Just to establish, there are no alarming symptoms and no health changes.
We are, however, experiencing some behavior and sleep changes. We have decided to fully vaccinate our son, just on an alternate schedule. He is 2.5 and got his first vaccination against polio last Friday. That night was not a good night and for the past week he has been waking up crying like he is having bad dreams. I have to talk him through sitting up and waking up before he goes back to sleep otherwise he wakes up again 20 minutes later. We FINALLY got him to sleep through the night in the past couple of weeks, and for the past week he has been waking 3-6 times crying for no apparent reason - we ask him and he either doesn't answer us or says "I don't know".
He has also become quite a terror!! Maybe it is the "2's" or because he isn't sleeping well, but he was such a good listener and a joy (albeit an active boy!) to have around. Lately, he wont listen, won't eat, won't get dressed or shoes on... We had established a really great way to get him to get dressed: set a timer for 5 minutes and he needs to get dressed before the timer goes off. He loved this game up until the past few days. Now, the timer goes off and I go to get him dressed and he screams the whole time! He is great about "using his words" but now wont even try - he just sets off crying and carrying on.
Maybe I am over analyzing this, but the fact that he was on a roll with sleeping and great behavior and BOTH changed at the same time that he got the vaccination makes me wonder... Anyone else notice these changes or have any advice??
EDIT: Im sitting here smiling over Shane B.s comment about over thinking things. =)
I'll bet its the 7 month pregnancy hormones making me so analytical... I can usually let things go and laugh them off. Im just tired and wish this pill-bottom kid of mine would sleep!! ;-)
Im with Shane as well :) my oldest was a dream baby. Slept through the night and ate well, ahhhhh lovely. When he hit about 18 months a switch flipped in that kid and he was a holy terror until about 4.5. Im not kidding! I think he's getting over on his mama :)
my kids went through phases where they woke up at night, it had nothing to do with their shots.
I think that a mother's instincts are always right. Listen to them and if you are concerned, get it checked out. Do you take your kids to a chiropractor? It did wonders on my 10 month old's sleeping. And you're not crazy. I have chosen to forego most vaccinations... for now. The only ones my child has gotten so far are the HIB and the pneumococcal because they have the safest profiles out of them all with the least ingredients. Have you read the vaccine book by dr sears? I highly recommend it to anyone who is wanting to know anything about vaccines... good or bad. I read it in one night :)
I'm with Shane and second her opinion totally.
I, too, think these are separate things and not because of his polio vacc.
I will say....I too have gone on an alternate vaccination schedule.
My 2.5 year changed his sleeping habits, time etc. So I had to change with that, roll w/the tides etc.
I'm sure being pregnant doesn't help the situation :) but I feel your pain anyway. Good to be aware and caring.
I answered your last post and again, no offense, I think you are over-thinking things.
We all hear about the terrible 2's, but believe me, 3 can be even harder and it's pretty normal.
They are growing so much, physically and mentally and cognitavely. Sleep patterns change. They test limits. What worked last week can be forgotten history. If you ask a kid this age "why" they are acting a certain way, they are going to say they don't know.
When he's 4 or 5 he may not know why he's acting a certain way.
The whole vaccination thing is a different topic and it's my bet your son would be going through these changes whether he'd had a vaccine or not.
My aunt lived a long, tough life crippled by polio because she contracted it before there was a vaccine.
There was no question I would vaccinate my children against it.
My kids had no bad reactions to vaccines, no fever or extreme crankiness.
That's MY experience. It might not be anyone else's.
My point is, that your son will change eating habits, sleeping habits, temperament......
This age, starting school, puberty and teenage years...
There will be times you think someone body snatched your child.
It happens.
Best wishes.
Apparently, the half year marks (2.5, 3.5, 4.5) are when huge developmental pushes happen. That's when we've seen the most issues with ours.
And if he managed to make it to 2.5 listening, eating, getting dressed, etc., you lucked out! Both ours started with the "by self!" stage at 18 months. Independent little cusses...
These behaviors, just sound like normal 2 about to be 3 year old developments.
He is probably about to go through a growing spurt.
Measure him and in a month measure him again.. you will be amazed.
We never really had the terrible 2s in our house - it was always the terrible 3s.
I don't even think they give the pink oral polio vaccine anymore. That one contained live, weakened polio virus. The polio shot uses dead virus so a child would have no way of contracting polio from the shot.
