My son is 3 1/2 years old and has recently developed a strange fear. He is terrified of sock fuzz. A few weeks ago he was taking a bath and he saw some sock fuzz in the tub. He freaked out. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out what was so scary. He's had nightmares about it will not touch it for anything. I've tried everything I can think of to convince him that its harmless. How can I help him get over this? Has anyone else ever experienced a similar irrational fear?
2007-03-10 02:43:10 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
sock fuzz belongs in socks so seeing it where it doesnt belong is scary and because it was in the tub - with him makes it scarier. unexpected things in unexpected areas are scary .i would try to make a game out of it or explain it to him as the books belong on the shelf, toys in the crate , the fuzz got itself lost and needs to "go home" making it more "human" giving it a "life " and telling him it is more scared then he is because it is lost and he needs to help it get home. and its not a weird question !! its a typical normal "mommie" dilema. when my 6 yr old was about 18 months she "saw" what she considers "an eyeball" in the sink , when the plug was out and she looked down the drain. to this day she insists that the plug be in the sink before she will brush her teeth ect. ( it was a water-bubble) but no explaining i did would convince her it wasnt the eye of what ever she imagined lived in the drain. give him a little fish net to use to play -help the fuzzys go home.
2007-03-10 03:03:25 · answer #1 · answered by kayann01 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This happened in my house, only it was string (wadded up in a ball, fell off the back of the toilet somehow). Now my 3 1/2 year old flips out and thinks it's a bug when she sees lint or string.
Do something funny with the sock fuzz - - use it for a craft, put it on your nose or on your head, make it a silly game and give him the perception/reassurance that everything is okay.
I also saw someone do this with cotton - my little niece...
Good luck!
2007-03-10 02:49:37 · answer #2 · answered by jane 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The age of 3 -4 is when kids imaginations kick into over-drive. Pretty much all kids develop a fear of something at this age, even if it seems silly to us. Anything, even sock fuzz, can look scary to a child at this age. All you can do is be patient, this fear will eventually go away. And he may develop fears of other things as well, this is the age that most kids start becoming afraid of the dark, of monsters under the bed, of dogs, etc. If it doesn't go away or if his fears start to interfere with normal, daily activities, consult your pediatrician, or get a referral to a child psychologist.
2007-03-10 03:12:24 · answer #3 · answered by nimo22 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Try using bubble bath, make the bath fun for him, and
downplay the sock fuzz. Also get rid of those darn socks!
Out of sight, out of mind.
2007-03-10 03:07:35 · answer #4 · answered by jon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if hes scared of it being in his room at night you can do a ritual where you get like air freshener or something and spray under his bed etc. and tell him its special sock fuzz spray. If he sees it and freaks out just reassure him that its harmless and gradually try to get him to pat it so he realizes it doesn't harm him.
2007-03-10 02:55:27 · answer #5 · answered by Lucy W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just pick up the sock fuzz and throw it in the trash, tell him that he is so much bigger than it that it cant hurt him and that if he throws it in the trash it will kill it. It will conquer his fear and he will keep his sock fuzz off the floor.
2007-03-10 02:52:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are so creative at that age and its easy to ntalk them into something else. my son is 3 1/2 and always has something wrong with one of his toe nails. he would scream and cry if we wanted to trim them so we talked him into thinking about hi sfav things why we do it. now when we do it he closes his eyes and says cookies cake and chocolate. cinnamin toast crunch and spong bob. he is so funny and i imagine your son to be the same. so silly. make some kind of deal about the fuzz. pull it out of your socks or something
2007-03-10 02:52:20 · answer #7 · answered by Mrs.Vick 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
my cousin when she was little was absoulutly terrified of alumin foil..why? I have no idea.
On the question,I would say if your child doesn't grow out of the fear take him to a doctor or a therapist.Some people have very odd phobias (my mom's friend has a phobia of peaches) your child may have a phobia.
2007-03-11 22:13:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a wierd question, but every kid has their fear. If you have a younger child let them touch it and show him it wont do anything. But it in a jar and leave it over night and show him its not going anywhere. I hope this works.
2007-03-10 03:04:46 · answer #9 · answered by Princess T 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cousin is terrified of fleece.
2007-03-10 02:49:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋