Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

fear of hand driers how long does it last? should I avoid nice school for ds with hand driers?

24 replies

starpatch · 25/12/2015 11:28

Bit worried about choice of school as one I otherwise like has dyson hand driers in reception toilets. My three and a half year old is still reduced to frightened tears if hand driers go off. Anyone with experiences of how long fear goes on? How do you talk to them that might help. I think I enter into the fear too much trying to hurry him out of toilet before someone sets one off.

thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

UnplainJane · 25/12/2015 11:54

My toddler, now 20mo, used to cry if he saw one. I just made a point of using it and also making his older brother use it whenever we could and didn't make a big deal over it. Now he has no problems with them.

I think it might be a bit OTT to not choose a school because they have hand dryers. He will def outgrow the fear. Anyway, you won't have to deal with it when he is at school, the teachers will. Also you might find he gets used to them quickly if you aren't around to affirm the fear and also when he sees others use them.

nancy75 · 25/12/2015 12:00

Dd had this until she was about 4, she was the same with hovers and hair dryers, one day it just stopped bothering her

RedRainRocks · 25/12/2015 14:24

Both my youngest were afraid of those noisy Dyson driers so it's tradition in our family to do the "drier dance" which is where we jig around doing a jive every time the drier comes on. You feel a bit of a berk when you have a wailing child for the first few times but even tho my seven and four year old still aren't that fond of them... We get by. I don't believe avoidance is the answer but then I'm pretty matter of fact about most stuff. We get on with it - nothing to be afraid of, not dangerous.. We do it :)

rainydaygrey · 25/12/2015 14:28

Definitely not a reason to avoid a school. What if you choose a school without them, and after 2 months that school gets them installed?

I can understand your concern though.

scrivette · 25/12/2015 14:32

DS stopped being scared of them at 4 once he started reception. He now uses them as well once he saw his friends using them.

Fairylea · 25/12/2015 14:54

My ds aged 3.5 has autism and is very noise sensitive and hand dryers upset him so much we have been unable to even attempt to toilet train him as he won't even be within ear shot of any toilet. When we go out with him dh and I have to take turns to go to the toilet while one of us stands with ds far far away from the toilet while the other goes! just the slightest hint of the noise and he will meltdown for hours and hours...but ours is a very extreme case and situation obviously!

I just hope we can get him used to them at some point, at the moment his development is very delayed as well as having autism so there is no reasoning with him. It's very difficult.

bigkidsdidit · 25/12/2015 14:58

My 5yo is still scared. He keeps anti bac wipes in his tray at school to use instead of washing his hands if someone else is using the drier, although his teacher is helping him with it. It is very common.

ceeveebee · 25/12/2015 15:51

My 4 yo DS has just recently got over his fear and will actually use them now - actually they have them at his nursery and I think that's what's helped him get over it

ceeveebee · 25/12/2015 15:51

Too many actuallys there but you get the idea!

Hissy · 25/12/2015 15:54

Friend of mine had a son with a fear of driers.

I got him to rate them one scary scale... 1 to 10... Anytime he went to the loo, he had to press the button or wave them to switch them on to check how noisy they were so he could tell me. Didn't have to use them, just hear them and leave.

It worked. Couple of weeks and he was hunting down the scariest he could find...

Wolfiefan · 25/12/2015 15:56

My DD was a nightmare with hand driers. A combo of her fear and my back pain (can't lift her on the toilet) meant I often used disabled toilets when out. Prepares to be flamed.
She's 5 and not fussed now. She used them herself.
Fairy lea. Can you use disabled loos? Then you don't need to use hand dryer.

ChessieFL · 25/12/2015 15:57

My DD also hated driers, still doesn't really like them but does tolerate them now. She is 6. Don't choose a school purely due to hand driers!!

littleducks · 25/12/2015 16:01

Imagine if you chose another a school and then they updated the toilets over the summer to include noisy hand driers?

Original poster

starpatch · 25/12/2015 17:51

thanks thats really helpful I think your right didn't actually check for hand driers in all the possible schools!

OP posts:

threelittlerapscallions · 25/12/2015 17:54

DD1 got over the hand dryer fear around her 4th birthday when she saw others her age were not worried about them. DD2 is nearly three and still doesnt like them being turned on and her sister does it to annoy her.

MajesticWhine · 25/12/2015 17:59

DD was terrified of hand driers but she was over it by the time she was about 5. Being at a school with really noisy driers helped with this. You shouldn't choose a school on this basis.

Crusoe · 25/12/2015 18:34

My son had a big fear of hand driers that lasted until he was about 5. It was largely the Dyson ones. Good headphones helped but what cracked it in the end was a social story I wrote about hand driers.
Strangely enough he wasn't too bad with the school driers as they weren't too noisy. I would expect a good nurturing school to help with the issue anyway.

RabbitDeNiro · 26/12/2015 21:40

My almost 5 year old is still terrified of hand dryers. He bursts into tears and starts shaking, he refuses to go anywhere near a toilet when we're out.
He started school in September and I mentioned his fear to the teacher as I saw the toilets had them in. I was really worried he wouldn't be able to go to the toilet all day but for some reason he's actually not that bothered by the school one; he won't use it himself, but has no problem being near it when his friends use it.

Rowgtfc72 · 26/12/2015 22:32

Around 4. We just learnt to sing very loudly till they stopped.

Sausagepickle123 · 27/12/2015 15:54

This happened to us - DS terrified of dryers and school had Dyson ones. He had a meltdown in the first week of reception because of them. The teacher and TA trooped the whole class to the loo before lunch to wash hands (and go if needed) and so they ended up just letting him go in first so that he could be out again before anyone got to the dryers. Eventually he got used to it - now (at 6) he still won't use one but will tolerate the noise. Good
Luck!

VintageDresses · 27/12/2015 15:57

Ds1 wet himself every single day at the school nursery because he refused to use the toilet with its noisy extractor fan. It passed by the time he started reception though.

defineme · 27/12/2015 15:57

Ds1 had this age 2-4. I used to take an 'out of order' note and stick it on the one in ourlocal park toilet when we went in. He just grew out of it. School will help him through it. Don't worry.

StickyProblem · 27/12/2015 15:59

My DD was funny about them till 7 or 8 but did grow out of it completely.

Bounced · 27/12/2015 16:04

Dd1 was like this and still winces and moves fast away from the Dyson ones if someone uses them. She's 7.

I talked to her (before we went in to public toilets) about how there might be hand dryers, we wouldn't use them, someone else might and she could cuddle me and put her hands over her ears. At nursery they just switched them off at the mains for her (lovely place!) and had paper towels. In YR she went to the toilet when no-one else was there if she could and otherwise just escaped as quickly as possible if they went on.

Flip