Hello and welcome, Emily! How are you and your little boy doing today?
LeslieAnn

Hi, actually I'm the one with alopecia, not my son. You know how whenever something happens to your child, you wish it would happen to you instead? I guess I'm fortunate that, if anyone in our family had to have alopecia, I'm glad it was me and not my kids, you know?

About the vaccinations, I did things differently with my second child than with my first. With my daughter, I gave her every immunization right on schedule. With my son, I spaced them out and only gave him 2 at a time (instead of up to 5). I just think that too many immunizations at one time can't be good for you. Some doctors might raise their eyebrows at that, but most are happy that you're at least doing the injections, even if you're spacing them out.

Let me know when you find out the name of that vaccine. You know they do have a Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. It's kind of sad that so many people have vaccine reactions, they have a whole program to administer to those with side effects and reactions! Have you looked into that?

Hi, Emily. I was drawn to your photo because your son looks a lot like my 4-year-old son.

May I ask what vaccination he received to make him lose his hair?

I agree with Nicole to role-play with your son how he's going to answer questions. When people ask me, I just say, "I have alopecia, it's an autoimmune thing." Those are kind of big words for a 4-year-old, but just help him come up with something quick and easy to say very matter-of-factly.

Hi Emily, One Idea: PRETEND. Does your son have a friend or a childhood cousin that he trusts and is less shy around? Tell them you want to play a game, ie PRETENDING. Ask his friend/cousin to pretend to be one of those mean or inquisitive children at daycare, give him clues but let him say whatever first comes to mind to your son, then coach your son on how he can react and respond to whatever the child says to your son. Be clear that this is only pretend. In this safe and controlled environment, you can be there with and help your son to say or do those things that will make him feel less sad and at a loss. This will also give him the confidence to handle those situations alone when he's at daycare. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE OFTEN. His confidence will continue to grow, and he'll be better prepared to face whatever comes. Good luck and let us know how your son is doing :)

Welcome.

Roger.

Hi Emily, Welcome to AW..I hope you find the support you are looking for to help your son. Kids are move resilient then we give them credit for. One of things that we do is make sure that Sam is involved in activities that she loves. It helps build confidence and social skills. My daughter is 7 and has had alopeica for almost 2 yrs now. She figure skates and swims with the same coaches on a regular basis. It has been wonderful to see her grow and strengthen through these sports with the support of great adults teaching her. Empower your son to develop his interests and surround him by positive people. Good luck, Cindy