Ds fear of hand dryers

[ThinkingFace]

I'm interested if anyone else's child has or has had a fear of hand dryers in toilets and how you have a addressed it?

My son is nearly 4 and gets really scared by the loud, sudden noise of hand dryers and has had full blown screaming meltdowns. He is being assessed for adhd and is also quite sensory so I wonder if this is to do with it. As we've been out and about over the summer hols, we've needed to use toilets when out and I've noticed how troubling this has become for ds. He even freaked out about a hand sanitiser dispenser because he thought it was a hand dryer.

Any thoughts on this? Thank you

My little one is also nearly four and also freaks a bit at the noise. We just avoid using them now

My 3.5 year old has similar thing. She has grown more tolerant of them - I try and describe them to her as if it’s a person, like “the hand dryer has a big loud voice but he’s a kind hand dryer and he’s quite safe, and we’ll keep our distance so we won’t hear him” - things like that. And I reassure her that she can dry her hands on my jeans so we don’t have to use the dryer. It’s been a slow process but she now quite happily uses public toilets.

The noise not child-friendly, full stop!

The problem isn't that we use them. It's that other people do when we're in a public toilet.

My DS is 3 and a half and is terrified of them. He won't even go in a public loo at the moment without screaming and having meltdowns. We have a portable wee cup thing off amazon meaning we can avoid public loos at the moment. If I'm desperate we quickly pop into the disabled loo if no one is waiting or the baby change room.

Ear defenders have been suggested but he wont wear them but in case it helps your DS?

My nephew had the same fear when he was a similar age and grew out of it at around 5years so I think it's fairly common. Especially these new ones are so loud and powerful.

It's probably the noise. My 2 year old doesn't like them either. He also doesn't like other loud noises. We have some Banz ear defenders and he knows to go and get them when the vacuum cleaner comes out at home!

My 3.5 year old daughter is terrified of them! She screams her absolute head off if I take her into a public toilet so we just don't go anymore. It genuinely sounds like I'm murdering her if I try take her into a public toilet. I'm hoping she grows out of it soon!

5yo Ds is similar. He now at least just jumps then covers ears. Weirdly, he allows DH to use one if it's him doing the taking

My little boy is 4 and he has always been frightened of them.

I'm 36 and I still use toilet roll to dry my hands!

@TheresABearOverThere same! 🤣

We don't use them at all but it's a problem for my son when other people use them in toilets. Even if we're outside of the room and he can still hear them. Happened in a museum we went to recently.

I have created a picture book for my grandson (aged 3) who is afraid of hand dryers...also got him the ear muffs

I think many young children are scared of or overwhelmed by loud blowy sounds.

When a toddler, DS2 (now 41!) used run off when I got out 'the foover' (hoover).

I feel sad thinking about it, all these years later.