New Fears of Many Things!

Most 3yr olds are scare of things. The one thing I never made my kids or grandkids is talk to someone who said hi no matter how friendly they are. A kid who backs away for someone listen to them.

Hi T.!
My just turned 4yr old has had fears of several "normal" things since he was a toddler. The vaccume phase, the any low humming noise like his train set. All of those he has grown out of. Now it's anything that moves by itself like remote controlled cars. And loud banging noises or other kids screaming he covers his ears!
I talked to his Pediatrician about it and we think he is extra sensitive to noises. He's acting like a normal 4yr old in every other way. He doesn't have any signs of Autism. So she said it's just phases some kids go thru.
A friend of mine suggested taking the test in the book "The Out-Of-Sync Child". He scored very low on all aspects of it. They had also reccommended getting his hearing tested for Audio Processing. I haven't been there yet.
Atleast you know that several parents deal with this. Talk to your Pediatrician.

accept it as a phase. validate his fears, "wow, you really seem afraid" and let it go. I believe it will pass. at three he is still discovering how the world works, how his behavior affects all things, including you (i.e. if you overreact he wil probably become more "fearful").
good question though!!

My six year old daughter is going through this but with tornados. She had a fear about weather at about 3-4 when Katrina hit and then it was this interest. I mean she loves watching those tornado chaser shows now and is getting better about learning about them vs. being afraid. It is best on things like this that you educate them the best way possible.
I tell her I cannot promise nothing ever bad will not happen, just promise to do my best to keep her safe. It is normal at this age to get all sorts of wild fears too.

My son has gone through that ever since he was born. He didn't lose his fear of the shower until last december (he's 4 1/2) , but it was almost scary to give him a shower before, because we thought someone would hear him scream and call the cops! Yes, it was that bad. He was also afraid of the vacuum, hair spray, white noise on the tv, toilet flushing, electric razor (It still takes three people to cut his hair, even with scissors) you name it. The problem with him is that he wouldn't touch anything except hot stuff. He was afraid of the toaster, but after I showed him, he was brave enough to put the bread in it and push down the level. But one day he decided to put his thumb in it and got burned. Anyway, he is very intrigued by a lot of things even though he fears them. You just have to reassure him that nothing will happen to him. Like if he's afraid of a dog, then you just show him when it's ok to pet him, but don't force him to do it, just show him how you pet him and let him watch you not get hurt. Or find the way around things. I definitely don't want my son to touch the stove, but while I cook, I talk to myself when he can hear me and say things like "Oh, I'm grabbing this by the handle because it's cool" And stuff like that. So just show him that there are dangerous things, but if we know how to use them and we pay attention, it's not likely we'll get hurt. It may be a phase, but it could also last longer. Some kids are fearless too. Just play it by ear but do take the time to show him what's good to be afraid of, and what's not.

T., I have two daughters (6 and 7). My 7 year old has no fears what so ever. My 6 year old started showing fears when she was little like your daughter. My daughter was scared when someone would lift her to high, scared of characters in a suit (such as mickey mouse, ronald mcdonald, etc...), scared to sled because of how fast the sled goes, had a hard time with loud noises, she will not go on any amusement park ride unless it is very, very, low key (babish.... like the boat rides that go in a circle). She was also scared of the water but is now a fish. Also, very scared of dentists... getting her hair cut.... so on so on....

As you can see, I was a little bit worried about her fears and would she out grow some of this. My husband has many fears that are similiar to hers. The only advise I have is give her time. Slowly help her overcome the fears. I let my daughter approach things on her time and let her work herself into feeling comfortable. She eventually has come around to trying things and understanding that she won't get hurt or that she'll be okay. Such as, the character... she knows that it is only a suit with someone in it.. so now she is not so scared. She may not approach them but she will stand closer or watch from my side. Another example is sleding... I bought her a sled that goes really slow...... now she loves to go out and sled with her friends and sister. She has even tried to use the faster sleds but her feet have to be able to be dragging so she can stop. I just keep intoducing her to things that she is scared about and let her decide when she wants to try. Even if she just watches or enquires about it... then she may eventually try at her speed. She just had a full destist appt with xrays and a full cleaning. That took from the time she was 3 until now to actually let someone touch her. Now she is over it.

I hope all this helps. Just slowly let them feel more comfortable with their fear. You will be surprised that if you don't push them but introduce them little by little... they may be able to over come it. My little one will never do a roller coaster and that kind of stuff... you just except. LOL :) I hope this helps. L.

i think this is a normal think for three year olds. my son went through the same thing at about 3 1/2. he even got scared of a smiling flower that popped up at the end of a computer game he liked to play! he got pase it in a few weeks though and went back to his normal fearless self. kids are so funny!

T., This is very typical of 3 year olds they really are scared of everything and he just needs a little bit of confidence from you just show him how easy it is.

Our son did that. We talked about the things that scared him. Sometimes videos or books (up to about 1st grade level) from the library seemed to help. Make sure you preview them first to make sure they don't add to the fear. Fear is natural at 3 and just something you have to work through. On a few, we found that the fear was actually hiding another thought. You might have to dig a bit to get to the real issue. He will outgrow the stage, but you can work through it now. We found the fears suddenly got better when his brother moved in to his room in the crib. You might find some funny thing like that helps.