Scared of the vacuum cleaner?

My almost 3 yr old has never liked loud noises, so I've always tried to do
vacuuming and the like when she's in another room playing, or when she's at
preschool, or when she's outside with Daddy, but recently, it's turned from
"don't like the vacuum" into being actually scared of it. The first time I
saw her panic was in the store when we were shopping for a new one-it was
like she thought the turned off demo models would attack her. Now, if I even
take the vacuum out of the closet, even turned off, she goes into a panic
mode. I thought that getting her a toy one to play with might help, and her
response at the store was "Put it away, please! I don't want the vacuum. Put
it away!!"-not panic, but about the reaction you'd expect to see if you
handed someone who was scared of snakes a known harmless, not poisonous
variety.

This is literally the only fear she seems to have. She's never had problems
with monsters, ghosts, shadows, or other imaginary things, loves the
halloween displays in stores, and just plain doesn't seem scared of most
things-but my upright sends her into panic, and even the dustbuster
obviously makes her uncomfortable.

Any suggestions short of ripping out the carpet and putting in sealed
hardwood?







.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Message from LV
    ... >I was in the store getting some tubes and mentioned the Vacuum as some ... >would put it as well as the general dumping he gets even when he is not ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Scared of the vacuum cleaner?
    ... "don't like the vacuum" into being actually scared of it. ... saw her panic was in the store when we were shopping for a new one-it was ... Is it possible that it is the particular noise that the ... if ear plugs don't help ...
    (misc.kids)
  • Message from LV
    ... I was in the store getting some tubes and mentioned the Vacuum as some ... would put it as well as the general dumping he gets even when he is not ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Scared of the vacuum cleaner?
    ... at preschool, or when she's outside with Daddy, but recently, it's turned ... time I saw her panic was in the store when we were shopping for a new ... Now, if I even take the vacuum out of the closet, even turned off, she ...
    (misc.kids)
  • Re: Scared of the vacuum cleaner?
    ... preschool, or when she's outside with Daddy, but recently, it's turned from ... "don't like the vacuum" into being actually scared of it. ... saw her panic was in the store when we were shopping for a new one-it was ... i,m 11 i,m not afraid i use to run under the covers lol ...
    (misc.kids)