2 Year Old Starting to Be Afraid of Monsters

My daughter is about the same age, and is also developing a 'fear' issue. I think that it is very normal for the age. The way that I deal with it - I try to get her over the fear by showing her that it is not scary. I will go over to the TV or toy, and 'make nice' to the toy. It is a little harder when it is on TV, as she runs out of the room crying. My advice is when possible, try showing him that it is not scary. Make it sound as though Cookie Monster is funny. Or, maybe if you buy a cookie monster toy, and cuddle it in front of him.

my little brother was terrified that elephants were going to get him. My mother fixed it by helping him determine what elephants were afraid of (mice) and then purchasing a rubber mouse to hide under his bed. Problem solved!

Go under the blanket with him and play. Keep making jokes and silly faces, and tickling and cuddling with him. Get a cookie monster stuffed animal and make him tickle your little guy, and play other silly games with him. You can even pretend to be scared, and wrestle him to the ground!

If you stay silly and cuddly, and don't take it too seriously, I bet your little one will get over it quickly. It sounds like a request for attention, more than a real fear. Your description sounds right on target- I bet he DID learn it from someone else! So you can easily make sure it doesn't become a real learned fear, by putting your own silly slant on it.

I agree with Deb I have this book in every classroom in my nursery school. Children love it at all ages. The pictures are great and the story is wonderful. Go get the book today and I am sure your little guy will love it as well.

I also have a close to that age (31 mnths) and he has started telling me that there are monsters downstairs and outside (like you I don't know where he got this from and he doesn't seem scared yet). I just told him is a regular voice that there are no monsters and let it drop. He hasn't brought it up since. However, back in the summer he was commenting on "Luke Loader" or "Eddie Execavator" going to come and get him. (There is construction work being done on a hwy near our house and you can hear the machines working all day/night.) He seems very afraid of these machines. He hasn't brought them up since the windows have been closed for winter until last night. But I have a feeling it's becasue my husband and I are having issues right now and he's becomming insecure. Again I'm casually saying they aren't going to get him, that Mommy and Daddy would never let that happen. He seemed ok with that last night, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear him say it again.

I don't know that this helps. But, I think if you just try to be as casual as you can about it and not try to chase the monsters away, he might deciede that if it doesn't bother you then it shouldn't bother him.

my daughter is 3 and she sometimes says that she is scared and will make herself "shake in fear", i dont remember when it started, but i always tell her "dont be scared...mommy's here", and that is all she needs, one day i was talking to someone and i must of said that i was scared...out of no where she was there and said mommy dont be scared im right here!! hahaha good luck

I always tell my daughter that monsters on TV aren't real, and that while they look scary, they can't do anything to her. We also told her that when we bought this house, we required the previous owners to have the house fumigated for monsters, we checked for them before we moved in, and again before she was born, so she has absolutely nothing to worry about. So far, it's working. :o)

You can also tell him that Cookie Monster is a good monster, not a bad one-the most Cookie will do is ask him if he has any cookies.

They dont understand the difference between tv and real life. Heck I know of adults that dont either. If hes afraid of the monsters on tv screen his shows so he doesnt see any.

Oh my gosh, I think I had posted this one time before but when we moved from our first house we bought a whole Monster Kit - it had a spritzer/water bottle, some monster book & stickers. We would spray our daughters room w/it every night - then w/our youngest we couldn't find the book or anything (she's almost 6 yrs younger) so we bought a spray bottle & that worked just as well.

My husband would go all around the house w/Sami just spraying away. Good luck!

For bedtime..I put a sticker on his wall and told him monsters or anything scary couldn't come to his room because Mickey was on the wall. It worked for me....

Talk him through it when he is scared. Cartoons are easy because the characters do not look like us. I would tell him that those characters are not real. Get a pad of paper and draw figures from one corner to the other. Fan the paper to make the figure move, as they used to do with cartoons (pre-computerized images). Kids are visual, It may take the edge off.

I had a similar issue with my son when he was young. What I realized is our children take our cues from us...so when he said things likes "Cookie Monster is a monster, Im scared" I would laugh and say "No silly, Cookie Monster is a CARTOON, and hes not real." I found it worked, and now as hes gotten older, Ive been able to use the same matter of fact reasoning when he is scared of other things.

Ultimately, our children trust us more than anything else, so they trust us when we tell them things...

Hope this helps.

Hi SAS, The fear of monsters is very normal at your son's age. He may want you to play along with him. You could tell him the monster is gone. This will pass. Grandma Mary

My 2 year old is also "scared" now of things she wasn't before. I hug her and reasure her she isn't scared and then usually change the topic. Redirecting her takes the attention away and she usually moves on. If she doesn't I try a goofy cmment about the topic of fear. For instance she tells me she is afraid of bears. Then Dad says he is a bear and "eats" her up. He tickles her and she laughs and then bears are fine. If he is verbal ask why it scares him. That helps too. A.

My 21 month has become scared of a lot of things now too - like the COUNT on sesame street - we try to just make light of whatever he's scared of as if - "hey the Count is no big deal" He's just counting or he's purple, he's not scary! and then we just laugh about him (the count, not our son!) and keep reassuring our son that theres nothing to be scared of.

This has happened with certain Santa items during christmas, big snoopy toys and other "big" characters - Those actually had to go "bye bye" and leave our house so my son knew they were gone...but he'll keep bringing them up over and over again too and he's say things like "big snoopy, I scared" we just keep reassuring him he has nothing to be afraid of. I guess eventually he will grow out of it and I'm sure he immitates things he see's/hears from other kids.

try 'go away big green monster" by ed emberley. so cute and fun, and it takes the monster apart and breaks it down so its not scary. also big bad bullybug by the same author. not quite a monster, good for bullying, but also breaks them down and gives courage. also, havent had the need to try it myself, but lots of people have mentioned making a "monster spray" get a spray bottle and fill with water, maybe a touch of perfume oil or something in there, then you can spray for monsters before bed.

These are some great responces, My son went through that and I told him that everything will be ok. I told him that he needs to scare the monseter away, so I tought him how to scare them away (that gave him some control) then I also tolds him "Monsters are more scared of you then you are of them, but do you know what those monsters are really scared of? Mommies and Daddies. They will not even come near our house because we are here." That seemed to help. My friend filled a squirt bottle with water labled Monster Repelant and let him squirt the repelant around his room.

Just read your sons emotinal needs, mine need hugs and mommy so I incorperated that in my monster explination, also I showed him the movie Monsters Inc where they are scared of kids more than anything else, but they have a job to do, so he got it and we have not had anymore monster issues. Just do not tell him that they do are not real and there is nothing to be afraid of, becaus right then and there he is afraid and he will not trust you if he cannot come to you because you will not believe him that they are there.

Good luck.