DD hates the vacuum cleaner

[ss_storm]

I don't need another excuse not to vacuum! Lol

She used to be fine with it, I'd just sit her in her rocker with a couple of toys and do the vacuuming while moving her around the house with me.
Now she can't even be near it when it's on or she bursts into tears and won't stop even after it is turned off. Thankfully our dog seems to have the magical effect of making her happy again because not even cuddles can console her!

What do I do? Surely it's just a phase, and it's probably the noise that is scaring her, but what can I do, I need to clean the floors! DF took her today, I did have her in her walker down the other end of the hallway where she could still see me, but as soon as I turned it on she started crying. DF had to take her outside for her to stop crying and so I could finish the rest of the house. I don't really want to have to rely on him though, he works odd hours so is usually sleeping when I'd want to vacuum. I suggested he take her outside for a walk, or just sit out in the yard but nope he wasn't too keen on that either.

Is there someway I can desensitize her or do I just have to wait it out? In the meantime what do I do, I don't want her to become hysterical everytime I vacuum!

[Junglemum]

My DD2 is the same. I have no idea why. I just turn it on for a minute when she's around to try and get her used to it and then vacuum when she is sleeping. I am sure she will get better with it over time. I hope so anyway!

[Curly]

My DS was the same and was like that for well over a year, sorry. He just kind of gradually got over it around the age of 2.5 years.

I have no suggestions other than vacuuming when she is asleep or when someone is around to take her outside. Sometimes if it was just a quick zip zap around one room I would put up with the hysteria otherwise I had to wait for DH to be at home to do the house properly. DS would panic if he saw me taking it out of the cupboard. When he was tiny it never bothered him. I think it's a fairly common thing actually, just a PITA.

[leckert]

Great It could take ages for DS (only 7.5 months) to get over the vacuum cleaner noise that'll teach me for not vacuuming the house much. DH was trying to vacuum the other day while I was at work and he was home with DS and he was hysterical. Didn't change when I got home and we tried again with me (attempting to) feeding DS.

[~Kim~]

I wish I had a magical solution but both my kids are the same...DD is still as bad as when she was little and she's nearly 4
Sadly she's the same with anything that makes noise...the hairdryer, the mixmaster, the whipper snipper, the mower...you get the picture....if we have to make a noise we say it out loud - I'm going to make a noise. When she was little sh'ed cover her ears and hide, and now we're down to just going to her room where it's the quietest...DS on the other hand can't manage that yet so there is often screaming despite my best efforts.