Terrified of Automatic Flush

A friend of mine used to keep a pack of Post-its in her bag to cover up the sensor so the automatic flush wouldn't go off when her son used the bathroom. They have to be the bigger ones (2 inches square?), but I think it worked really well.

Placing a post it over the sensor helped my son a lot. It took some talking until he would really believe it wouldn't flush. You might need to actually use the toilet yourself with her there so she sees that the it won't flush until you are ready.

Most of the time, you can wrap toilet paper around the sensor and then promise not to take it off until she is out of the stall. Some of the sensors can't be covered with toilet paper. Keep a pack of sticky post it notes in your purse, then cover the sensor with one.
My daughter is the same way and these are my two "tricks" :)

I've already seen putting post-it notes over the sensor but I wanted to add my "me too".
It was the only thing that worked. I had to use the toilet a couple times myself with the post-it in place to get them to understand that it works. But it did work.
I would have them stand as far away from the toilet in the stall, behind me, before I took it off to flush it. It was the last thing we did before leaving the stall. That helped a lot as well.

sounds like others have told you about post-its. They saved us. My daughter would got so upset, working herself into a panic attack, crying "it's gonna automatic! It's gonna automatic on me!" A coworker told me about the post it's, and it was like a miracle. We could stop at rest stops again, and go to the bathroom at the mall or any store. Amazing.

My grandson is the same way...... he is 5 1/2, and is still bothered by some of those noises.

He has also been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, which can manifest in many ways in different children... but sensitivity to loud noises is one of the parts of it.

His "problem" noises were the vacuum, thunder, fireworks, stomping on the floor above them (in apartments), automatic toilets, the fan in public bathrooms, the very loud high-powered hand dryers in public bathrooms, the noise the water jets make in my bathtub (a jacuzzi style bathtub... a big problem when they lived with us... he refused to take a bath because his M. turned it on one time several years ago, thinking he would enjoy the bubbles... forgetting how noisy it was!).... things like that. He is gradually getting used to them, though.

He has also gone through OT to help with his various sensory issues, and it also helped.

Oddly enough, before his official diagnosis, when the vacuum was a problem, she got him to "help" her with it turned off, then gradually had him help with it turned on.... and now he loves to vacuum! He even has his own vacuum... his "buddy" ....... So... yes, they can get used to or desensitized to some of the sounds. He is no longer bothered by thunder or fireworks, either.

ETA - Just saw the others' responses about post-it notes - smart, smart ladies! I may just start carrying them for myself, LOL!!

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I don't like them either! When they go off and I'm not done, it makes me jump!

Can you try laughing about the sound with her? Make a big joke out of it, maybe? Once it flushes once, you can put her on the toilet, kneel in front of her and be still, and I think that it won't flush unless you move away from it. (Maybe - I STILL don't know why it flushes on me when I'm not expecting it!)

Other than this, I don't know what you can do other than wait til she's older to take her into public places with these types of toilets...

Our daughter was the same way. Remember a child's hearing is much more clear than an adults. It is loud to us, it is thunderous to her.

Also at her height, her face is closer to the toilet also.. She is getting a birds eye view of that thing sucking away all of her body waste.

I taught our daughter to "cover your ears!"

You can also cover the sensor with your hand or a paper towel if there is one. This will keep it from flushing.. That used to work for us.. Maybe a post it note? A piece of masking tape?

I promise, eventually they get used to it.. But it is a pain to deal with them all freaked out.

You know, it may just take time. I know it sounds like a step backward, but
consider offering a diaper or whatever you use for night times also for outings with loud flushers.

The post-it trick usually works. Maybe you could model that with her for a while; have her come into the stall while you use it with the post-it, so she sees that it doesn't surprise you.

It's really common for kids to be scared of the automatic flusher. This was the case for so many kids that I nannied, it really is not uncommon at all. That's why I suggested letting her use a fallback of a diaper or pull-up, and only for the loud toilet outings. One thing I did with my son was to learn which toilets on our rounds were more like a home toilet (like the one at our local supermarket) and which ones were loud, and to help him differentiate. You can also offer language around it for her ('loud flusher' 'home toilet flush/quieter flush'). Also give her a sense of control and let her press the button to flush when she's done. Once she gets past the fear of that surprise flush, it won't be such a big deal.

It's a phase. My daughter did that, too. She will eventually get past it.

First of all, be sure you check when you go in. I have found that in more recent years, many public restrooms have started to revert back to the manual flushers. :) (I just plain dislike the autoflush)

I have heard that a sticky note pad works, if you stick the paper over the sensor. I never tried it myself, but you might see if that works.

Also, you might see if she wants to TRY to make it flush. Like a game or like it's a toy. To see if she can make it do its thing. Make it fun!

Good luck. I'd love to see these things completely phased out.

You can buy a pack of kids ear plugs, they come in a tiny box and are soft like playdough. Keep them in your purse. Post it notes may work on the sensor in her stall, but if she's like my son the other toilets are flushing, the loud hand dryers are whirring and you cannot eliminate all loud sounds. He's over it now, so the phase passes!

My four year old is going through the same thing. SHe is a little better now but she would refuse to go to the bathroom if there was an automatic flusher. Her little sister has flushed the toilet with her on it at home a couple of times and I think that helped a little bit because now she knows nothing bad will happen if the toilet flushes when she is on it. I think the loud noise, water rushing under her and the suprise affect all scare them.

My 3yo has the same issue with the automatic flush. She also has issues with many new potties or any potty that isn't pristine.It can be a challenge, sometimes, to find a potty that is "just right." Getting her to use the potty on the airplane during a 4-hour flight was quite the challenge.

I'm assuming that, this too, shall pass.

I hate those automatic flushers too! If the sensor is on the back of the toilet, I hang a piece of toilet paper over it so it won't flush until I take off the paper. Sometimes the sensor is on the wall so you can carry a small roll of tape with you and tape a piece of toilet paper over it. I take off the paper after I open the stall door so I don't get wet from the flush. Hope this helps!

My 7 yr old son was also terrified at that age. In fact, to this day he will almost never use a public bathroom. My husband has had to force him to use one when it's apparent that he really has to go.