18m old has gone all scared

[thatsnotmymonkey]

My DS is for the most part a super happy super confident little boy. He has always been very smiley and happy, making friends, exploring, trying new things with no problem. Everyone who meets him remarks on how happy and confident he is. He is honestly a ray of sunshine!

However, today and yesterday he has become scared of what would normally be no big deal items to him. Today we were going to the car and there was a man mowing his lawn, my DS gets very tearful and clings on to me for dear life. I pick him up, comfort him, we look at the mower for a bit and I chat about it. He is then fine.
I pick him up from the CMs today and there is a big soft bear toy that has been hidden away because DS is frightened of it. Apparently he got really scared and cried when another kid brought it in the play room. So I got the bear and started to talk to it, and tickle it, and kiss it, and chat with DS with the bear and DS was OK, a bit hesitant, but I moved the bear a bit closer and he jumped out of his skin and got so scared! It was heart breaking!
What is this, why has it happened. Everything is the same, no change to routine or anything like that at all?

I am feeling quite sad about it.

Yes,unfortunately he has entered the stage of being scared of everything and anything. This is normal in children of his age. Until now he has been innocently unaware of his surroundings, and simply enjoyed them.
Now he has become aware of what is really around and will find everything new and unfamiliar frightening. Heights, animals, new people, new places, new things will all seem scary and will probably lead him to be very clingy to you.
It is just another phase, but one that might last several months.
Don't worry, he will eventually regain his confidence, but with experience and understanding of the world around him.

Thanks Ruth, it just makes me so sad. I assume I am doing the right thing, showing him that these "new" things are nothing to worry about and to comfort him and talk to him about them?

don't worry - my son had a really similar phase where he was constantly saying 'scared' and 'noise' for traffic, building work, hairdryers, washing machine and the blender! He used to get himself into a real state sometimes, and we were a bit worried, but with encouragement from us and his lovely nursery, he seems to have grown out of it (now 23 months)and is now really interested in noisy trucks and washing machine spin cycles!

Just try not to make it a big deal, and encourage him without dwelling on it too much.

Don't be sad.It's completely natural. It is natures way of protecting him from danger.
You are definitely doing the right thing in trying to show him what is not dangerous. Just remember that he cannot help being scared sometimes.