out something which is bigger but with bars still, otherwise I cant see our ds2 staying in the bed.

Merlot x

Hi Merlot, sorry for not getting back earlier - it's hit and miss how often I get on here these days and how much I can catch up when I do! Yes, we are using the cot bed in cot mode, simply because he wouldn't stay in the bed if we took the sides off. When he slept in a normal bed on holiday we found him crawling round the landing in the middle of the night - scary! Having said that he doesn't usually wake in the night so it's not too bad, and he loves his new bed now. Wish I could say the same for DS2!