All of us experience fear at some point or other in our lives. Children are no different. They too experience different states of fear and anxiety from the time they are born and as the child grows, the things or people he fears may change. Anxiety can be described as “fear without a face” or anticipatory fear. It is closely related to fear and is also a common problem in young kids. The child can feel nervous, shy, tense, worried or cautious in certain uncomfortable situations, which characterizes anxiety.

The various fears that children face at different stages are characterised as:

Fears faced by infants:

• Sudden movements or loud noises
• New people or strangers
• Changes occurring in the house
• Separation

Fears faced at the preschool years:

• Darkness
• Animals like dogs
• Ghosts and monsters
• Face masks
• Noises at the night time

• Fear of getting rejected or failed
• Death, shots, doctors, illness, or injury
• TV shows and news that is scary
• Angry teachers
• Being alone in home
• Natural disasters and storms
• Spiders and snakes

Researches have shown that around the world, 1 out of every 10 children suffers from anxiety disorder. This is primarily because they are not well equipped with resources to tackle their own feelings and also they lack worldly experience unlike adults. Anxiety disorder is not necessarily inherited from the family. Thus here are a few answers to some of very serious questions that parents get in their mind when they find their child in a constant fear of something as they can help the parents to get their child relieved from that disorder:

What are the fear symptoms that are affecting the social, personal and academic behaviour of your child?

If you are able to recognise the fears that your child is going through and the symptoms of it, then adjustments from your side can be done easily that will prevent the further development of any serious causes for your concern.

Is it true that your child’s behaviour and fears are same as that of yours when you were a child?

Well, it is a good news for you if the answer to this question is yes as all the fears that your child is facing similar to that of yours will vanish on their own, but still you need to pay attention on it as a little ignorance can allow some fears such as fear of darkness, noises, etc. to grow more and cause great problems to you and your child.

Does it seem to you that there is some serious problem and your child’s fear is unreasonable when compared to the situation’s reality?

If this is a case, then you should immediately consult a doctor or a psychiatrist or a psychologist or a counsellor to relieve your child and at your end you should try to identify patterns associated with your child’s fear. These patterns if found can help you to take a good step towards the good of your child and if not, then your child continues to suffer till the time you find a solution to his problem.

Most often, children tend to tell their parents how they feel. All they need is a comforting hand to soothe them. If the parents lend a careful ear to what the child is trying to say, the child feels loved and accepted. If the parents don’t pay attention to the child’s emotions, he/she may abandon expressing them and start developing health problems. Thus here are a few advices for all parents that can help them to take their child out from any kind of fear. They are:

• Talk to your child about his fear and help him to know the real cause behind them. He will understand yours words easily and his fear will be resolved soon.  
• Do not force your child to forget about his fears of monsters and ghosts. In fact be with him and show him that such things don’t exist. You need to stay with your child at this time so that he understands your words well and feels safe with your supporting hands around him.  
• You should also not encourage your child’s fears. If your child has a phobia of something, then you should not take him away from that thing all the time as this will teach your child that such a thing is to be feared of and so this will never resolve his problem of fear and will grow it more.  
• Teach your child as to rate his fear on a scale of 1 to 10 as this will reduce the intensity of his fear in his mind slowly.

Thus these were a few points that teach parents about the types of fears children face in their early ages and the steps that parents should take at their end to resolve the fears of their babies.