by Priya Kanwar

Created on: February 09, 2009

Childhood fears

Before birth, a mother's womb envelops the child, which protects it from the world outside. At birth, she finds herself in a world that is totally strange and unfamiliar to her; hence, the origin of her fears. Fear becomes an integral part of a child, as she grows up and begins to explore her surroundings and becomes overwhelmed with all the strange things, noises, people and events that are occurring in her life. Therefore, it is appropriate for a child to be fearful.

Some common childhood fears from birth to 5yrs.

Certain fears are typical at certain ages. At birth, a child is afraid of strangers holding her, as she is only familiar with the sound and smell of her mother. She might even be fearful of her own father. However, gradually she recognizes both her parents. This fear is termed stranger anxiety', which lasts until the child is about 18 months old.

At 8-9 months, the child begins to stand up and try a few steps on her own. Her fears then include falling down and separating from her mother. As she begins to walk, she understands that she can leave her mother and that her mother can leave her.

When the child is around 1 yr old, she is still fearful of separation from her parents. However, she is now trying to be independent by exploring the world around her. All objects that move and make sounds fascinate her. At this stage, children can be afraid of almost anything that appears strange to them. For e.g., animals, taking a bath, loud noises made by crackers or lightening thunder, doctor etc.

From 2yrs to 5yrs, children go through a wide range of experiences. This is the time when parents opt to put her in a day care or crche for a few hours, then comes schooling, toilet training, she may have another sibling at this time, and she learns the essential difference between boys and girls. These experiences would give seed to new fears, e.g., separation from parents, bath, bedtime, doctor, anyone who looks different from a family member, monsters and ghosts, toilet training, going to day care, getting lost, injury, loss of parent, divorce, death.

In short, fears can arise in children due to their growing independence, change in their surroundings, lack of knowledge and from the parents own fears.

Symptoms of fear and anxiety in children

It is imperative that you handle a child's normal fears correctly or they can become excessive and/ or can persist into adulthood. Children express their anxiety in many different ways: -

1. Difficulty in concentrating.

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