10 Month Old TERRIFIED of Other Babies and Kids

Your description at the end about her being ok until noise reaches a certain level, perhaps it is more about the sound than the kids. Perhaps even more specifically the range of the loud sound. Little kids tend to have pretty high sounding voices and screetches which only become more so when they are louder. If her ears are very sensitive it might be painful to her. Perhaps check with her ped about any thoughts and see if they might even want to do a hearing test to see if that might shed some light.

Hi S.,

I am sorry you and your baby are going through this situation. Does your child also react negatively to other loud noises or adults with loud voices? I would observe her to see if she is having other reactions and speak to your pediatrician if it is a more widespread problem than you have noted initially. Also, did the 18 month old do anything other than be loud? I am just wondering if she is now associating "kids with loud voices" as possibly harmful...it would explain her reaction. I think you might want to expose her slowly to children you trust and who might be a little older. If the kids can help you by being quiet initially, engaging her in play slowly, and eventually helping her become comfortable it could be very beneficial. I understand that you don't want to overwhelm her and I would not suggest just throwing her in with a group of kids and letting her adjust alone. She is too small to understand such a situation. I think with support from you, trying some distraction to help her cope with the situation, and slow reintroduction to children she will do well. Please keep in mind that if you immediately remove her from all social situations with other kids she will likely develop a learned reaction and react even more quickly as her expectation will now be that you will get her out of the situation. Try to reintroduce her to other children slowly and in a controlled environment. Good luck with everything.

I don't think you should focus on other kids or babies...I think you should focus on sound. You should take your baby to the doctor and tell him/her what is going on. Kids do speak at higher tones/and sound levels and it may be that her hearing is very sensitive...or this is an indication of other hearing problems. Get her checked out as soon as possiable. Babies aren't "terrified" for no apparent reason. They don't have the emotional history etc. Good luck and best wishes.

S.,
Maybe take her to a baby lapsit story time? She's be with you and (with any luck) the kids should be fairly quiet. I'm sure this is most likely a phase and I'd bet by the time she's O., this will be behind you!

I agree with the other moms that this is probably just a stage, but I would mention it to your pediatrician. It could be a problem with her ears, or a problem with sensory processing. Again, it is probably just a stage, but worth checking out.

I've never experienced a problem like this, but I'm a big believer in trying to re-examine what it is she might be getting upset about. Could it be that she's worried that the other child might be taking your attention away? Babies can get both stranger anxiety and separation anxiety at that age. Maybe you could try leaving the room and having your spouse, a relative, or friend be with her before and when a new child is introduced. Is she exposed to kids at all, if she is, maybe something happened that scared her. If she isn't, maybe she needs to be introduced to them through play -- start with baby dolls. You could also read her books where kids are playing together and stop and talk about the pictures. IMHO, it is very important for both you and her to spend time with other families. All the best!