Comments on: A Toddler’s Strange New Fear, and What To Do About It

By: Kellie Wheeler

Kellie Wheeler — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:40:03 +0000

Okay, I have been doing some research on this, but can’t seem to find out what to do. My son is 2 1/2. My son loved helicopters and planes.. but one day he woke up and told me that he had a bad dream and the helicopter hit daddys head. We are a military family and so helicopters are flying over at least 5 times a day. When I tell him to go potty.. scared of helicopters… tell him to go get his toy, scared of helicopters. I tell him lets go get the mail, scared of helicopters. Anything that means leaving the room, he says he is scared. We have talked about this, alot of reassuring, even took a trip to the firedepartment.. he loves firemen, and they explained helicopters are good boys. Today, we watched videos of helicopters.. and I bought friendly preschool books about helicopters. What do I do????

By: Dr. Heather

Dr. Heather — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:39:15 +0000

Fears in toddlers are quite common. Being supportive and encouraging can help a great deal. But it sounds as if you’re worried that something goes beyond “normal” — and in that case I’d really like you to see a specialist who can evaluate him directly. A good Early Childhood specialist can give you lots of great tips, and let you know if he needs any extra help. Also ask the specialist to consider sensory difficulties — which are commonly overlooked in young children. Good luck and let us know!!

By: chantal

chantal — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:16:04 +0000

Hi Dr,
Great website indeed. i have always had concerns about my son who just turned two. generally speaking my son can be classified as a difficuld kid. his social phobia started at 4 months old and he got better when he started walking and became more comfortable with family members and strangers in general.
i worry about him because he seems to live in fear. everything seems to frighten him. such as the elevator, the reflection of the light on the wall, the spilling of water on his bed, flying insects and the list goes on !!!! should i seek medical help or is this behaviour normal? he is pretty extreme, he screams and screams, he is not just scared he is terrified !!!
we are going overseams next month and i am starting to get really stressed about it . Please Help me ! is my son normal?

By: Dr. Heather

Dr. Heather — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:13:55 +0000

Hi Bobbi! Reassurance is the key — you can’t expect her to be “rational” at this age yet. Help her find something that feels reassuring to her — a little safety object — and explain how you and the object will help keep her safe from the fuzz. Allow HER to examine the fuzz at her pace — don’t under any circumstances force her to see that it’s safe — if SHE can control the fuzz, she is likely to want to check it out on her own terms. If you still need more help, visit my Parent Coaching page to talk with me directly. I’d be happy to help!

By: Bobbi

Bobbi — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:42:39 +0000

Hello! I have a concern about my 2 year old daughter, Amyla. Lately she has developed some strange fears. One of the biggest is fuzz. She was in the tub one night and saw a peice of fuzz from her sock. She seriously flipped out and started hysterically crying and screaming and shaking. She would not calm down until I got her out. Now when she sees a peices of lint or fuzz she flips out and runs away. She wont even get in the tub because she thinks there is fuzz in it. She does this even after I show her there isnt. I would greatly appreciate any advice you could offer me on helping her get over these odd fears. Thank You!!!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 23:36:24 +0000

My 2 year old has been terrified of some typical things: a vacuum that sounds different from ours, an excavator at the park, a defunct computer mouse (that one’s really odd), a toy robot. However, he is only afraid of these things if both away from home and away from me. Otherwise, he loves construction equipment, robots, and computers. It’s a little upsetting to my friend when she babysits him and he hides from certain things. She puts the items away and comforts him. When I show up, he will happily play with the same item.