Is my 3 yo dd over-sensitive or is it normal to be scared by LOTS of not-very-scary things?

[peggotty]

Of course I appreciate that what's not scary to me can be to a 3 year old, but today she refused to watch Cinderella and Dumbo, two Disney films I chose deliberately as I thought they were the least scary of most of the Disney films She seems to get freaked out by some very strange things which are not frightening and wouldn't be frightening to most other children. I always comfort her when she gets scared by these things but also try to play it down iykwim, or should I try to explain things more?

Dumbo has some really horrid scenes that upset me as a child - I think the Jazz Age one Aitch mentioned was one. I don't think that DD has seen it.
She was shown Watership Down at the age of 7 at a friend's house once and was absolutely traumatised for several days afterwards. She was practically keeping an armed guard on our two bunnies for the following week and had to be distracted whenever we passed roadkill in the car, ie all the time. That film is still a Forbidden Subject in our house.
OTOH, she absolutely loved Beauty and the Beast, especially the Beast. She was very disappointed when he turned back into the prince.

Wow - my daughter (3.10) must be totally normal then! Numberjacks, Sportacus (who she now loves), Brum, handdryers (carry a bottle of that hand sanitizer gel!) Until about 2 days ago she also hated that little orange thing on RazzleDazzle and have to fast forward the roaring sphinx in Aladdin which is otherwise one of her favourite films

lol, i hate the prince too, beast much better.

Ooh, Clanger. Watership Down. brrrr

I was taken to see it at about 7 or 8 too, and I still have a phobia about the film! Even the book scares me. I've never read it, but it's on the shelves and I sort of glance past it. DH thinks it's hilarious!

Dumbo v. v. scary for a small person. Not only separation anxiety, that stuff with pink elephants on parade is very freaky...

dd is scared of the wind, and gets scared of the 'dark' when the sun goes in. She also is petrified of the numberjacks and sporticus.

She will however, hold spiders in her hand, and stroke bees as they are lovely and furry.

Completely normal peggotty.

dd2 (nearly 3 is currently very afraid of)

Night on the bare Mountain (Mussorgsky) played really quite quietly on the car radio.

My little pony tales: sister of the bride episode (bon bon falls into cake)

Goats in a field a long way away

At Abersoch jazz festival DH told me she was farting in terror at the dancing ponies during the parade.

I'm with everyone who finds Dumbo traumatic. When i was pregnant I was staying with some friends whose little dd was watching it and I had to leave the room - hormones all over the shop at mummy being locked up. I've never been able to watch it since.

And Lazytown is scary. There's definitely something not right about that Sportacus. But ds (2) loves it. He's only scared of hand dryers and the hoover.

DS1 is scared of Thomas. Thomas! he calls it his scary DVD. He is also scared of the Numberjacks but insists on watching it, then he runs out of the room screeming'spooky spoon spooky spoon' and he is scared of the singing puppet in the Teletubies, and of Swiper in Dora. We watch too much telly.

He started to be scared of planes flying over the house, we are going on a long flight to Canada later this summer so that's great timing. He is also scared of men with beards.

god, forgot men with beards, another favourite

I have remembered another one. Things coming out of things. If something were to come out of say an egg, or a hole in a tree or a box in an even slightly non jolly fashion then that is super freaking scary.

I agree Dumbo and Cinderella are both potentially very scary for a 3yo. Ds still can't watch Disney films and he's nearly five - losing a parent is a common theme (someone put the Lion King on at a playdate and he HOWLED). My 3yo niece is made of much sterner stuff!