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

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

9 month scared of the vacuum cleaner!

20 replies

StevenLeia · 17/10/2007 21:57

Help! My house is in need of more frequent hoovering! My ds is 9 months old and screams out crying when i try to hoover, and crys when i use a hand blender. The house is too small to get him out of earshot. I know im being soft and many of you may be thinking just do it anyway (like my mum suggests)(which is how ive been managing, only his fear seems to be getting worse) but i wondered if there may be a kinder way of getting him used to it. Its a bit tricky when he is only 9 months old as i cant explain anything to him or make a game of it? Does anyone else have this problem? Oh and i even have to rip tin foil without him nearby!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Tommy · 17/10/2007 22:01

my DS1 was frightened of the hoover. My answer was just not to use it anymore

but ...I would suggest that you just keep on using it if you need to and keep talking ver it to him and saying atuff like "Ooh - that's noisy isn't it? Nearly finished now" etc etc

TheYoungVisiter · 17/10/2007 22:08

My DS was scared of the hoover for a few months but he did grow out of it. My not-very-good solution was to do hoovering at the weekend when DP could take him to the park or something. I didn't mind really, it was a good excuse to explain why the house looked like a tip, better than "sorry I was watching cagney and lacey on ITV3!

BTW DS now loves the hoover and tries to help me push it around, which makes it almost as difficult to clean...

milliec · 17/10/2007 23:00

Message withdrawn

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

spookthief · 17/10/2007 23:06

Poor ds is now (as well as all the abovementioned objects) terrified of the stereo as he was mucking about with it the other day, turned the volume knob up full and then turned it on...

Problem is he can't stay away from all those lovely buttons and twiddly knobs so he's been crawling towards it sobbing quietly today. It's a love/hate thing. I've unplugged it so I'm assuming he'll realise he's safe soon.

beanstalk · 18/10/2007 10:34

My DD was exactly the same and I seem to have solved it. I did the hooverng at the weekend, DP held DD whilst I turned on the hoover on the other side of the room (i.e. not right next to her, we don't have massive rooms!). DP did lots of 'it's ok' soothing talk and cuddles whilst we both smiled like idiots to show her it was nothing to be scared of. Did this a couple of times and then her fear turned to curiosity. Now have a different problem doing the hoovering because she wants to hang on the hoover as I push it around . Haven't cracked the tin foil one though...!

SharpMolarBear · 18/10/2007 10:40

Yes DS (6 mo) is the same. I normally cuddle him as i turn it on. Sometimes he stops crying then just watches it like a hawk. I try chatting to him while i do it so he know I'm not being attacked but hope he'll grow out of it soon!

SharpMolarBear · 18/10/2007 10:40

he's grown out of the crying when an adult bloes nose / sneezes / coughs at last!

poppynic · 18/10/2007 10:45

It may be a problem now but you'll be very glad of it when he gets a bit older and is clinging to you annoyingly. When I needed a bit of space I would just go and do some hoovering which would send ds scuttling off as far away as possible . Unfortunately that stage didn't last too long, he got over it when he realised what fun it was to push the button to make the cord go in.

cornsilk · 18/10/2007 10:45

My ds was like this and still hates the sound of the hoover - he's 9 now! I warn him and shut the door. You could try showing it to him so he knows what's coming and making the noise yourself to make it a bit of fun before you switch it on. It may be that you will have to hoover when he's asleep!

Weegle · 18/10/2007 11:04

Ds was the same - he grew out of it about 13 months I think. I used to get through it by taking him for a walk in the pushchair till he fell asleep then leaving him parked in the garden whilst I hoovered. As he got older I let him play with the hoover and started hoovering with him in his highchair or somewhere high and safe, this seemed to help. We also use to say "big noise" quite loudly just before turning it on, so it didn't come as a shock so much.

witchandchips · 18/10/2007 11:18

many children that are scared of the hoover are also fascinated by it. Think it is something to do with them needing to know that they can conquer their fears and when to be careful. Think the best thing is to do is to leave it around for him to cruise round and play with. they can have great fun with the nozzle and the flex. Let him push it when the hover is off while you pretend to clean. You make the noises as well while saying things like "what a mess, this floor is really dirty"
My guess is that he will be less scared when it is actually turned on

Skimty · 18/10/2007 13:34

DS (13mths) is now very wary of 'Henry'. It's great as an impronptu stair gate when I'm at my parents. I do remember when we were selling our flat a few months ago, vacuuming frantically with him screaming under one arm!

Original poster

StevenLeia · 18/10/2007 21:02

Thanks everyone for your good ideas, its always nice to hear other mums have had some of the same little obstacles going on. Anyway we had a major breakthrough today. I waited til ds was fresh from his nap (sleeps too lightly to hoover while asleep,very small house). I sat him infront of his favouite,,,the washing machine, waited for loud spin cycle to kick in, pumped up the radio and that was it. I was like a woman possessed, flying round the lounge with the hoover! No tears from ds!. I plan on getting upstairs hoovered when my next load needs washing! Thats that solved until he can nolonger stay safely in his bouncer (not crawling yet).....i must make the most of it!

OP posts:

Heated · 18/10/2007 21:11

Had this problem with both my los - they were just about ok if with dh and in another room when I hoovered but if no dh around, then they'd follow me and the hoover around the house, crying at it. I did, for a while, hoover and cuddle dd at the same time!

They were both drawn to it and scared of it at the same time - quite comic really - but agree with pp being about them overcoming their fears.

I now can't get dd to leave the hoover alone, she's always walking off with the attachments. DS was fine once he had a walker which he used to hare round, pretending to hoover at the same time as me and finding it funny to crash into the vaccuum.

Oblomov · 18/10/2007 21:17

Ds was scared of the hoover. Now loves it and wants to hoover all the time. I only want to do it anjnually, at a push.
My sil bought her ds a toy dyson and that helped his fear. Then he hoovered at the same time.

abidabidoo · 19/10/2007 21:53

My solution is to put dd in the back pack. Bit tricky in tight spaces tho, and I have cracked her head once on a door frame when I didn't realise she'd gone to sleep and was lolling .

bozza · 19/10/2007 21:59

DD was like this. My solution was to make DH do it and I would cuddle DD while he was doing it. Downstairs could be done while she was in bed asleep, but DH would do upstairs and the stairs. She was also scared of the blender and wary of the mixer so when we were making buns we used to have to cuddle together while using the mixer. Now, at 3, she is much better but still not keen, so she sits on a bed while I hoover and when I have finished that room I close the door. She is happy with this arrangement.

pinkspottywellies · 19/10/2007 22:03

Only read OP so sorry if I'm repeating anyone but I just carried dd around whilst I was hoovering and did lots of "oooh"ing and excited sounds and made it sound really exciting!

CocoDeBearisCocoDeBear · 19/10/2007 22:10

Both my DDs are scared stiff of the hoover. I leave them both in the living room while I do the rest of the house, and if DD2 starts crying DD1 does a "funny dance" to cheer her up.

When I need to do the living room I put the DDs in their bedroom and quickly run around.

Even the cat is scared of that damn Dyson!

mylittlefreya · 20/10/2007 15:04

My dd - nearl 10 months - hates the hoover too. We now just about manage the food processer. She also dislikes street cleaning things, and noisy buses. She is not generally timid though, and loves loudish music, etc. Maybe I need to get on with it anyway - the state of my house would suggest so!

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread