My (Almost) One-year-old Is Afraid of the Vacuum Cleaner!

I really like Linda C's idea to be out of the house when the vacuum is used since that would mean someone else would have to do the vacuuming for me! Seriously though, I used to turn the vacuum ON near my daughters' crib because it would make them fall asleep.

It's likely that when you stopped putting her in the backback and she was closer to the floor that she noticed that when the vacuum runs over something.... it disappears!

It IS possible she dreamed of it, as another suggested, or even saw a small toy or piece of string sucked into it and is at some level afraid that can happen to her too if she gets too close to it.

I do think it's a phase, and I think you're right in letting her touch it while you hold her. I think she'll be too heavy to hold while vacuuming when she's 16, but my guess is she'll be over it before then ::smiles::

Yes this is a phase, who knows what provoked it, but it will pass. It is as likely that she had a nightmare about it as anything else, and since she can't explain it to you, you can't really do anything about it except wait for it to pass. Which it will.

In the meantime, just arrange to be out of the house with her whenever the dreaded machine is used, and she'll forget about it in a few months.

When this happened with my daughter, I bought her a kids vacuum and she vacuumed while I was vacuuming. She forgot all about being scared and was soo excited to help me.

this too shall pass. wait till she is 2 then she will be afraid of more amd more interesting things..

My daughter is currently afraid of the little green light on the smoke detectors.

she is still a bit afraid of the vacuum.. she is terrified of worms and bugs...

yep, just a phase...If you think about it from her level though... Its loud, makes the floor shake a little, and IT MOVES... ITS A MONSTER!!!!
lol
Just don't force her to try to make friends with it and if she's there when your vacuuming don't play around just get it done and put it away. When she's older she may even want to ride it like my little sister did. :-)Baby phobias tend to come and go.Its our job to put up with them till they go for good...