Help. Unreasonable fear of flies and butterflies

[Sophiathesnowfairy]

My 3 year old is terrified of flies and butterflies ( and other similar small flying things) is this normal? He goes competely ballistic when he sees one or even a bit of fluff floating around and it is beginning to be a bit debilitating.

What shall I do? What have I done wrong that he is so terrified?

[Dolallytats]

I'm not sure what you do about it, my DD is the same with flies and ladybirds.......but she's 20!! Yes, 20. Years, not months!! She drives me loopy!!

[WafflyVersatile]

Maybe get an insect sticker book? or the mini beasts book and a bug catching kit where you can examine them in a jar? Get him interested in them?

/not a parent]

[Sophiathesnowfairy]

We wondered about a bug catching thingy actually.

[WafflyVersatile]

most kids like stickers. start with that, then any beasties they are not afraid of?

[Goldmandra]

You can buy kits from Insect Lore to grow your own creepy crawlies. We're waiting for our butterflies to come out any day now.

When they come out DD2 will hopefully be able to hold one on her hand as we release them. We've done it before and it's really helped her with her ridiculous fear of flying bugs.

[matana]

Ds is 2.9 and the same with moths, spiders and other creepy crawlies. No idea why as both dh and I make a conscious effort not to show fear around them and instead get him to look at them etc. Could be because his big sister is a drama queen about bugs. Hoping he'll grow out of it, but until then I just keep playing it down and telling him they won't hurt him and trying to read him books with friendly bugs and creepy crawlies in them.

[fififrog]

Has it been going on long? If not you might find it just goes away again. My DD is 2.5 and she is fine now but we had about 4-5 months o hysterics every time a flying thing appeared. Just got better recently, she's always liked pictures of them, stickers etc though. I think it's the unpredictable movement. All we did is tell her they won't hurt but agree they are super annoying and buzzy. Webtell them to buzz off! She still doesn't like them but now just asks me to get rid of them - easier said than done. Was afraid of ants also buy improved when I managed to catch one and told her it was tickly.

[ConcreteElephant]

Both DCs seem to have had a thing about flies oddly. Properly scared of them. We just tried to distract or failing that, make very overblown gestures towards the fly saying 'shoo fly!' in an over-dramatic, comedy way. That seemed to work for us and the fear didn't last too long.

[Saltire]

I have a mindee who is like this - he actually wet himself a couple of weeks ago becasue there was a daddy long legs in the toilet.
He roars and yells as it is when we are out but they get louder if anything flying is around - bees, flies, butterflies dragonflies etc.