I hope there is a mama out there who has experienced this problem or has some advice. My 3 year old daughter, Serena has developed a phobia about sounds. This is new. She covers her ears and states "Too Loud". The only thing she never liked since she was baby was vacuum cleaners, (so we stopped using them when she was around). But in the past 8 months it turned in the ice machine (which used to make her laugh), any appliance. Now it's developed into strange things within the past week that NEVER bothered her before, quiet things like: the click of her straps on her high chair, the beeping of the microwave. and amazingly, the very quiet beep of a thermometer. I don't mean to indicate she is lying but it seems she is searching for things with sound. Before a doctor, I really want to know if anyone has heard or experienced this strange phenomenon. She is an only child if that helps and our home is pretty quiet. Please help.
Thank everyone for your great advice. It is especially a relief to know there are mama's out there who have also experienced the same thing. I also will consider a doctor. HOWEVER I must update you all to a VERY strange development! Yesterday, I accidentally and loudly banged some dishes while she was in the kitchen. Serena said : "That scared me mommy. Do it again." (What the heck?) And then she had me go around the house banging the loudest noises possible and laughing. ( I did make sure to keep the bangs short and to laugh too). Well, she just got over a cold. Were her ears plugged up this whole time, and finally drain from the cold? Or were many of you ladies praying for me? I'll still inform the doctor and be careful. But THANK YOU.
My daughter is 7 and is extremely sensitive to sound. She wears headphones in school when there is an assembly or if a fire drill is planned. The ones they had for her at school were nasty looking, so I bought her these from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Junior-Earmuff-Pink/dp/B0...
She's also easily distracted when there's a lot of noise in the background (so am I) and will wear them when she wants to be able to focus on a task.
This is normal. It usually occurs when kiddo has been exposed to a loud, scary sound...then they worry that every sound will be loud and scary.
Instead of getting too worried, tell her about the sound. "Do you hear the _______?" Or, "What was that funny noise?"
Reassure her when the sound isn't loud. Tell her, "It's okay, it's just a________." And protect her ears from truly loud noise that can damage her hearing. Once it's gone, you can't get it back.
The "too loud" is a phase that she will likely get over with some gentle coaching and words added to her vocabulary. If you feel like it gets MUCH worse, talk to the pediatrician about auditory processing disorder.
Best!
♥
C. Lee
Try warning her first when a sound that she is reacting to is coming so she can cover her ears. Their little brains are developing and maybe she is more sensitive. If that doesn't make any difference after a time, check with your doctor, because this may not be a phobia, but an actual sensitivity to sounds. Some children develop a hypersensitivity to sounds. My husband, for instance, can hear the silent alarm while at department stores, and so can his mom - I can't.
My son is like a pendulum swinging.. One minute the noises are too loud and the next minute he is screaming because it is too quiet.. Or truning up the TV.
Take he to the doc to make sure there is no ear infection that is making the ear more sensitve..
next it could be a phase or it could be a sensory issue. Check out that it is not an infection and then see if it pases in time.
Good Luck.
My adult son is like that. To some degree I am like that two. Some sounds make me crazy!!!! It is really common in this age group. This too shall pass.
My 3yrs old son has just recently started to have the same problem. He covers he's ears and says "too loud" as well. We have no idea what could be causing this. My daughter, whose 5 never experience this with noise. We are planning to bring him to the doctor to get his hearing evaluated.
Rather than trying to eliminate all sounds, try to desensitize her by exposing her to more. Not all at once, or like heavy metal music in the car, but maybe some classical music at home, take her to a city with lots of noises, restaurant, etc.or a mom and me music class. She sounds like a sensitive child. My oldest was kind of like that, and is the sweetest kid. I actually don't like loud noises either, but you don't want it to get extreme... She may have some sensory issues that an occupational therapist can help with. Early intervention is best.
Updated
Rather than trying to eliminate all sounds, try to desensitize her by exposing her to more. Not all at once, or like heavy metal music in the car, but maybe some classical music at home, take her to a city with lots of noises, restaurant, etc.or a mom and me music class. She sounds like a sensitive child. My oldest was kind of like that, and is the sweetest kid. I actually don't like loud noises either, but you don't want it to get extreme... She may have some sensory issues that an occupational therapist can help with. Early intervention is best.
Both my kids went through that too.
It is common.
My three year old daughter also developed sensitivities to noises. It seemed to pass rather quickly though. We addressed it by warning her the noise was coming and to cover her ears. I have no doubt that her ears are way more sensitive than mine. We live in a very loud world and mine have suffered hearing loss over the years I'm sure.
There are sensory disorder where children seem to feel pain by sounds. She could also have an intense ear infection. (In a very, very, very, VERY rare instance there could be pressure on her brain in the area that perceives sound - but that's HIGHLY unlikely. This is definitely worthy of a doctor visit though - especially since it came on over a short period of time - even a sinus infection could do it.
At this age it's not attention getting - this is a little too sophisticated for age 3. For whatever reason she's being disturbed by certain noises - it could be only those with a high pitched tone, etc. Get it checked out and see what the pediatrician has to say.
Good luck mama!
Good luck mama
I have fibromyalgia and am extremely sensitive to sounds, have been for years, it's a common symptom with the disorder. Sometimes I feel I can hear a digital clock ticking :-/
Take her to the doctor to find out if there's a medical condition causing her sensitivity, an infection, a sensory issue, etc. Hopefully she's just very in tune to her environment, but her being fearful or bothered would concern me.
My daughter has been doing this since she was a little over 2. She is now 3 1/2 and some of the things are starting to bother her less and less. She seemed almost terrified of the noises. So I have gone about just showing her that there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to most noises. Well, I hope this helps.
What kind of attention is she getting from you every time she says something is too loud?
~All 3 of my kids have gone through this stage, covering their ears and saying something was too loud...but it was only a phase and it passed.
My 7 yr old daughter has developed an intense fear of balloons popping. She isn't scared of the balloon itself just the fear of it popping. She is also scared of the noise of fireworks.
I wonder if it's a sensory thing that your daughter and my daughter are going through. That's all I can make of it.
I would talk to the doctor or do some research on sensory processing disorder.
Hi M., I am not sure what to suggest you here. Just wanted you to know that my 2 years & 4months old son is initial stage of your daughter. He also closes his both ears on sound. He is very sensitive to sound from the very beginning. When he was 9 months old, I was cooking in the kitchen using electric blender or cooker, he get scared and started crying. I explained him that cooker/blender (even vaccume cleaner ) makes sound like this. I think after few experiences he got my point and stopped crying & used to tell his dad cooker makes this sound whenever the cooker is on. But 2 months back I had to travel with him. I was at the train depot & he was sleeping he suddenly wakes up because of train sound. Also we had 16 hrs journey on airplane where there was so much noise (we were sitting near airplane's wings )all the time. From then he is having hard time with sound. I am hoping he will eventually come out of his phobia after some time.
Please share if you get any lead on this for your daughter.
Thanks,
K.
