Recently my 3 year old daughter does not want to go on the lawn because of "poop". We're not quite sure what triggered her fear, but we are concerned that it may turn into a phobia, or is this a normal toddler fear that will go away? Any suggestions on how to help her overcome this would be great. We certainly don't want to make it worse, or make a minor fear turn into a phobia. My husband and I are definitely not phobic about getting our feet dirty, we feel children need to play freely and worry about clean up later.
Thanks for your help!
Thank you all for your great suggestions. A couple nights ago when we got home, strait from the car I went onto the lawn and started running around. I encouraged her to join me and she did, then she got skittish and went to the driveway. I then noticed a yellow piece of grass and bent down and made a big deal out of it. That piqued her interest and then we spent the next 10 minutes looking for treasures in the grass. She found leaves, sticks, trash, all sorts of neat stuff. We later went back outside and played on the lawn for a long time. She even took her shoes off. I told her falling on the grass was much better than falling on the concrete (which she had to test), and she has had no issues since. I appreciate all you insights, it helped know how to address the issue and the "poop" issue never came up again!
How about picking out a specific area of grass and doing a "poop-walk" with her? Maybe take a 10' x 10' area and walk it up and down checking to make sure that it's clean. It would be a way to get her started back on the grass.
Good luck!
Personally, I don't blame her.. :) In San Francisco where dogs are allowed in all parks.. there IS too much poop everywhere...
I fear walking in it myself... as it's everywhere in the city...
However... I still take my child to the park and unfortunately he has walked in poop......... in which case, we now ALWAYS have an extra pair of shoes and socks in the car and we always have wet wipes nearby... so that IF he does get dirty, we can more readily wipe him clean (at least until we get home) By doing this, it has helped him not mind so much about getting dirty... Although, if he does, he wants a bath asap upon returning home.
I think it's kind of cute and funny and she will outgrow it. My youngest had all kinds of fears, and he's outgrown them all.
I agree that it's a normal fear that will go away. I remember one of my children had a brief fear of walking on grass, but never articulated the reason.
I'd suggest simply enjoying the grass yourself in her presence. She will come around eventually. Also, tell her, as you told us: Don't worry, if we get dirty, we're washable! But no need to press the point.
It's funny, because I share the attitude of you and your husband. I was raised to explore and get dirty and then wash. My husband is the polar opposite. He freaks out if they touch the ground outside or if they touch the floor inside. Compromising on this issue has been fun :-)
Cheers,
L.
One "tricky" way would be for you to play ball together. She can be on the sidewalk/path, you in the grass. Don't roll the ball all the way to her, and let her come get it when it's on the grass. She may be engrossed in the game and just go running for the ball without thinking about it. Sometimes, just relaxing and not thinking about what you are doing is a good way to overcome a situation.
Hi J.,
There are two ways you can go. The first is to put her favorite toy or a few toys in the middle of the lawn. If she wants it bad enough she will go get it. Probably tip toeing the whole way, but at least she will see she won't get poo in her feet. The second approach might seem a bit unrealistic but it worked for me with my son. For some reason my son did not like the feel of grass on his feet. So I played a small trick on him. I pretended that I feel down and needed his help. He did not hesitate. I thanked him for being such a BIG boy helping mommy and then later we talked about if the grass bothered his feet when he came to help mommy. He realized then that it didn't. Then the next day we played on the lawn. Mission accomplished. Some small white lies to help your children through a fear is OK in my book.
Good Luck,
L.
