2 YR. old scared of EVERYTHING

[nannyme]

Ok so i'm not a mother, but I am the nanny of a 2 year old baby boy. I have been his nanny since he was 8 months old. As he has become older and more aware of things, I have been able to take him around town to fun community things, but the only problem is, he never enjoys them! Everythings to "sary" [scary]. I take him to the park, a plane flys by or a big truck drives by and he immediatly says "HOME!!". I take him to the pool and a leaf falls next to him and he freaks out. We play outside and the wind blows and he runs inside screaming covering his ears. I can not take him anywhere, without him fearing for his life. Even to the fun childrens museum or fun places to eat. Any advice???? I love to be out and about and I usually have him for 7 hours at a time, so sitting at home is not an option. How do I make things less "sary" for him? I do hold him and always tell him "oh its not scary, its nice." and explain to him why things are not scary and why they are fun, but it never works.

[Jena32]

My 2 year old does that too , not quite to that extent but he does do it. The best thing you can do is keep taking him out places and eventually he will learn that he is safe with you .

Is he around any other children his age at all? It will help for him to see other kids his age playing and having fun, he will get tired of "just watching" and will eventually join them.

Children learn by watching us and by our reactions so next time you are getting ready to go out tell him where you will be going and how much fun it's going to be , get as excited as you can and when you get home recap with him on where you went and what he liked about it etc..

Hope that helps, good luck:)

[nannyme]

Ya I figured the more I exposed him to things and kind of eased him into new places, he would become more comfortable with things. But after a couple months and him still throwing tantrums every time I tell him were going somewhere fun, I just don't know what else there is to do. I think part of it may be that he does not see his mom as much as he needs to and he gets anxiety because of it. But even fun gymboree music classes, he cried through the entire thing. But thank you for your advice! I will definitely use it to the best of my ability!

[MommaC]

Hmmm...since he's SO sensitive, I'd actually be a bit concerned. Could be a generalized anxiety deal, or he could have some sensory integration issues. I'd definitely have the parents bring it up to the pediatrician.

Definitely do a lot of preparation. The day before (and maybe even earlier) an event, cheerfully tell him what's coming up on the agenda. Describe it for him in detail. You could each draw/color a picture of what you think it's going to be like. Talk about some things he might see and hear. Talk about how to respond to those things when they happen. If you're going to the zoo tomorrow, play zoo at home today. Role play. Maybe teaching him how to process and react to things will help. Each week you can even target a common difficulty: wind, loud noises, etc. Teach him how to respond. When he is scared, definitely give him the nurturing he needs to calm down--if thing are that terrifying, tough love won't help.

Good luck to you!

[catadmin]

If this behavior only comes from being outside and not at any place new that is indoors, then it's a matter of getting him use to it.

But, if he is frightened by all things new, it's something one must look into right away. Perhaps the problem was over looked because he was in an envirnoment that never changed since birth. But, if all new things scare him, it looks as if this child recieves to much stimulation from his envirnoment becomes overloaded and is feeling scared and helpless.

TAking him to a doctor is the best thing to do if he's frightened of all things new.

[sstacinator]

I don't think the Doctor is the correct thing to do. Maybe do some research and try to find some possible causes for this. Then try to figure out what reasons this child may have for his behavior then try to act on what to do from there. Doctors and their offices have many concerns that I would be afraid of, such as germs that cause bad sicknesses and even death. Doctors are not what they use to be, so take my advice and proceed with caution....

[MommaC]

I think catadmin might have been thinking along the lines of receiving a referral in the right direction. This type of behavior is characteristic of children with sensory integration issues. I certainly don't think that doctors are the end-all be-all, BUT for most people they are the link to true help. Taking him to the doctor isn't a HORRIBLE idea.

Talking to a special services coordinator about an evaluation wouldn't be a bad idea (in my opinion).