My Son Has Obession for Fans....?!!

Listen to Krista, if he is perfectly fine in every other developmental aspect, and if he can talk about other things, don't worry about it.

If he starts to monelouge about fans, stops talking about other things, draws fans into conversations all the time, alienates other children by talking about fans and does not notice or care that they are not interested, or begins to target and corner adults to have these conversations about fans (like holding a hostage) then call a developmental peidatirican. If that happens, you will probably notice other issues too.

M.

It means he loves fans. I'm not meaning to poke fun. "Sometimes a duck is just a duck" is one saying that I've heard. I wouldn't be concerned given that he's also OK in other ways. My grandson "obsesses" about Bak gu Gan figures. He has recently added "Hot Wheel" vehicles after years of mainly Bak gu Gan's". I don't think I spelled that correctly. My granddaughter "obsesses" about Littlest Pet Shop figures. They spend hours playing with just those particular figures. They take a few of them everywhere they go. Toddlers begin collecting along a certain interest and often continue the collections into adulthood.

It's good he isn't asking you to buy fans and is having fun with substitutes.

I'm guessing that he's talented because he can draw so well, has a wonderful imagination and learns about the different fans. He's OK!

while there is always a "chance" of some medical disorder, most likely, i love what marda says, sometimes a duck is just a duck. my son loves clocks. he doesn't take them apart and go all wierd about it, (at least, it doesn't seem "too" wierd to me), but he does love them, and there was a time in his life that he would walk into a new room and the first thing he would do would be to notice and point out every clock in the room. and my son was a talker, so we'd hear about what colors they were, what each one looked like, how they were the same or different...lol. sometimes in walmart (because we don't take him down the toy aisle very often) he will ask to go look at clocks instead. some think it's wierd, i think it's pretty darn cool that i don't have to hear whining and fits about toys each time we go there. it's his little eccentricities that make me love him. by all means keep an eye on him...but don't automatically assume there's something "wrong" with him. i think at this age they are so excited to be learning new things that it just seems so much more exciting to them than it does to us. my son's clock obsession peaked around 2 1/2- 3 years, and it lasted for a year or so. he's 3 1/2 now and he still likes them, he has a little battery operated alarm clock that he plays with sometimes, but it's not as obsessive as it once was.

My nephew Daniel, who will be 18 in October, and who is set to become a Senior this Fall, is a talented (I mean WAYYYY talented gymnast - the kid can do a back flip standing completely still), is an actor, and had a MAD FASCINATION for vacuums as a toddler. He called them "va va's" and thought they were just the neatest things to plant himself in front of at the local Target and stare at them - practically worshipping them.

My point is that this boy is now a wonderful kid with a full circle of friends, is intelligent, talented, athletic........ and he had a hero worship of vacuums when he was a kid.

Yes, fascination with mechanical things can point to certain developmental issues, but at the same time, can mean absolutely nothing. My suggestion is that you let a trained professional diagnose your child. A developmental pediatrician would be your best bet.

Meanwhile, try not to worry too much. He sounds like a great kid!

E.

This is soooo normal.

The kid across the street fell in love with garbage trucks (who knew there were so many types?), and his sister with hats. My son loved letters & jumping, one cousin liked cups and another liked intestines (seriously... guts).

Toddlers tend to latch onto something interesting to them, and it becomes their absolute joy in life. Be it dinosaurs, dolls, trucks, cups, space, dancing, spoons (yep... seen that one a lot), letters, numbers, toilets, clocks, fans, you name it and it can become a toddler-fixation. Typically lasts for about 2 years.

Obsession and becoming hyper-informed about something mechanical is a sign of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Your child sounds normal otherwise, so it's probably nothing, but there are "degrees" of autism. You could mention it to your pediatrician if you want. But if it were anything but mild, I think you would have noticed many other symptoms by now.

I

It's true that a fixation on a mechanical object is a very common Stim for kids with autism. But it's also true that any old kid can become unusually fascinated in the same way. I'd discuss it with the pediatrition, but it's likely autism would soon be evident in other ways as well.....at his age so VERY many things are simultaneously within the realm of normal, and a symptom of something else. Good Luck!

I would not worry if this is the only behavior that concerns you. My son is obsessed with bowls. It is bizarre!

Totally normal- toddlers become obsessive experts on things, but they eventually move on! For my son, it's trucks- what two-year-old know the difference b/w a backhoe and an excavator? Apparently, mine does and so do the toddlers I used to work with as a preschool psychologist.

As long as he is able to communicate about varied topics and has other interests, then don't worry about it. If he gets to a point that he cannot/will not talk about anything else and will deliberately pull a conversation off-topic to become about a fan, then talk with the pediatrician. Otherwise, take a deep breath and try to introduce other topics and interests. It will probably go away entirely on it's own, but keep an eye on him and hide the fans!

Hahaha. Your post made me chuckle! My son just turned 6 and STILL loves fans! Ever since he was a baby and watched our ceiling fan. I can't give you an answer about why our sons like them so much, but it's nice to know my son isn't alone! At least your little guy doesn't have the garage door obsession in addition to the fans.....like mine does!!! He loves watching garage doors go up and down! ?????????

My son did the same thing with vacuums. I got very good at drawing them, making them out of playdoh, finding them on the internet (his favorite was the Bissell website because they had videos). He would get a new play vacuum for each birthday/Christmas. We took trips to the vacuum stores and always had to go down the vacuum isle at every store. We would amaze people with how he knew all the brand names. We used it as a learning tool... he learned how to use the mouse on the computer by clicking on pictures on the vacuum website. He learned the letters in the names of the brands. I made a book of vacuums using store ads that had different colored vacuums and then the color word next to it so he could learn his color words and a book with numbers (5 Hoover Vacuums!). I thought it was fun and never once thought there was something wrong with him. He is now 5 1/2 and has lost his obsession with vacuums. He is a very smart and social boy. Hopefully you can also find a way to use your child's obsession as a learning tool too. Before you know it, he will be on to something else... like my son it is now Tractors!