My Toddler's Fear is Taking Over - Help!

jtkayla

So I know toddlers exhibits many fears at this age but WINDOWS... huh?!! I'm stumped... at first I thought that he was just afraid of his reflection in the window but yesterday, as I was taking him a bath, he kept looking up towards the window in the bathroom... and the next second, he's screaming hysterically!!!  Mind you, the window in the bathroom is frosted so you can't see your reflection or any reflection for that matter. I had no idea what to do.  When he started crying in the bedroom and pointing to the window, I brought him over to it and showed him that there was nothing there, then I pulled down the shade... and at the restaurant, we pulled down the shades and when that didn't work, we switched tables LOL  It seems to always happen at nights but I don't get why.  I've been trying the ?desensitize and sympathize? approach but I'm not sure it's working.  Any ideas?

UPDATE:  Yesterday, I'm about to give my 17-month old a bath and he immediately looks up to the window in the bathroom and refuses to let me put him in the tub.  After several minutes of trying to soothe him and bring him over to the window, I attempt again... but  he goes into total hysterics once more!  I literally had to take off my clothes and jump into the tub with him, then place him on my legs, with the tub half-full of water, so I could finally bathe him!!! UGH!!! What is going on?!!!  Then, when I brought him to his room, I had to lay him down on the changing table and have him facing the window so he could see that everything was ok.  [Poll]

rosesandpeonies

my older daughter is extremely fearful of bugs.  We do the change the subject approach.  If she gets upset I try and bring up something else or try to focus her on something else.  IT does help, except when bedtime rolls around.

saturdaynightdoubletree

Could be shadows, the fear of the unknown out the window. With DD she randomly one day became petrified of the AC switching on and off we have it on year round, so it's not anything new, but she was convinced it was tigers. She loves to read, so we read a lot of books about fears... And she realized it was ok to be afraid, but she was safe. GL!

jtkayla

Another person recommended using dry-erase markers on the windows.  I might try the coloring on the windows approach... maybe that would do the trick ; )

If not, maybe I can find some books on windows so he can see that windows are to nothing be afraid of LOL

OMG, my child must have such a creative imagination!!!

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