OCD/phobia of dolls in 9 year old

[shaylyn]

My 9 year old son (10 in July) told me that he wanted to tell me a secret. In tears, he told me that he could not sleep in his bed "because it's contaminated". He said that his little sister's doll had touched his bed, and the doll had contaminated the sheets.

I questioned him further, because this is a boy who was not afraid of dolls just a year ago. In fact, his sister has a doll that pretends to drink bottles and he use to give the doll bottles while holding it!

He said that dolls "freak him out now" and that he can't touch anything that dolls have touched. He said he even walks down the stairs a particular way because he knows "dolls touched the stairs and they are contaminated".

I ended up changing his sheets that evening and he did sleep on the mattress. He refused to use his blanket until it was washed, using a throw blanket from the sofa that night to stay warm.

Has anyone been through this with a child? We have not yet talked to a doctor. It just came up.

 

[abdmom]

I have a son the same age. He has a phobia of birds.

I remember being a little older than that and being afraid of puppets. People could make them move and they looked like they were alive. And then five minutes later they were lying lifeless. Creepy to me at the time.

His behaviour doesn't sound OCD to me, but I only play a doctor on the dis.

Kids that age can be creeped out by things that are associated with the opposite sex. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Wash his bedding, like you did. Vacuum the stairs. Spray the stairs with something to get rid of the doll "germs". Ask his sister to keep the dolls in her room. He will likely grow out of it. If you make a big deal out of it, it may become a big deal.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My son had a friend at that age who had the same problem with anything girl. My son has an older sister and this young boy would not come in our house. They had to play outside for a while or at his house.

His parents did end up using some techniques to get him through the situation. He had touch therapy and small doses of our daughter in their driveway, back yard etc.

He is a very normal 21 year old boy now and actually comes to our daughter for any help he needs in the female realm.

I would ask your daughter to keep her dolls away until he can work through this. Maybe stuffed animals could be used to work through it.

 

[StephMK]

Is there any chance he saw commercials for the Annabelle movie that was out recently? That was a creepy doll and may have sparked a new fear.

DS12 went through some long term anxiety about being upstairs alone. Around that age, he absolutely refused to be upstairs alone and someone had to be on the same floor for him to shower or go to bed. We did talk to the dr. about it and he went to a therapist 2x.

For him, it was getting him to think rationally what is the worst that can happen. He had to reason through it and practice it over time. He is naturally very logical so it was so odd that he became so fearful.

He is so much better now at 12. No more fears that stop him from doing things. I don't know what is was about that age but neither of my girls went through it.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I wouldn't have played up the whole germ thing with him. It seems a bit unusual to be scared of a doll's germs and not the actual doll itself. I would try to dig a bit deeper to get some answers.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would not hesitate to seek out professional help for him before it gets any worse.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I would really encourage you to seek out professional help for this little guy.

TP

 

[Christine]

Your son is at an age when weird behaviors can occur. I'm not sure what that's all about. I just know that my friend's two kids had very strong phobias at that age that they ended up outgrowing. They are both perfectly normal adults now.

That said, when her girls were going through this, my friend did seek out a child psychologist just to make sure there wasn't anything more serious going on.

I think with some kids, parts of their brains mature at different rates and they don't have the logic to cope with some of the thoughts they are having.

In general though, phobias and OCD go hand in hand with anxiety. It would probably be a good idea for you to find a child psychologist who is used to talking with kids who can help your son rationalize this in his mind. It may also make him feel better to have a neutral party to talk it out with.

 

[anniemae]

I wonder, like a pp said, if he saw a scary commercial. There are some really creepy movies coming out and I was surprised that at 8:00 last night a really scary horror movie ad came on. I turned to DH and said, "I am glad DD is in the bathroom, If she saw that commercial she would not be going to sleep for a week."

Since it is sudden behavior, I wonder if he saw something similar and got scared. Kids get scared easy and have active imaginations, but if you feel it's something more than that, it can't hurt to give the pediatrician a call.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I wouldn't change his sheets, wash his blankets.
I'd try talking to him about what brought this on and, as another poster said, get him to try thinking rationally about it. Washing his bed clothes, making the dolls stay in the room, it all just gives him and this phobia special attention.

 

[mombrontrent]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I wouldn't change his sheets, wash his blankets.
I'd try talking to him about what brought this on and, as another poster said, get him to try thinking rationally about it. Washing his bed clothes, making the dolls stay in the room, it all just gives him and this phobia special attention.

That is what I was thinking. By washing the sheets you are validating his fears and making him think that there is some truth the germs from the dolls. If this type of behaviour continued I would be worried about more severe OCD developing and would be seeking professional help before it got to serious.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Contaminated might not be germs in his mind though--it might just be that it was touched. I agree that he probably needs to see a professional but if he is OCD, this isn't something out of the ordinary. I have a friend that has an OCD son, and rational or not, his bedroom ended up with some ants or something and he just could not sleep in there any longer. They switched him to another room and she made his room into an office.

 

[puffkin]

My DS8 loves his stuffed animals, but none of them can be looking at him when he sleeps. If you walk into his room, you will see all his stuffed animals and even pictures turned to face the wall. That creeps me out more than them facing the right way, but the cat has knocked one over all ready in the middle of the night and he has woken up screaming for us to fix it before he will calm down and go to sleep.

Same DS has a very strange phobia of buttons (small shirt buttons, not the metal ones pants). Started as soon as he could talk, he would scream bloody murder if you tried to dress him in anything with a button on it. Used to have a fit when DH, who wears a dress shirt or polo to work every day would get near him. Would comment on strangers walking by if they had buttons on. We have now gotten him to the point where he is fine with buttons being near him on other people but he still won't wear them. He says they are yucky and gross as long as I can remember. I did talk to his pediatrician and we did research that it is a real phobia and he shows the classic symptoms (from age 18 months on) but as long as he functions normally she isn't real concerned.

Other than that, he is a perfectly normal 8 year old. I've basically determined that kids are weird and just hope DS doesn't choose a profession that requires a uniform with buttons.

 

[Ceila]

We all do things, at times, that make us feel better even though they don't make sense. OP, there is nothing wrong with you changing the sheets for him. That's what your little guy needed at the time, and you were able to give him comfort by doing that for him. Plus, a tired kid is even less able to deal with things, so especially since this involved sleep I think you made the right decision.

I would mention to him, though, that there really is nothing wrong with the sheets, stairs, etc., but you'll do those things for a little while if they help him feel better. And then work on helping him work through his fears. A good child psychologist has seen this kind of thing many times and can give you solid advice on helping him.

 

[kidshop]

We all do things, at times, that make us feel better even though they don't make sense. OP, there is nothing wrong with you changing the sheets for him. That's what your little guy needed at the time, and you were able to give him comfort by doing that for him. Plus, a tired kid is even less able to deal with things, so especially since this involved sleep I think you made the right decision.

I would mention to him, though, that there really is nothing wrong with the sheets, stairs, etc., but you'll do those things for a little while if they help him feel better. And then work on helping him work through his fears. A good child psychologist has seen this kind of thing many times and can give you solid advice on helping him.

I agree. Also, if you turn it to a battle of wills that he won't sleep on the sheets and you refuse to wash them...he'll win. His fear will outlast anything you have.
He can't help it, he is not choosing this behavior.

 

[sksjasams]

We all do things, at times, that make us feel better even though they don't make sense. OP, there is nothing wrong with you changing the sheets for him. That's what your little guy needed at the time, and you were able to give him comfort by doing that for him.

Exactly! He confided in you, and you did the right thing as his mom..doing what you can to try to help. He needs to know he can always come to you with whatever is bothering him. Sending hugs to your DS!

 

[barkley]

My 9 year old son (10 in July) told me that he wanted to tell me a secret. In tears, he told me that he could not sleep in his bed "because it's contaminated". He said that his little sister's doll had touched his bed, and the doll had contaminated the sheets.

I questioned him further, because this is a boy who was not afraid of dolls just a year ago. In fact, his sister has a doll that pretends to drink bottles and he use to give the doll bottles while holding it!

He said that dolls "freak him out now" and that he can't touch anything that dolls have touched. He said he even walks down the stairs a particular way because he knows "dolls touched the stairs and they are contaminated".

I ended up changing his sheets that evening and he did sleep on the mattress. He refused to use his blanket until it was washed, using a throw blanket from the sofa that night to stay warm.

Has anyone been through this with a child? We have not yet talked to a doctor. It just came up.

this may be a longshot, but since I see you're from the pacific northwest is there any chance your son has recently been given a 'lice talk' at school? there have been several publicized outbreaks on the west side of the state that the media has covered and I know my kid's school ends up doing talks with the kids every year around this time about how lice can be spread-including on stuffed animals, toys with fur/hair/cloth clothing and on bedding.

it may be something like that triggered his concern or it may be just a quirky irrational fear he's got going right now that will pass. if it is a type of ocd (speaking as someone who has minor issues with it time to time, with a son who has minor issues on-going) I want to applaud you for listening to your son and taking care of his immediate needs. ocd is irrational, and when you personally experience it you can be fully aware of the irrational nature of it-but that doesn't change the way you are physically affected. that your son told you this 'secret' shows he REALY trusts you, that you listened to him and helped him will go a long way in building what seems to be a strong relationship with him.

personally, I would ask him if he wants you to mention to his sister the issue at all-it may be that he would see it as embarrassing. I would talk to him to see what ideas he can come up with to deal with the situation, and during the course of the conversation inquire from him if he feels like this is something 'we may need some special help with'. it may be that he comes up with a simple solution that works in conjunction with him simply outgrowing it, if it continues to be worrisome or you see other issues that are concerning then by all means consider speaking to his pediatrician.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would explore the issue with him as parents and try and pinpoint the trigger for this. It may take a bit for you to fully "see" what the issue is.

As a side note, just have to bring up the "Panda illness". He has not been sick lately has he, esp. with strep? Just throwing that out there if you were not aware of it.

 

[shaylyn]

Exactly! He confided in you, and you did the right thing as his mom..doing what you can to try to help. He needs to know he can always come to you with whatever is bothering him. Sending hugs to your DS!

Thanks!

It may have been something on tv that started this. He does get easy frightened, has even been afraid of episodes of cartoons like Phineas and Ferb that were too scary.

The thing that worries me is that he is avoiding things that dolls touch, that he thinks they are "contaminated" now. Especially now that he told me he has a particular way he uses the stairs to avoid "contamination". It is completely irrational to me, but to him, it is a true fear that will bring him to tears instantly.

I will bring it up to the ped at his next visit.

 

[gwynne]

Thanks!

It may have been something on tv that started this. He does get easy frightened, has even been afraid of episodes of cartoons like Phineas and Ferb that were too scary.

The thing that worries me is that he is avoiding things that dolls touch, that he thinks they are "contaminated" now. Especially now that he told me he has a particular way he uses the stairs to avoid "contamination". It is completely irrational to me, but to him, it is a true fear that will bring him to tears instantly.

I will bring it up to the ped at his next visit.

BBM
Unless you have an appt in the next week, I think you need to call and get in soon. It sounds like he's going through a tough time. Getting a bit of help now may make a big difference.