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AIBU?

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Original poster

To now be worried about this?

31 replies

NillyFrickers · 16/04/2020 16:59

My DD is turning 2 next week, today she has suddenly started gettin freaked out about spiders... But there are no spiders around.
It started this morning after breakfast, she said "scared of spider" out of nowhere, I asked where is the spider and she just said "scared" I had a look around and couldn't find anything, so we went for a shower.
In the shower shebwas stood near the plug hole and then got a fright again and said spider! I said there was no spider and then she looked and she was fine.
Went out for our daily walk, and anything that was on the floor and blew with the wind she got a really big fright and wanted to be picked up. Any weeds she got a fright from too, saying they were spiders. Also the gaps in the pavement she suddenly got scared of, where the slabs meet.
It's come out of nowhere and when I've googled it it says that other people had kids who did this and they were diagnosed as schizophrenic or had other mental health issues or PTSD etc even as young as 3.
Now I'm really upset and scared. Have I done something wrong as a parent? Is this actually right? Is it normal for kids to have fears unexpectedly? I'm so worried now that I've been a shit parent. Her dad left when she was 6 months but was never around much anyway during that time anyway, so everything is on me. And these Google results have made me feel so shit

Please tell me your toddler's had the same issues and were fine.
Generally she's a very happy smiley little girl.

OP posts:
Homemadearmy · 16/04/2020 17:01

At 2 my dad was terrified of loud sounds, motorbikes , cars with loud engines low flying planes all would have him running for cover. He out grew it

Hadjab · 16/04/2020 17:03

She’s very probably not schizophrenic, and I doubt you’re a shit parent - what has she been watching lately? It could be she saw a spider when you weren’t around, there could be any number of reasons. Maybe you should take her out on a spider hunt to show her how harmless they are.

userabcname · 16/04/2020 17:13

I wouldn't worry op. I remember my brother was deathly afraid of ducks (of all things!) as a child and my 2yo has suddenly decided he is afraid of ghosts - I didn't even know he knew what ghosts were! I think it's normal.

PowerslidePanda · 16/04/2020 17:13

Humans are born with an innate fear of spiders - I agree with a PP that she probably just saw one recently and has become fixated on the fear. My 2 year old has done this a couple of times, triggered by random things - first it was owls (which started with something from a book) and after seeing me exterminate an ant in the hallway, we had weeks of, "Ant! Sad! Cuddle!" both whenever she was in the hallway or whenever she thought she'd spotted an ant (which half the time was just a speck of dirt)

Sirzy · 16/04/2020 17:15

Can you watch something like wooly and tig together to show a different side of spiders?

VerbenaGirl · 16/04/2020 17:21

Please please don’t worry, this is most probably just a developmental stage. My eldest was obsessively scared about many many things growing up, but it’s calmed right down now she’s older.

SamSeabornforPresident · 16/04/2020 17:21

My three year old has suddenly become terrified by everything, particularly dogs and creepy crawlies. DH and I definitely not scared of either of them so God knows where it's come from. I'm hoping she grows out of it as it's nonsense.

Pinkblueberry · 16/04/2020 17:24

Humans are born with an innate fear of spiders - I agree with a PP that she probably just saw one recently and has become fixated on the fear.

I’m not convinced this is true, partly because my nearly 2 year old loves trying to find them - he keeps enthusiastically shouting spider and pointing at the ceiling which I find quite disconcerting as I’m a bit weary although not really scared. I also because I know plenty of other people who really aren’t bothered by spiders.
Obviously she could just be afraid of them for no reason, as many of us are - but as a pp poster said it could also be something she’s seen on the tv. There’s plenty of books and videos with cutesy spiders you could show her - like for the Incy Windy Spider rhyme and things like that. My DS has enjoyed that since he was very little so that could be why he seems to like them so much.

bananafish · 16/04/2020 17:49

I’m sure she has just seen something and it’s lodged in her mind.

My eldest son, at around that age, was deathly afraid of grass - that was fun 🙄

Gentle introduction might help - do a mini creatures bug hunt? Give her a net and a magnifying glass or similar. But don’t force it too much - she’ll grow out of it as long as you don’t make too much of a fuss.

Bakedbeanhead · 16/04/2020 17:57

Hello, parent of a strapping 17 year old son here.
Here is a list of all the things my son was scared of from about 2 years to about 6 years.

Flies, when one buzzed near him he used to run around shouting “hurt fly” - embarrassing whilst we were out.

The Moon, we used to have to shut all the curtains in the house at night, or he would freak out.

Grass, He wouldn’t walk or crawl on grass for ages as a toddler.

Hand dryers, Freaked out in Public toilets for a couple of years.

What I am trying to say is small children all get frightened of things that totally seem irrational to parents, but I promise it does pass, my son has grown up with no long lasting problems (apart from eating us out of house and home ! )
You sound like lovely parents x

Owwlie · 16/04/2020 18:03

My DD has started doing this recently (also 2) with spiders and ants. I realised the other day that when she’s saying it and there’s not one there that there’s usually a bit of dust or dirt or fluff and she’s just calling that an ant or spider. She also says she’s scared of them but we just tell her not to be silly and just put it outside (even if it isn’t an actual spider).

agapanthus1979 · 16/04/2020 18:09

I've always been scared of spiders. Don't know why. Often thought if they were called something like 'fluffety bumbles' I could cope with them.
I am, however, currently steeped in gin ( as part of my lockdown structured routine) so you might want to ignore me.
DISCLAIMER: no kids, so no worries about A&E visits..etc...etc
Need more limes.

GameSetMatch · 16/04/2020 18:23

My two year old is obsessed with spiders, talks about them and tells us there are spiders around when there isn’t. Complete normal definitely not a schizophrenic two year old.

WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne · 16/04/2020 18:28

My eldest had lots of random fears that would spring up out of nowhere then disapear for no apparent reason. I remember one month or so when he was about two he was terrified of the drain in the bath.

SunshineCake · 16/04/2020 18:28

I think it is a bit unkind telling someone they are being silly when they are having a very real fear moment for themselves.

Stompythedinosaur · 16/04/2020 18:49

Schizophrenia at age 2 is practically unheard of. The classic age for developing schizophrenia is 15-25. It is far more likely to be a regular childhood anxiety. Your dc will learn about the world by the way you react to things so try to stay calm, just reassure them spiders aren't dangerous and distract them.

Mrsemcgregor · 16/04/2020 19:31

Awww bless her. Rest assured OP one day at about the same age my DS wouldn’t walk out of the garden gate because there was a cobweb (“spiders-nweb” he cried!). I eventually got him out of the garden and he freaked out that the telegraph wires were webs! Proper terror! But he got over it and is an absolutely normal 10yr old.

livelyredjellybean · 16/04/2020 19:36

My 3 year old has just started freaking out about spiders which is weird as neither me or her father do. Luckily we bought her a nature explorer kit for Christmas which has a cup with a magnifying glass on; we showed her how to safely catch one using her kit, have a look and then she’ll put it outside. She’s getting better already 🙂

SumAndSubstance · 16/04/2020 19:38

Weirdly, my 2yo has also recently started freaking out about spiders which aren't there (and bees). Perhaps it's a 5G thing!

SugarSugarShimmy · 16/04/2020 19:39

My 4 year old is currently afraid of spiders, dogs and vomit. She’s previously been scared of pretty much everything at random times. It’s normal

thequeenbeyondthewall · 16/04/2020 19:46

Does she watch peppy pig?

There is an episode with a spider in where I think George gets scared.

PineappleDanish · 16/04/2020 19:49

My two year old was terrified of the hand dryers in public toilets. Like totally terrified, shaking and crying whenever he saw one.

Didn't last. He's now 17 and we laugh about it. Googling is never a good idea.

lakeswimmer · 16/04/2020 19:49

DS1 was terrified of balloons at that age - made birthday parties very stressful. He's now a happy 17 year old with no balloon phobia.

frippit · 16/04/2020 19:55

My son suddenly became scared of spiders at two and wouldn't go to bed in case spiders were in there. I put a large dog teddy under the duvet at the bottom of the bed to scare them away.
23 years later and he still has this fear and he's a fully qualified tree surgeon. Spiders still give him the shivers. I've caught him with his head torch on hoovering every nook and cranny of his van for spiders after a days work!
He loves the outdoors and wildlife but just has this irrational fear of spiders.

Original poster
NillyFrickers · 16/04/2020 20:09

@thequeenbeyondthewall yes she does sometimes! And I just spoke about this with a friend. Although she hasn't watched it today so I wasn't sure if this would've been the cause of the sudden fear?
The one on Peppa pig is called Mr skinny legs and tonight in the bath she was scared of a bit of fluff saying it was a spider and wanted to get out. So we called it Mr skinny legs and I moved it. I tried to say it was her friend and he was just coming by to say hello, but she's only just about to turn 2, so I'm not sure how much she understood.

Thanks everyone for the replies, it's made me feel a bit better. My anxiety is 100x worse at the moment with this virus, and coincidentally the first article I read is the worst one, so it did me no good.

I'll try the explorers kit, infact I think j saw a Minnie mouse one, and this is her favourite character so we will try it and hopefully it'll work.

I am actually scared of spiders myself, my whole family is. But I've never seen a spider around DD yet, and my plans were to try and teach her that they weren't scary when the time came. So I was a bit confused to how she had already learnt to be scared of them, but not from me Shock

OP posts:
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