Anyone's child irrationally scared of loud noises?

REOM

Hair dryer, vacuum, blender, or any small appliance sends my DD#2 into FREAK out mode. It seems to be getting worse. She is legit scared. I have tried to leave them on so she can see that there is nothing to be scared of, but she gets worse. She cries hysterically and shakes   This seems so not normal to me, she is 2.5. Anyone?

belle204

A is like that with trains (the whistle or horn), hair dryers and sometimes the vacuum. It's very odd b/c she's one of the loudest kids I know.

eta: I completely forgot about toilets. Oy. Those cause serious issues.

CubbyMama

Both of my girls are definitely afraid of loud noises, or even the idea of them--K will run out of a public restroom stall, even if I'm in there and not fully dressed yet, to avoid being in there when the toilet flushes, and I always have to talk her into getting on one in the first place if it has auto flush.  They don't absolutely freak out, but they do run away or cover their ears and whimper if anything is remotely loud.

crazynervous

I guess my first thought would be a sensory issue, but I personally don't have a child with it so maybe someone else can give more insight

JellymanKelly

My son is, but he has a ton of other sensory issues too. He is afraid of the vacuum, blender, big trucks going by outside, and the sound of the shower. He is also very sensitive to being washed, touching "messy" things, the texture of most foods, and can't eat things that are even the slightest bit warm. Does your DD show signs of being sensitive to other things like that?

Marchmamma

DD#2 is like that but she hasn't always been.  Just recently.  I'm hoping she grows out of it soon.

 

kancell724

DD is very sensitive to loud noises. I wonder if maybe it hurts her ears and thats why she runs away from them.  I guess its common from all the other posters who have kids the same way.

Mominator

Alyssa is like that too. Mostly it's public toilets, fireworks, thunder, large trucks, motorcycles and barking dogs. She says that it hurts her ears. Most of the things I mentioned just seem startle her, but with fireworks (in the distance) and thunder, she can't actually "see" what is making the noise and that freaks her out even more. I'm actually glad to see that I'm not the only one that has a child like this, but also makes me sad for all of our little cuties

Purrrfect433

Yes, and he has Sensory Processing Disorder. He's also very easily over-stimulated by noisy places, lots of lights and movement and has a lot of issues with food and clothing. He must always have pants on and although he's eased up a bit, socks are very important too. He sleeps with no less than 5 blankets at night. He has gotten much better about reacting to loud, mechanical noises but if he's not expecting it, he can get very scared. Have you considered SPD?

wellfleet04

Hi!  K is not scared of loud noises, but at that age she was, to my mind, "irrationally" scared of heights, the slide at the playground, being on an elevated surface, etc.  Like, legit terrified.  I could not understand it.  Turns out she has a sensory issue with her vestibular system.  She's made TONS of progress with OT and is now almost on par with her peers on stuff like stairs, the playground, etc.  It was very limiting for her, and she was so fearful.  Not saying E's fear is a sensory issue, but it might be worth discussing with an OT if you feel like it's interfering with her life or will be stigmatizing at preschool.  GL!