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Children's health

Phobia's- dd2 seems to have developed one!!!

5 replies

cherrymonster · 09/01/2009 00:19

it all started a few days before xmas- went out in the car with mum, nan and the two dd's. dd1 (3.9) unexpectedly threw up quite violently in the car and frightened the living daylights out of dd2 (2.9). dd2 went absolutely ape and refused to go near dd1 for the rest of the day. now, whenever anyone starts to cough violently, dd2 goes ballistic, comes running to me, and cries, hysterically for up to an hour. she becomes totally inconsolable despite the fact that i explain that it was just a cough and that no-one is going to be sick. her understanding of things is generally very good when they are explained to her properly, but this is something else entirely. now i have an almost three year old emetophobe and no idea what to do. please help me???

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Elibean · 09/01/2009 09:57

Hmm, am trying to put myself into 2.9 yr old shoes....I think I might have thought my sister was exploding, and her insides coming out.

I suppose if it was my dd....I would choose quiet, relaxed time when just the two of us are together (few and far) and calmly just talk about how I might have felt if it was me in the back seeing someone vomit violently for the first time.
I might even say 'gosh, thats the first time yo'uve seen x being sick, did you think she was exploding, boom, like a balloon? Was it very scary?' then if she nodded, I'd say 'yes, I bet it was' and give her a hug.

And then and only then, I'd move onto explaining what vomit actually is (eg food that isn't going down well, and you feel better when its out) and if she's relaxed and listening, maybe even start being a bit funny (as in ha ha) about it.

My dd2 had a very strong reaction to a mum dressed up as santa at a playgroup, and the most calming thing for her is when I acknowledge how scary it was for her, whilst also reminding her it was 'just a mummy playing dressing up, and she's very nice, and she's gone home now to look after her children and is wearing her own dress again'.

Good luck

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cherrymonster · 09/01/2009 10:04

that sound great (in theory) but she is frightened of balloons popping aswell, although her reaction is not quite as severe. she is afraid of drilling and the hoover too. its odd because my son had the same fears and he has now been diagnosed with dyspraxia and developmental delays. she doesnt have the same physical delays as he did but she is a lot less verbal than my other three were at her age. she understands very well though

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Elibean · 09/01/2009 20:15

Ah well, maybe find a different image for her, then

Both my dds have had multiple fears between the ages of about 20 months and 3yrs, all of which have been short lived but intense whilst they had them. I think its a fairly normal age to have fears.

That said, dd1 still has one real phobia - buttons, of all things, but she really does find them 'yucky' and scary. I've taken it at face value, and not poo-poohed it at all - it was hard, because it worried me at one point, but MN helped, as did a website on phobias. She's now much calmer, and will tolerate a couple at the back of clothes...and most important, is not ashamed about her feelings and will tell anyone who asks 'Some people don't like worms, I just don't like buttons: we're all different!'.

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Elibean · 09/01/2009 20:17

btw, dd2 is 2.2 and is currently afraid of most noisy things....and the HooHahs (sp?) and the Story Makers to the point of hysteria.

dd1 at that age was scared of owls, bells, trains, hoovers, and boys. That has definitely passed

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cherrymonster · 09/01/2009 20:50

lol elibean- dd2 has a haahoo pillow on her bed- she loves itng. the other thing she hates is the beginning of step inside- the one with the house that has a face. she runs away screaming with her hands over her ears

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