Re: water playing problem

[Guest guest]

It could just be that he is 2 - but it could be a sensory thing. An

overactive fight/flight/fright response that causes him to be fearful

of things that won't hurt him. My son has loved going to those types

of parks, but it would take him an hour to finally get wet. His

response is less over the top these days, so I'm hoping this summer

will be more fun for him.

>

> my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP training. I

recently found out he loves

> playing with water and swimming. but once the water bursts out from

the ground or falls

> down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would be so scared and

refused to get wet. Is

> there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to talk to my OT yet.

>

> Thanks.

>

[Guest guest]

thank you. but could you please tell me how did you

get your son wet? just be persistent and keep him

with water? but my son will give us very clear clue

that he wants to go. if we do not listen, he will go

himself or cry. thanks.

--- <kwatsoneei@...> wrote:

> It could just be that he is 2 - but it could be a

> sensory thing. An

> overactive fight/flight/fright response that causes

> him to be fearful

> of things that won't hurt him. My son has loved

> going to those types

> of parks, but it would take him an hour to finally

> get wet. His

> response is less over the top these days, so I'm

> hoping this summer

> will be more fun for him.

>

>

> >

> > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP

> training. I

> recently found out he loves

> > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> water bursts out from

> the ground or falls

> > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would

> be so scared and

> refused to get wet. Is

> > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to

> talk to my OT yet.

> >

> > Thanks.

> >

>

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Sometimes two year olds are afraid of things for reasons we'll

probably never know. My sister used to be afraid of the toilet bowl

if it got flushed. She did not and does not have sensory issues.

It's not unusual for example for two year olds to be afraid of all

kinds of things –even showers. I used to babysit a child that was

afraid to take showers –can't remember how old she was –but I used to

work in the toy industry and it gave me the idea to make a cloudburst

or elephant (with a trunk) for the water to come out of something fun

instead- so less scary for the kids. What you are talking about is

even larger than a shower –so probably even scarier to your little

guy.

One of my friend's daughters was deathly afraid of the ocean. We all

were on vacation together in St and this was before I had kids

but who was around 3 at the time and I were very close. I

carried her as close as I could to the water and made up fun stories –

but anytime a wave crashed she screamed in panic. It took days to

get anywhere near the water –but by the end of the week I did get

to go into the ocean- she overcame. had a reason to

fear water –when she was 2 she fell into the lake in back of her

house holding her blankie. Her dad said that he saw her eyes open (under water)

and she never let go of that blankie and he within seconds pulled her

right out –but that was why she was terrified of water. Doesn't have

to be that dramatic –perhaps water got up his nose at one time –again

who knows why two year olds get scared of things at times.

Yes you can check with your OT- and it could be sensory –but there

would be more than just the one sign. So either sensory integration

dysfunction is common in many kids…or being afraid of things is a

normal thing many parents deal with. And perhaps if you are going to

read a book to your child while he takes a bath as one suggested

below –you can try the book Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights

http://www.amazon.com/Giraffe-Who-Was-Afraid-Heights/dp/0976882302

long link but read it online here

http://books.google.com/books?id=vv4CKkgvGYgC & dq=giraffe+who+was+afraid+of+heigh\

ts & pg=PP1 & ots=Ji3nrKfx-- & sig=7j6YxGJHV0jfBgXEpKMqFkQDi7c & hl=en & prev=http://www.g\

oogle.com/search%3Fsourceid%3Dnavclient%26ie%3DUTF-8%26rlz%3D1T4ADBS_enUS237US23\

8%26q%3DGiraffe%2BWho%2BWas%2BAfraid%2Bof%2BHeights%2B & sa=X & oi=print & ct=title & ca\

d=one-book-with-thumbnail

Below are a few links for the many parents that deal with fear of warer –

and then an excellent article on this by Dr. Ames " Children's Fears " :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

13-month-old is afraid of bathtub shower head

I made a huge mistake. My currious son seemed to want to know about

the shower looming overhead while he took a bath. On the well

intentioned advise of my brother, I introduced my 13 month old to the

shower. With the nozzle down low - at his level but directed away

from him - I turned on the shower while my little guy was taking a

bath. What a HUGE mistake. The water was warm but not hot, so I know

it wasn't the temperature. Panic struck, he backed himself to the

farthest corner of the tub. So I turned off the shower and replaced

it to it's normal spot. He just wanted OUT! 'IT' was still up there.

I even tried to move the shower head to outside the tub, but there's

still something UP there. And 'IT' is still around somewhere. Now

everytime he takes a bath (our only tub in the house) he'll get into

the tub, but eventually looks up. Then the panic starts again. My

once bath loving child is now begging to get out.

Hoping to eleviate his fear of the shower monster, two days ago I

tried taking a shower while holding my son. No luck. Now 'IT' was

REALLY close and just too scary. We've bathed together and that seems

to work for HIM. But not for me. It's inconventient and darn cold.

I'm just too tall to sit in the tub comfortably.

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar problem. What did you do to

reasure your child? Any suggestions? Thank you.

My son was similarly frightened by the shower head. What seemed to

have the most positive impact was the outdoor shower at swimming

pools. For some reason (other kids do it? looked like fun? not

naked?), these showers were not nearly as scary to him and were soon

downright fun. Home baths were immediately easier. Good luck! anon

My daughter went through the same thing a year ago, at age 2 1/2. To

get her back in the tub, I sat with her on my lap far away from the

tub, while my husband operated the shower. We made it very clear to

her that it could not go on while she was in the tub unless someone

pulled up on the lever. After a few demonstrations she was willing to

get into the tub, but she still talked about the shower for several

months. And she still will not take a shower, although she has

recently become interested in watching me take a shower, so she may

be coming around. Good luck!

I could have posted your message when my son was that age, and in

fact, I think I probably did. It was the same scenario, except in our

case he pulled the shower lever on himself while the tub was running,

and was rewarded with an unexpected drenching. He's never been a kid

who liked getting his head wet (hairwashing is still something he has

to steel himself for) so this was a terrible insult.

We tried everything that I'm sure will be suggested in response to

your post: fun bath toys, music in the bathroom, getting in the tub

with him, playing in the bath with no water in it, letting him hold

the shower nozzle, etc. None was a magic bullet. It took months of

patience to get him comfortable in the tub again, and I remember how

sad I was because bathtime had always been one of his favorite

activities, and mine too. It is again now, so there is hope. Here are

the things that I think were the most helpful: - getting the spray

nozzle out of the tub. Ours is one that can be hand-held if you lift

it off its holder, and we always let it dangle outside the tub during

bath time so he didn't look up at it and freak. - bathing with him --

which I always liked anyway - persistence. For a while we followed

his lead and didn't force the issue, giving baths just once or twice

a week and going weeks without a hair wash. Didn't work -- it just

gave him more opportunity to cultivate his bath phobia. What ended up

working was doing the opposite. We insisted on nightly baths, even

though they were accompanied by a lot of screaming and crying at

first. I kept them quick, tried to make them fun, talked about how he

felt before and afterwards ...that I knew it was scary for him but

that he had to get clean and he was going to be fine.

I can't remember now how long it took before he just got used to the

bath again, and stopped worrying, but it happened. We did have one

relapse when I got lax about putting the spray nozzle out of the tub

and he pulled the shower on again, but it just took a few days to get

him comfortable again. He still doesn't like the shower, but he'll

happily play in the tub for an hour or more, with or without me in

it. nelly

Maybe if you and your son could regularly ''visit'' someone while

they were taking a shower. Your son could then see that the shower

was not scary to the showeree while still getting to keep a safe

distance. My daughter never had the shower-head aversion, but I

remember my little brother having it, big screaming fits, and the

rest of the family just made a big deal of getting to take a shower

(talking about it at the dinner table, discussing how nice it felt

when we got out, using the special ''shower toys'' etc.) until his

curiosity was up. The ''big kid'' thing was encouraging, too, since

he had two older siblings. He was about two at the time. Good luck!

Mercedes

Perhaps try showing your child that he can play with the fun shower

hose? Stand outside the tub and Spray it around with him and be

silly. My daughter is scared of the shower over her head but loves

playing with hose (even spraying it over her own head) if it is the

context of play. If that doesn't work, maybe hang something friendly

like a toy on the nozzle? Maybe when he looks up and sees a toy he

won't be so scared? more shower to you......

Here is an idea you might try that worked for my daughter when she

was little. We had the showerhead ''talk'' to her when she was in the

tub. Mr. Showerhead would talk to her (in my voice down an octive)

about her day, if she had remembered to wash behind her ears, if she

liked the color blue, etc. She came to look forward to bathtime so

that she could talk to Mr Showerhead. Good luck!

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/toddler/bathing.html#13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Some toddlers become afraid of the bath. If this happens, take your

toddler's fears seriously, as they are very real to her. To help

overcome a fear of the bath you can try:

• taking a bath with your toddler

• letting her sit in the bath without water in it

• getting her to leave the bathroom before you take the plug

out, as some toddlers are afraid of getting sucked down the plug hole

• having a shower with her

• letting her sit in the baby bath in the big tub (if she still

fits). "

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/bathing_your_toddler.html/context/353

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• " First, introduce your child to some new bath toys. This can

make things interesting for him.

• Watch your child bathing or cleaning his or her favorite toy

items. This is surely going to be a major positive turn.

• You can buy or make some washcloth puppets for your kid

• Never let your child see the water go in or drain out of the

tub for this can trigger his phobia of the shower

• Do not create a fixed bathing time for your kid. Bathe your

child at different hours of the day and try to make the event more

playful and interesting.

• You can also take a bath in your kid's presence and ask

himher to help you rinse and pour water over your head

• Arrange for some special activities like watching video,

reading some book or playing. The child becomes impatient and tries

to hurry up with his bathing and cleaning process to get involved in

other activities. "

http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/phobia-of-the-shower.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" What if my child is afraid of water?

Please let us know if your child has a fear of the water and the

possible reasons for that fear. We have seasoned instructors that

work with fearful children. This is also all the more reason to take

lessons. If the fear is not addressed it may stay with a child

through adulthood. "

http://www.siltonswim.com/faq.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Children's Fears

By Louise Bates Ames

Gesell Institute of Human Development

New Haven, Conn. 06511

is afraid of water - the ocean,

lakes, even swimming pools. So what do

people do? " Throw him in and make him

swim, " says Dad. " Give him time, " says

Mom.

Jake is terrified of dogs. Again, what do

parents do? " No son of mine can get away

with that kind of babyish behavior, " says

Dad. " But he's just a little boy, " Mom

says. " He'll get over it. "

Mandy has an equally discomforting

fear: she is mortally afraid of trucks. Not

just the sight of trucks, but even the

sound of a truck going by frightens her.

" Nonsense! " says Dad. " Let's be patient, "

says Mother.

Of course it is not always Dad who

says, " Force them to face the thing they

fear. " Likewise, it is not always Mother

who says, " Give them time. " But whatever

the sex of the parent, director, or teacher

in question, there are definitely two points

of view about fear. One advises, " Force

children to face the things they fear. " The

other urges us to respect any and all fear,

giving time and a great deal of support to

help the child get over his fear. Fear of

water is one of the easiest to overcome. A

good safe rule is: Don't throw the child

into the wading pool! Most children are

fascinated by water tables and water play.

If some special child is not, your best bet

is to let him play in sand or beside the

water table, or let him play with a very

small pail of water. Little by little (often

sooner than you might expect) tiny

ventures will be followed by braver and

braver approaches. Most do eventually

overcome this fear.

Fear of Animals

Getting to feel comfortable with center

pets may take longer. Some who are

frightened by big rabbits will accept a tiny

hamster. With others, you may need to

start with a toy furry pet or even a picture

or a story about pets. Television often

helps. It is in most cases fairly easy to talk

about the dog in a TV show. This pet is

removed, not real, and cannot possibly be

harmful.

Fear of Trucks

Fire engines and trucks, which are

indeed a part of most everyday living, may

truly terrify a preschooler. Approach this

fear with extreme caution. There are some

preschoolers who can do no more than

stand on the steps or even at a window,

holding a caregiver's hand as a truck goes

by the building. Soon, most can endure a

closer approach.

Whatever it is that the individual child

may fear, whether these fears make sense

to you or not, the recipe is the same.

Respect the fear and take things very

slowly. Go back as far as you may need to

from the feared object. Then work up to a

reasonably comfortable acceptance. No

fear, no matter how senseless and

unreasonable it may seem to you, is

senseless and unreasonable to the child

who fears.

Over-withdrawal Then Over-approach

A seemingly odd phenomenon,

seldom mentioned in the literature, is one

first described by Dr. Frances Ilg of our

staff. Through years of clinical practice,

she observed that some children (once

they have apparently overcome an initial

fear) briefly go through a period of overapproach.

It is as if the thing they had

once feared suddenly exhibits a strong

fascination for them. They seem almost

forced to approach it. Such a period of

over-approach is usually short-lived, but

while it does last it should be respected, at

least as far as safety permits.

Frightened or Just Shy?

Three-year-old had been at the

child care center for a month and, except

when absolutely forced to participate, had

barely communicated with any other child.

He barely responded to the adults in

charge. In fact, there had been no spontaneous

contact with anyone or anything.

Certainly no self-initiated block play,

dressup play, imaginative doll or truck

play had been part of his actions. Was

something really wrong with ? Was

he frightened or terrified of the whole

situation? Not necessarily. may

merely have been a very slow starter, a shy

boy rather than a frightened one.

Real terror, real fear of new people

and/or new situations, as a rule, can be

quite easily recognized. Very shy preschoolers,

those who take a long time to

feel comfortable in a new situation, can

also be quite easily recognized if we are

willing to accept the fact that their shyness

is " real. "

There are many quite normal boys and

girls who are new to centers and take

weeks before they can participate freely

in anything but the most simple and

necessary routines. Such children

participate, at first, not by playing physically

or verbally - and certainly not cooperatively.

They participate by watching.

More is going on inside them than one

may realize. They are not necessarily

unhappy in their non-cooperative

observing.

Given time, nearly all will eventually

take part in normal activities. But, they

should not be pushed. Nor must they be

made to feel that there is anything wrong

or different in their slow, quiet,

somewhat solitary reaction to a situation

which may be rather overwhelming for

them. Not every preschooler is socially

inclined. Socialization takes a certain

amount of learning.

Clearly, the basic message is direct and

simple: respect every child's fears. Never

make fun of or belittle them. Do not force

any child to approach the thing he fears.

Give him time - plenty of time. Appreciate

the fact that acceptance, when it does

come, may be very indirect.

Fear has its use in most instances. It

protects us from danger. Young children

sometimes carry their fearful responses to

what the adult may consider extreme.

They may be afraid of things that do not

seem dangerous to adults. Even then,

caregivers should respect their fears. They

are real and meaningful to the child.

Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D., is the cofounder

and president of The Gesell

Institute of Human Development. She is

a psychologist and coauthor of over 25

books.

http:// www.bhsaz.com/pdfs/cf.pdf

=====

[Guest guest]

He would skirt around the outside of the water for a while, then he

began to get braver. When you are in that shooting water

environment for a while you are bound to get inadvertently squirted

whether you wanted to get wet or not. Once he got a little wet

unintentionally, he would give in and play full force in the water.

I just let him find his own way with it, even when he was running to

me to have his face wiped down with a towel everytime he got a drop

on him.

It also doesn't hurt to be dressed to get in there with him! Me

being his number-one playmate, it encouraged him, too.

> > >

> > > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP

> > training. I

> > recently found out he loves

> > > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> > water bursts out from

> > the ground or falls

> > > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would

> > be so scared and

> > refused to get wet. Is

> > > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to

> > talk to my OT yet.

> > >

> > > Thanks.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

_____________________________________________________________________

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>

[Guest guest]

Why does he have to stay? Some kids don't like water...and then they

do.

> > >

> > > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP

> > training. I

> > recently found out he loves

> > > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> > water bursts out from

> > the ground or falls

> > > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would

> > be so scared and

> > refused to get wet. Is

> > > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to

> > talk to my OT yet.

> > >

> > > Thanks.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

______________

> Be a better friend, newshound, and

> know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

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>

[Guest guest]

Oh goodness, I just caught the other part of your question. No, I

wouldn't make him stay if he clearly wanted to leave. My son never

acted like he wanted to leave - he just took his time getting into

the water.

> > >

> > > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP

> > training. I

> > recently found out he loves

> > > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> > water bursts out from

> > the ground or falls

> > > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would

> > be so scared and

> > refused to get wet. Is

> > > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to

> > talk to my OT yet.

> > >

> > > Thanks.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

_____________________________________________________________________

_______________

> Be a better friend, newshound, and

> know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

>

[Guest guest]

my son is the same as katies.  He LOVES the water park but it

takes us a good hour before he gets comfortable enough to start

playing.

We went to Great Wolf Lodge last year and spent the first hour

just walking around the water park with him. He was clearly anxious

about the whole thing.  We didn't pressure him in any way, just let

him feel his way around. But, after that adjustment period, we couldn't

get him out!! We ended up spending about 8 hours in there. I looked

like a prune.

With , any new activity is the same thing.  Wait an hour

and then he's fine.

He's already asking for the water park in the summer!

Sandy

[ ] Re: water playing problem

Why does he have to stay? Some kids don't like water...and then they

do.

> > >

> > > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and SLP

> > training. I

> > recently found out he loves

> > > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> > water bursts out from

> > the ground or falls

> > > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he would

> > be so scared and

> > refused to get wet. Is

> > > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance to

> > talk to my OT yet.

> > >

> > > Thanks.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

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>

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[Guest guest]

My advice to you is not to force him to do anything that will upset him, I mean

it is not a life threatening situation... don't break his spirit, if for some

reason he is having anxiety about water, it is OK and let him know that you are

there for him, he will change, I am sure ...but give him time and the space he

needs in some issues!!! If the child feels safe and supported he will develop

more courage to do stuff!!! Because he will know that you understand and won't

force him!!! Otherwise he will not trust you in other things!! You know what I

mean... I have gone through changes in anxieties from my sons, and eventually

they change when they are ready... Love, Gabby. :0)

P.S. Pick your battles!!!

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

thank you for all the good advice. I guess my son's

problem is not a sensory issue. thanks.

--- sandy lehmann <mommie2chris@...> wrote:

> my son is the same as katies. & #65533;He LOVES the

water

> park but it

> takes us a good hour before he gets comfortable

> enough to start

> playing.

> We went to Great Wolf Lodge last year and spent the

> first hour

> just walking around the water park with him. He was

> clearly anxious

> about the whole thing. & #65533;We didn't pressure him

in

> any way, just let

> him feel his way around. But, after that adjustment

> period, we couldn't

> get him out!! We ended up spending about 8 hours in

> there. I looked

> like a prune.

> With , any new activity is the same

> thing. & #65533;Wait an hour

> and then he's fine.

> He's already asking for the water park in the

> summer!

> Sandy

>

>

> [ ] Re: water playing

> problem

>

>

> Why does he have to stay? Some kids don't like

> water...and then they

> do.

>

>

> > > >

> > > > my son is 2 year old and now having the OT and

> SLP

> > > training. I

> > > recently found out he loves

> > > > playing with water and swimming. but once the

> > > water bursts out from

> > > the ground or falls

> > > > down wildly like in Lego Land water park, he

> would

> > > be so scared and

> > > refused to get wet. Is

> > > > there anything wrong? I have not got a chance

> to

> > > talk to my OT yet.

> > > >

> > > > Thanks.

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________

> _________ _

> ____________ __

> > Be a better friend, newshound, and

> > know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

> http://mobile. / ;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR

> 8HDtDypao8Wcj9tA cJ

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

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> removed]

>

>

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