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Original poster

Toddler and hand dryers

48 replies

putputput · 05/09/2019 21:19

Looking for anyone who has been in a similar situation.

DD will be 2 in November. She has a real fear of the noise of hand dryers when we're in public loos. She will clutch at me and physically shake and sob. It's starting to make days out really tricky.

It's the only sound she has a real issue with, she's fine with the Hoover/hairdryer/ lawnmower etc. Is otherwise a confident and happy child.

I've tried showing her the dryer, trying to get her to play with it. I'll warn her before we go in that we're going to hear it.

I don't use the hand dryer, but I can't stop other people using it whilst we're there!

Am tempted to try noise cancelling head phones but I would prefer to not have to rely on bringing these with us everywhere.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

OP posts:
Flicketyflack · 05/09/2019 21:21

My son had this and he grew out of it.

I think young children have especially sensitive hearing and hand dryers are loud and sometimes unexpected! (My son was frightened by one that came on as he leant against a wall ☹️

Don't draw attention to it and it will improve 😊

QueenofLouisiana · 05/09/2019 21:23

DS has this, turned out he had glue ear. GE makes the vibration from driers almost unbearably painful apparently.

Redshoeblueshoe · 05/09/2019 21:23

My 3yo GD hates them, I now take one of those little hand cleaner things (sorry I've can't remember what they are called) so we can see and rush out. People don't seem to mind if you ask them to wait a few seconds so you can rush out.

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Families
Deelish75 · 05/09/2019 21:25

Do you think she’ll wear ear defenders. We had same problem with DS but he was fine when wear ear defenders (we put them on outside the toilet) you can still hear the hand dryers but it muffled the noise.

LookImAHooman · 05/09/2019 21:26

It’s a definite thing and most grow out of it (tho worth checking for GE as a PP says). I saw a study recently that did find hand dryers are typically so loud they do hurt small children’s ears, bless them.

Clangus00 · 05/09/2019 21:27

Yep my 4 year old still won’t use them and clamps their ears when she’s at the loo. We use hand gel.

MsJuniper · 05/09/2019 21:27

My son had this and took a long time to get over it. He would rather wet himself than use the bathroom. I used changing toilets and if I could see a switch on the wall I'd turn it off.

He's now six and will tolerate, but not use them himself. It's interesting what a pp said about glue ear. He is quite sensitive to a lot of noises/textures but we have never had a professional assessment about it.

PhannyPharts · 05/09/2019 21:27

Yes. We had exactly the same thing. Did all the things you tried but he grew out of it about a year or so ago.

AudacityOfHope · 05/09/2019 21:28

It's one of those fears you've got to prove to them aren't worth the bother. Just breeze past it in a jolly tone 'oh let me dry my hands then we'll got and get the trolley blah blah' and done.

I think you need to demonstrate resilience for them. I wouldn't be carrying ear defenders around in case I needed a pee in Tesco!

hlr1987 · 05/09/2019 21:28

My dd hates it too, but I just ask if she wants a cuddle when she hears it, issuing she'll grow out of it.

Vinorosso74 · 05/09/2019 21:30

My DD hated them too. It was less of an issue in large area where the noise is less intense. Again she grew out of it. I am still conscious now if I see little ones by the dryers!

Tigerwhocamefortea · 05/09/2019 21:30

My 2 year old is exactly the same and refuses to go into public toilets in case anyone puts the drier on. He has other sensory issues too but hand-driers are one of his biggest issues. I use the disabled toilet when out and about with him as it’s the only way I can get him into a toilet without a huge hysterical meltdown.

CCquavers · 05/09/2019 21:31

Don’t dry your hands. Make toilet stops quick and keep the toddler away from the dryers. Most grow out of it or at least are able to put up with it.

KronksSpinachPuffs · 05/09/2019 21:33

I'm 26 and I dont like them either. They're unnecessarily loud and I just use toilet roll to dry my hands when using a public loo. I also dont think they're particularly hygienic either although thats not really the reason I dont use them.

Rebs94 · 05/09/2019 21:36

My nearly 4 year old DS has always been scared of the hand dryers in public toilets. MY 2 year old DD loves them. I think my DS fear came from a particular public toilet that had the hand dryer by the door so when we walked in the door, the dryer went off and it scared him silly. I'm not worried, and I'm sure he'll soon understand it and grow out of it. I just tell him it's okay that there's a loud noise and let him use either the allocated tissues or some toilet roll to dry his hands xx

notso · 05/09/2019 21:36

It's one of those fears you've got to prove to them aren't worth the bother. Just breeze past it in a jolly tone 'oh let me dry my hands then we'll got and get the trolley blah blah' and done.

I think you need to demonstrate resilience for them. I wouldn't be carrying ear defenders around in case I needed a pee in Tesco!

This. Three of my four have been afraid of them but they've all grown out of it. You have to be careful that you aren't reinforcing the fear.

melissasummerfield · 05/09/2019 21:37

Both of my sons hated them and the same reaction but just grew out of it by about age 4, you really don’t need ear defenders, thats a little OTT!

MythicalBiologicalFennel · 05/09/2019 21:40

Actually I recently read some news about a Canadian teen girl who had a paper about driers published in a scientific magazine.

Basically she proved that some hand driers are louder than it says on the specification; that they are louder than regulations aloud; and that children are naturally more affected by their noise.

So this is not an irrational fear. Your child is right. The driers are too loud for everyone, more so for young children and you should avoid exposing young children to them.

MythicalBiologicalFennel · 05/09/2019 21:45

www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/us/hand-dryers-children.amp.html

Here it is. Hope link works!

Tinkletwat · 05/09/2019 21:47

I'm in my late thirties and find these really hard to deal with, I send my sympathies

ChipsAndKetchup · 05/09/2019 21:48

Following with interest. My 5 year old has a serious issue with them too. To the extent he'd rather wet himself than use a public loo.

RumpoleoftheBaileys · 05/09/2019 21:48

DC had this, but grew out of it. Bear with!

DameSquashalot · 05/09/2019 21:52

My DD hates them too. Were reading about them last night in her magazine.

Toddler and hand dryers
DameSquashalot · 05/09/2019 21:55

Sorry @MythicalBiologicalFennel - I just realised you've already posted about it.

RogueV · 05/09/2019 21:56

DS was like this too.
He has only just started using them (tentatively), he is 4

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