• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Child Anxiety & Fears

September 28, 2010 by ModernMom Staff Leave a Comment

A certain amount of child anxiety and fear is normal, even helpful. Anxiety about strangers or a fear of fire can help small children stay out of harm’s way. When anxieties and fears persist to a point that interferes with a child’s daily life, this can be problematic. An anxiety about strangers that persists can lead to social isolation when a child gets older. Your job as a parent is to help your child move beyond his anxieties and fears.

Signs to Look For

An anxious or fearful child may display certain signs, according to the Kids Health website. Clinginess, impulsive behavior and distractedness are all indicators of fear or anxiety. Some children develop twitches or tics, have problems going to sleep or staying asleep, or have sweaty hands, an accelerated heart or breathing rate, nausea, or headaches. Sometimes all it takes to alleviate some of this anxiety is to listen and talk to your child.

Typical or Problematic

It’s sometimes difficult to know whether your child is experiencing typical childhood fears or whether you should become concerned. Kids Heath gives some guidelines. For example, if your young child is afraid of the dark, that is a common fear that most kids outgrow. You shouldn’t be alarmed about that. But, if your child does not outgrow the fear or if she becomes anxious about an increasing number of things, that may signal a problem. If an anxiety is a one-time occurrence, don’t make a bigger deal out of it than it is. However, if you see a pattern of anxiety or fear, you should contact your doctor or a mental health professional, according to the Kids Health website.

Significance

It is important that you deal with anxiety disorders in your child because many adults who have psychiatric problems started developing them in childhood, according to the Keep Kids Healthy website. This website points out that anxiety disorders are the No. 1 health problem in the United States. No statistics exist as to how many children have anxiety disorders, but a consensus among doctors is that they are underreported in children.

Types of Therapy

If you decide to seek professional help for your child, cognitive behavioral therapy is a common treatment. This therapy seeks to stop the automatic fearful response and teaches specific techniques to replace the fear. Treatment can also include psychotherapy to resolve conflicts through talk therapy and behavioral therapy, which teaches relaxation techniques and desensitization.

Causes

Children can develop anxieties and fears for many reasons. It could be a learned response to a past experience, a genetic reason, a biologic reason or a medical reason. Because of the array of causes, it is best to have a doctor’s diagnosis.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ModernMom Staff

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

How to Save Your Kid from Drowning

The lifeguard moving quickly past Lindsey’s chair seemed to … [Read More...] about How to Save Your Kid from Drowning

Must Have

winter

Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

"It's beginning to look  a lot like Christmas..." The … [Read More...] about Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

Did you know?

Different Kinds of Textures for Children

Different Kinds of Textures for Children

Signs You're Having a Miscarriage

Signs You’re Having a Miscarriage

what type of vitamins help fertility

What Type of Vitamins Help Fertility?

Mild Cramping During Early Stages of Pregnancy

Academic Parental Pressure on Kids

The Effects of Academic Parental Pressure on Kids

Cover a Pork Roast

Should You Cover a Pork Roast & Add Liquid When Baking?

Does Pregnancy Cause Flu-Like Symptoms?

Does Pregnancy Cause Flu-Like Symptoms?

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2021 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.