My 18 mo screams and cries everytime I use the vaccuum, any suggestions??

Sharon - posted on 10/07/2010

Have you tryed doing your vaccuming while she is sleeping.

Kimberly - posted on 10/06/2010

i had the same problem. it was just too loud for her lil ears. if thats not the case i suggest buying a toy vacuum for her, that may work. also, another thing to do is get a bunch of crackers, play with her while eating them sitting on the carpet and than make it a game to clean them up. sit her on the couch with a cracker and show her what the vacuum does. that might work.

Jamie - posted on 10/05/2010

My son is 2 in a half and still has a fear of the vacuum! He is obsessed with it when its off, loves to show people where we keep it, constantly talks about it, asks where other people keep their vacuum when we go to their house. But the minute you pull it out and plug it in, he screams, even before you turn it on! I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the noise. I just sit him on the couch and tell him its okay every few minutes. It seems to be getting a bit easier! Good luck to you!

Kristi - posted on 10/05/2010

Awww... poor thing! Have you thought about getting her a little one of her own? My two year old has one with a little dustbuster thing in the middle that comes out. It makes a vacuum noise and everything. Maybe that would help her? My parents got hers at Target.

Lydia - posted on 10/05/2010

Its to aloud for baby...That fear will go away eventually . Dont force baby to like it . It actually might aggravate the situation. Try to it after baby goes to sleep.for nap time.

Vicki - posted on 10/05/2010

My Daughter does it and now i have a second child she thinks the vaccum is going to get her sister to and screams more and tries to defend her. She is still scared now but is starting to work out its ok cause her sister isnt scared so she doesnt have to be. She is starting to touch it and turn on off without screaming but does still scare her. She is ok if she realises it isnt going to hurt anyone and i usually pull the vaccum out before i vaccum so she can play with it then i use it and leave it out a bit more and she try's vaccuming and loves it she is now getting over fear much better. She is 2 and a half years old its taken time but getting there just dont force or push them to do things they dont want to cause it will not help the fear and may cause more :)

Stephanie - posted on 10/04/2010

my son still does it.its may hurt her ears, its not just a thing they do all the time yes some do get over it but some dont you might have her ears checked u never know what u might find out. my son just cant take any noises at all he hold his ears all the time

Starla - posted on 10/04/2010

Well my kids are the opposite as I have vacumned around them since they were home from the hospital. I acutally try and vacumn when they are sleeping b/c they try and helop me and get in my way! (They are 14 mo. triplets!) But I have also let them help me by holding them and encouraging them to help me hold the cord as we push it together. The idea of them having their own little vacumn is a good idea too!
Also pretending and making the noise is great as well! Good luck!

Brenna - posted on 10/04/2010

My daughter has no problem with the vaccuum when it is off and "put up" I actually leave it in her brothers room in the open. She will play with the attachments and will climb on it when it is off. The second the cord comes off the machine she starts looking for a hiding spot, then once its on she starts screaming.

I have tried to hold her while I vaccuum, and tried to let her push it. I will give the ear muffs a shot.

Tamie - posted on 10/04/2010

At Wal-Mart there is a vacuum that is for Kids named kid connection its a toy that uses batteries and it actually does suck up some chip pieces and stuff and it makes a vacuum noise but at half volume so maybe if u let your child play with that and later u 2 can vacuum together Good luck!

Lisa - posted on 10/04/2010

Both my kids hate the vacuum. I warn them beforehand that I'm going to be vacuuming and if possible, let them go outside and play for awhile or pick a time when they are outside. If they are inside, my daughter goes into our bedroom and my son just stands at the living room archway and stares. He used to scream and cry but now just stands there with huge eyes. I'm not sure why he is so scared of it because he loves being around the tractors and riding the tractors. But I just kept warning them that I was going to vacuum and he at least stopped screaming.

Maggie - posted on 10/04/2010

My second son did that. I started by telling him it would be LOUD. Then we'd make vacuum noises together so he'd know what to expect. When he started laughing about the noises I'd bring the vacuum out and make the noises while I pushed it around but still left it off. After a bit I turned the vacuum on and held him while I vacuumed. After a few times of doing this he's fine with it.

Bethany - posted on 10/02/2010

vacuums are LOUD, very LOUD. My daughter has (apparently) very sensitive hearing, and has never liked loud noises. Fortunately, I have a back-pack vacuum that is relatively quiet, compared to the drag along the floor or push along variety.

You could get her some special kids earmuffs, that she only gets to wear when you vacuum. You can buy them at kids stores, or online. I give Charlotte a ready, set, go warning that it is about to start. But if your daughter is really bothered by it, you need to work out if it's the noise, or fear of being sucked up, but I'm thinking that a quieter model would be better for you and her, and back packs don't look like they're chasing her around, either.

Amanda - posted on 10/02/2010

It goes away after time...My son use to be terrified of it and he is still scared now, but he is becoming more curious and touching it on his own. He even turned it on and off without screaming...We didn't force him to be by it at all.

Alyssa - posted on 10/02/2010

My son is 16 months and we had this problem for quite some time. The last time we vacuumed he actually stood in the room and just watched, didn't make a peep. But we did everything pretty much as Roz says. I left in a room he doesn't frequent that often, off with the cord wound up. Eventually he noticed it but didn't bother with it. I moved it to a room he passed through on a daily basis and he eventually started playing with it on his own. I waited until my husband came home and had him vacuum. He started downstairs and I coaxed my son down the stairs to it. We sat at the bottom of the stairs with a toy and watched. My husband got right up to our feet and my son was fine with it. Next time vacuuming needed to be done, I was alone. He just stood there with his toys and watched while I swept up his cereal crumbs before the ants did!

You can do some research into desensitizing if you need more advice on methods but this may be all you need! Hope things start turning around!!

Erin - posted on 10/02/2010

To be honest, my son does too. I wait to do my cleaning till hes down for a nap or the night. Maybe that will help you as well?

Roz - posted on 10/02/2010

Hi, have you tried sitting next to it with it switched off and encouraging her to sit next to you? I did that with my daughter and went through various stages. Me sitting next to it..her sitting next to it..her touching it (all with power off) then switching the power on and repeating process...It may also help if you've got a reduced power button to use that when you first switch it on. She may be less startled. My daughter can still be a bit freaked out by it if I catch her unawares but if I give her time to get used to the noise before I start hoovering she's usually ok. Hope this helps :-)