As babies grow into toddlers, their fears and anxieties tend to grow, as well.
Why? Because they become more aware of the potential dangers in their environment. In addition, their imaginations continue to blossom, so the idea of a monster hiding under their bed doesn’t seem all that farfetched to them.
Below Are the Top 5 Tips to Help Your Toddler Manage Their Anxiety:
1. Give Your Child a Heads-Up When You Can. For example, if you go to a house with a dog and Fido is a stressor for your child, let your little one know about the dog beforehand.
2. Empower Your Kiddo. Give your child a magic word (like “shoo”) to get rid of the monsters under the bed.
3. Practice Desensitization. Psychiatrists who treat people with phobias use “desensitization techniques” to help them manage their fears.
How Do I Practice Desensitization With My Child? Slowly introduce your child to the stressor so their anxiety diminishes over time.
For example, if your child is afraid of dogs, start by walking on the opposite side of the street from a dog. When your child gets comfortable with this, they can graduate to walking past a dog on the same side of the street. The next step would be to visit a friend with a small dog, followed by a visit to a friend with a big dog. Then, as the final step, get a dog yourself (just kidding, sort of!).
4. Role-Play: Role-playing is a great way to get your point across without lecturing your child. Through role-playing, kids can work on solving their problems in a low-stress environment.
What Would That Look Like? For instance, if we continue with the dog-phobia theme, you can practice the following during role playing. Pretend you’re a dog (the sillier, the better) and crawl past your toddler. Then let them practice different ways to interact with you (aka the dog).
Sore Back Alert: I’ll bet you $100 that your child tries to ride on your back at some point during this game.
5. Model Mindfulness. Although your child is unlikely to get into the lotus position and chant “om” anytime soon, they’re always watching you for inspiration. It helps, therefore, to introduce them to tools that you might use when you’re stressed or scared. For example, model taking deep breaths, turning on peaceful music, and asking for a hug when you’re anxious.
The Bottom Line
Fears and worries are a normal part of childhood. Some kids are naturally more anxious than others because of the way they’re wired. If you feel like your child’s anxiety is worsening or that it’s preventing them from enjoying their daily life, let the doctor know and consider digging a bit deeper (possibly with the help of a child psychiatrist or psychologist) to find the root cause.
