Two year old extremely sensitive to noise

[Princess]

My little boy will turn two next week. Recently he become very sensitive to noise. He has started screaming and getting quite hysterical when I put him down for his lunchtime nap or at bedtime. I am from the Gina school of thought (no comments on that please) so have left him to cry for a while before going in. When I do go in, he calms instantly and tells me it's because "the moon is noisy" and asks if I can lie next to him. I try and avoid this at all costs but with a 4.5 month old in the house sometimes I give in because I just need everyone to sleep at the same time.

He has gone a couple of days without a nap and this has resulted in him being over tired by bedtime and waking in the middle of the night and again finding it difficult to settle and complaining about noise again.

It's heartbraking to see him so upset and sensitive about noise - don't even talk to me about fireworks, lawn mowers, motorbikes etc and i'm at a bit of a loss as to how to make it easier for him.

I am wondering if this is common around this age or whether there is something more upsetting him.?He has had a lot to deal with recently with two new houses, the arrival of his little brother and starting at nursery. If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences I'd be keen to know how you got through this stage.

[Lochie]

I am wondering if he is just becoming more aware of his ability to delay bedtime by using excuses? My 26 month old's sleep became severely disrupted after starting nursery plus we have another baby on way. Now bedtime involves a list of different excuses to keep me next to him and avoid turning the lights out - he wants more books, more water, more milk, a cuddle. I am aware these are all means of getting me to stay and get my attention. Perhaps 'the moon is noisy' is not really to do with noise but more just a way of delaying you leaving him?

Perhaps also just get his ears checked at docs in case he has an ear infection?

[Saffron]

White noise machine or soft music CD any good? Something he can press the buttons on himself to give him more control over his environment? Have him turn on the machine/CD himself, then place out of reach when you leave the room? Two is a difficult age (for him and you!), and he's had so many changes recently. Perhaps he's seeking your reassurance as a way to normalise all the recent changes. In this case, giving him some more control over his environment might be just the ticket. xx

[Saila]

Have you tried a music mobile? Consistent noise maybe easier to block out?

Did he used to use a dummy? Perhaps reintroduce as a soother just at bedtimes?

U could sit with him for a few nights until he goes to sleep and see if the phase passes. I'm a gina mum too but had to do this a few months ago when dad took to picking him up and putting in our bed when we were on holiday... Training him to need us to go to sleep *wail face*. Spent 3x days untraining him. Wasn't fun.

Good luck

[EmilyE]

Children with glue ear which can create hearing difficulties, can also, counter-intuitively, mean that they are very sensitive to loud noises.

If he sometimes fails to hear things at normal volume, but then puts his hands over his ears at loud noises it would definitely be worth getting it checked.

Not sure where the moon fits into that though!

[Fuschia]

Is it just noise ? Is he hypersensitive to anything else? Texture, moving fast in playgrounds, etc? Or hyposensitive, conversely?

[Princess]

Thanks for your responses. Lochie I do wonder if it's 'delaying' tactics but he is complaining about noise at random times during the day too. For example the tractor cutting the grass in the park when we're together etc. He's not putting his hands over his ears though.

In terms of leaving him with something to drown out any external noise. We did attempt this for a couple of nights but he was so hysterical I don't think he could hear anything!

Fuchsia, he has always been a very 'spirited' child. There's nothing else that springs to mind that upsets him but he has always been quite feisty! Do you think there could possibly be a link here?!?

[Fuschia]

Some children are hyper or hyposensitive to various forms of sensory stimulation

[Fuschia]

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist.html

My friends daughter has similar 'auditory defensiveness' though is otherwise very sensory seeking

Regardless of the cause, you may find some tips there

[BB100]

Noise sensitivity can be a sign of Aspergers. Some children are very high functioning autistics and a dislike for noise can be an early sign. It's too early to tell at this stage but it's worth keeping in mind as noise avoidance maybe the only kind solution.

[Princess]

All food for thought. Thanks. After a trip to the docs, it would seem there's nothing obviously medical wrong. So, I guess we have to ride through it and keep a close eye on it.

[Saffron]

z\What did you use to drown out external noise? If it was music, and the problem really is some kind of hypersensitivity, then adding music on top might not help (seems like it might have even made it worse).

White noise would be better. White noise doesn't drown out other noise b/c it doesn't "compete" with other noise. It works more by "cancelling" other noise. (Sorry, I don't know the techinical terms, must ask Hubby.) I've also read that for people with Aspergers or sensory processing disorders, brown noise (similar to white, but lower frequency) is more helpful. While I've seen white noise machines for sale in several different places, I've never seen a brown noise machine. I have no idea where one gets this sort of thing.

Finally -- and I do admit this is very unlikely but thought I'd mention it as it's interesting -- symptoms could also be synethsia, a perceptual peculiarity where the senses are mixed, eg seeing colours or smelling sounds. Synethsia is on an a wide continuum, and is now known to be not uncommon.

Indeed, when tested many people were shown to have very mild forms of synesthsia of which they themselves were unaware b/c the circumstances needed to disclose them were very specific. I only discovered by chance a few years ago that I have a mild synethsia. In a darkened room, when a lamp is dimmed, I experience this as a corresponding decrease in the volume of anything in the room (eg TV, conversation, etc). For me it's a simple annoyance, I can't dim the lamp and listen to a quiet conversation at the same time. For a child experiencing synesthsia, it might be confusing and upsetting, especially if there have been a lot of other recent changes in the child's life.

[hpsaucey]

I'll 'second' this one. Although there can be many reasons of course, it's worth knowing the 'markers' of things like Aspergers and keeping an eye out as they get older. These things can, oddly, creep up on you unawares!

Helen

BB100 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Noise sensitivity can be a sign of Aspergers. Some

> children are very high functioning autistics and a

> dislike for noise can be an early sign. It's too

> early to tell at this stage but it's worth keeping

> in mind as noise avoidance maybe the only kind

> solution.