Seeking Advice for an Elevator Phobia

She needs to figure out what exactly about the elevator frightens him. Remember she needs to get on his level and look and see what he sees. She also needs to listen to the sounds and smell all odors.

Since he is close to the bottom of the door he can see through the threshold. That means he can see down the elevator shaft and that can look like a big drop. He does not have proportion understanding, so he may think he is going to fall down in there..

It is just like children who all of a sudden become afraid of the bath because of the drain.

She will need to maybe make a deal with him that she will carry him on and off.
I would take one of his empty shoes and show him there is no way for the shoe to fall in there. She could also have him hop over the threshold till he gets used to it.

The other thing is elevators do not always give a warning when the door is about to close. He may be afraid of getting hurt or stuck in the doors. Once again, your friend (may want to try this without her son), let him see what it feels like when the door closes so she can give him reassurance it will not hurt if mom holds the door.

Also have him be her big helper and push the button if no one else has pushed it yet. Good way to learn what the numbers look like.

maybe he could have a special stuffed friend that is his elevator buddy. A doll or teddy bear that he picks out to go on the elevator with. I would be sure to use a lot of talking with him. Sometimes we don't tell kids what is going to happen and that frightens him. Explain to him exactly what they are going to do. The doors of the elevator are going to open, mommy and you are going to walk past the doors and on to the elevator, then we are going to push the button to the floor we need. You can help me push number 3! then the doors are going to close and the elevator will take us up to our house! then the doors will open again and we will get off the elevator. Nothing is going to hurt us and we are not going to fall. Mommy is going to stay with you the whole time!
Tell him over and over, talk about it many times a day. Eventually he will start to not be so scared. As they face his fear together he should start to overcome it.

Is he perhaps claustrophobic? My husband won't do the enclosed MRI, I think it is ridiculous, but the tech told me it is very common.

My mom can't get on the escalator. She fell down the steps as a small child and hit her head. She was never treated because my Aunt's took care of her and they hid this from their mother. We think it is something to do with that.

He he, she takes a gazillion baby steps toward the moving step and then backs off. I can't tell you how many times I have gone all the way down and had to go back up to get her, even as a child.

My oldest did not like the sensation that he got in his stomach when the elevator started moving. DH or I would hold him on the elevator until he got used to it.

Depending on how extreme this is, it could be normal. I have a two year old son who would completely freak out, screaming and crying when the elevator doors shut. I figured out that he didn't understand why he was being trapped in this small space, he wasn't truly afraid he just didn't understand it. At two my son loved saying bye I love you to everyone and everything! So now any time we are getting on an elevator I tell him to say bye to anything outside of the elevator and then I say "door close" when its closing. He thinks it's hilarious and now enjoys getting on elevators. I also telll him which number to push for the floor and he thinks it's really fun! If the phobia isn't to extreme maybe your friend should find ways to make the ride fun for him and to distract him from the thoughts of actually being on the elevator