How to treat a child's fright: recommendations of a psychologist

Fear is one of the protective reactions of the human body, due to the instinct of self—preservation. It occurs as a result of a collision with danger and can cause a reflex reaction called fright. However, in relation to children, this term has a slightly different meaning. Fright in a child is a condition that is characterized by characteristic symptoms, is associated with stress experienced and can have consequences for the child's psyche. 

How to cure a child's fright, what to do to parents, and what not to do — read our article. Fright in a child: consequences

The nervous system of young children is not yet mature enough to withstand shocks from the outside world.

In situations where an adult can only cry out "Oh!", the baby is really scared.

The consequences of such a fright are of a different nature — from the lungs, which will pass quickly:sudden crying, hysteria;

• restless behavior;
• excessive activity;
• numbness.

... to the middleweights, which will have to fight:violation of appetite;

• nightmares, insomnia, waking up in the middle of the night;
• fear of darkness, confined spaces, loud noises, etc.

... and up to severe ones that need to be treated by doctors:enuresis;

• neurosis;
• nervous tics;
• stuttering;
• limb tremor;
• anxiety disorder.

Learn how to raise a child so that his writing is formed correctly and is ready for various stresses - at Dmitry Karpachev's transplant-free online master class "What every parent should know". 

Causes of fright in childrenBecause of the difference in life experience, adults and children are afraid of different things.

For example, if for us the screeching of brakes is a harbinger of an accident, then for a child it is only a loud sound. In such a situation, an adult will tense up, look around, try to go to a safe place. And the kid will show maximum curiosity and look in the direction of the sound source.

At the same time, absolutely trivial things can scare children. For example, a pigeon flying overhead or a clown on a holiday.

What else can frighten a child:Loud sounds that arose abruptly: a working hammer drill, a scream, a rumble of thunder, a dog barking.

2. Scary pictures, exotic animals, people with unusual appearance.
3. Doctors and medical procedures if the child has a negative experience.
4. Stressful situations: moving, separation from parents.
5. Emergencies: an animal bite, a fall from a slide or bicycle, physical violence.

Also read: Is it possible for parents to swear in the presence of childrenWhat does a frightened child feel

Immediately after a severe fright, the baby is under stress.

His natural impulse is to snuggle up to his mother as soon as possible or go home to a comfortable environment. Some children then sleep soundly for a long time — this is how the nervous system is restored from a sudden overload. 

Child's fright: what to do? It is very important in the first minutes after that to calm down, hug the baby, talk to him in a quiet, affectionate voice. Now he is in dire need of maternal warmth and tranquility.

The consequences of fright may not appear immediately. Even if the baby stopped crying and returned to the game, it does not mean that everything is in the past. The fact is that the emotional background of children under 5 years old is so unstable that memories of fright can themselves cause severe stress. This is how fears, phobias, and neuroses are formed, which sometimes last for years.

How parents feelThe first emotion faced by the mother of a frightened child is confusion.

In the first seconds, it may be difficult for her to orient herself and determine the so-called "amount of damage". Therefore, in such a situation, you can understand the confusion or delayed reaction to the source of stress in the child.

After a minute, it comes to an understanding that the baby was very scared. And here it is already important to behave correctly:try to calm the child with words;

• tactile support — hug, caress, kiss;
• switch his attention to something neutral (give a toy);
• leave the place where it happened;
• at home, observe the condition of the crumbs;
• be prepared for the consequences of fright.

Not all parents are aware of the degree of influence of stress on the child's psyche. Therefore, some may deny the presence of fright, while others may associate with it any violations in the behavior or well—being of the baby. Still, it is better to stick to the golden mean: not to ignore what happened, but also not to write off all the problems as fright. 

Also important: do not shout at a frightened child;

• don't shame him, don't make him calm down;
• do not engage in active games immediately after a stressful situation.

Learn how to raise a child so as not to harm his psyche - at Dmitry Karpachev's transplant-free online master class "What every parent should know".Right now, click on the "Register" button and get a gift.

Is it possible to cure a child's fright on their own

The topic of the use of esoteric rituals is ambiguous.

On the one hand, adults can believe in anything. And on the other hand, taking a child who was very scared to a stranger is not a good idea. Moreover, the ritual itself can also scare the baby. The problem will not only not be solved, but will also worsen.

Nevertheless, ask any grandmother how to cure a child of fright, and you will get an unambiguous answer — pour it on wax, roll out eggs, and so on. Surely you will hear examples of successful getting rid of the consequences of fright with the help of conspiracies. There is a simple explanation for this: the mother leads the child to treat the fright, goes through the ritual and calms down: "I did everything I needed to help the child."

Her confidence in miraculous healing is so unshakable that it is transmitted to the baby. And a calm mother has a calm child. 

But it is still better not to hope for rituals, but to try to solve this problem in traditional ways.

How to cure a child's frightThe tactics of your actions depend on two factors:

The degree of fright. 

2. The age of the child.

With the correct reaction of parents, a slight fright, as well as its short-term consequences, will pass by themselves. With severe fright, which caused enuresis or nervous tic, etc., it is impossible to cope without specialists. You will need to visit a pediatrician, neurologist and psychotherapist to be diagnosed and receive a treatment plan.

With moderate cases of fright, you can try to cope on your own. But it is important to take into account the age of the child.

The baby can't analyze and discuss what happened yet. Therefore, to make sure that everything is fine with the child, a neurologist's consultation will be needed. For some time you will have to maintain a calm atmosphere in the house, abandon the usual activities, walk in quiet parks, avoid communicating with strangers. 

Wearing a sling will help to forget the stress experienced — so the baby will feel the warmth of his mother's body. You can use herbal remedies — chamomile tea, lemon balm. They have a mild sedative effect. According to the doctor's prescription, you can take a tincture of valerian root in the form of drops. 

How to treat fright in children 3-6 years old Unspoken emotions can provoke the development of neurosis.

Therefore, discuss with the child what scared him. Analyze the situation by the minute. Come back to this conversation as many times as the baby needs it.

✓ Don't make me experience fear again. For example, if the cause of the fright was a dog, then it is quite easy to avoid meeting her. But what if the child was afraid of the attending physician? Contact another specialist or postpone the visit until the condition is normalized.

✓ Play out a stressful situation with the help of toys, puppets or finger theater. The scenario should include not only the incident itself, but also the successful overcoming of the consequences. That is, it ends with something like these words: "And after that, the baby was never afraid anymore ...". 

Visualize fear in the form of a drawing or figurines made of plasticine, paper. And then burn it, throw it away. Let this ritual be the first step on the way to ridding the child of fright.

________

There is such a phrase: "What you don't understand is frightening." 

Fear of the unknown is considered the primary emotion in fright. The child is unlikely to be afraid of what he has already seen or knows about. Try to prepare him for possible stressful situations: teach him to handle animals, socialize, teach him to loud sounds. March 19, 2021 2022-11-27 2021-03-19 Rate the article on a 5-point scale Did you like the article?