Toddler Anxious Behaviors

[SnazzyB]

Originally Posted by considerforamoment

Look into teaching her self-soothing skills - things she can do herself to calm herself down - like grab a special blankie, take a nap, play some nursery rhyme music that she likes, play a game on a tablet, look at books, etc.

Try to encourage independence - teach her that everyone needs private time (including you), and how to express big feelings and emotions, and also that emotions are transitory.

Teach her deep breathing skills to calm her nervous system down when needed (breathe in slowly through the nose, and exhale slowly through the mouth). You could also teach her EFT.

I personally would not cater to her insecurities by telling her every time you go to the bathroom - instead I would just say something like "sometimes mommy takes a shower, goes to the bathroom, goes outside for a minute, etc., and you are always safe." I wouldn't make it any kind of big deal.

This reminds me...

When I was little, probably about 3, I woke up one morning, and my dad was taking a shower, getting ready for work.

I went into hysterics. The concept of 'shower' was new to me, and I thought he would go down the drain. Up until that, all I knew was that people took baths. LOL

In case anyone is wondering, no, I did not see my dad naked. My mom explained what I shower was, and I got very scared and hysterical. LOL

[gentlearts]

I had 4 children and 7 grandchildren, and they go through phases. This will pass if you don’t make a big deal out of it. Reassure your daughter, but don’t go overboard with it. Encourage her to be brave. Say things like, “I went to the dentist today, and it hurt a little, but I was brave”. Catch her doing brave things…”Oh, that was nice how you played with your toys while mommy took a shower.”

I hate to compare children with dogs, but when you “oh, poor baby” a dog that is afraid of thunder, it only reinforces the fear. Same with kids.