# Why is my toddler covering her ears?



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Lately, like in the last few days or week, my DD (23 months) has been cupping her hands over her ears. It usually happens when her brother is crying or the TV is on, so at first I thought she is sensitive to the noise. But why would a sensitivity start all of the sudden? Also, she did it today while she was pooping and no loud noises around! She stood there clasping her ears as she went! Any ideas? BTW, I asked her if her ears hurt, sometimes she says "yes" sometimes "no" so not really reliable!


----------



## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Tinnitus? I have that and it sometimes is a response to noise and sometimes starts up out of the blue.


----------



## mama_ani (Aug 2, 2007)

Oh my goodness I was seriously coming to post the same thing!
DS (just turned 2 on Sunday) has been covering his ears for about a week now. It's almost when there are loud sounds but there are other times I just can't figure out why on earth he's doing it. I don't remember any of my older children doing this!


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lolar2* 
Tinnitus? I have that and it sometimes is a response to noise and sometimes starts up out of the blue.

How would that be diagnosed? Is it painful?


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama_ani* 
Oh my goodness I was seriously coming to post the same thing!
DS (just turned 2 on Sunday) has been covering his ears for about a week now. It's almost when there are loud sounds but there are other times I just can't figure out why on earth he's doing it. I don't remember any of my older children doing this!

Bizarre! Maybe it's a March baby thing, lol. Does he seem to be in pain? I can't get a straight answer out of my DD!


----------



## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Not painful at all, it's just a periodic ringing in the ears. A lot of the time I don't even notice it unless I'm thinking about it (and for some reason it seems not to have happened as much since my second pregnancy). But sometimes it can be loud, and makes one cover one's ears instinctively. I remember being three and covering and uncovering my ears to listen to how the ringing changed accordingly. It's not continuous at all, though.

It isn't really diagnosed-- you hear ringing or you don't.

ETA I do have sensitive hearing, not sure if that is related.


----------



## mama_ani (Aug 2, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bunnybee* 
Bizarre! Maybe it's a March baby thing, lol. Does he seem to be in pain? I can't get a straight answer out of my DD!

He doesn't seem in pain at all he just seems distressed by it.


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Thanks Lolar2. I think if she was in pain she wouldn't be acting like her normal happy energetic self. Myabe when she is a little older she can explain it if it's still happening. I always thought tinnitus was something musicians or people who went to lots of loud concerts got! I guess not!


----------



## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

sometimes they just do weird things because they can. My DD will randomly stick her fingers in her ears for a few days then stop and do it again a few weeks/months later. Things sound different and cool when you do it, it is a fun experiment.


----------



## jamiew (Oct 3, 2007)

Things sound really weird and different when you cup your hands over your ears. Perhaps she's just "listening to the ocean" or something like that.


----------



## parkermgg (Oct 6, 2004)

My 3yo covers her ears when she's scared. If she expects something to be loud she does it which makes since, but also if she's trying to hide or expects something to hurt.


----------



## onyxravnos (Dec 30, 2006)

my ds does this a alot. for him it seems to be a tired /stressed / sensitive thing







:


----------



## cyndimo (Jul 20, 2005)

My DS (2.5yo) started doing this a few months ago when he got his first ear infection. After it was treated, he continued covering his ears - as others have said, mostly in stress type situations or when there's a loud noise. (I felt terrible that he did it when I would cough with my cold this winter!)
We had his ears checked a few times since then without a recurrence of the infection.
We wondered if maybe it was just "habit" after the infection? My mom thought it was a way to get attention? (I more or less discounted this one.)
I'm not sure! It sounds like it might be more of a trend than I thought!
Good luck, in any case,
Cyndi


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *parkermgg* 
My 3yo covers her ears when she's scared. If she expects something to be loud she does it which makes since, but also if she's trying to hide or expects something to hurt.

You know, that one makes sense too. She has covered her ears after she builds a tower with her blocks and sees it teetering, knowing it's going to fall and make a loud crash! And as for expecting something to hurt, I hope that's not it since she did it during a poop!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cyndimo* 
My DS (2.5yo) started doing this a few months ago when he got his first ear infection. After it was treated, he continued covering his ears - as others have said, mostly in stress type situations or when there's a loud noise. It sounds like it might be more of a trend than I thought!
Good luck, in any case,
Cyndi

Thank you. I hope she didn't have an ear infection. i would know right? She did have a couple colds recently but not even bad ones.


----------



## dove (Jun 13, 2005)

ds started doing this around 1.5 years. i'm sensitive to noise, so i just figured he is, also (noticed he does it when he picks up on things that bug me, too - often just lots of low-level noise that doesn't seem to bother other people). i am glad he has found a way to cope with the stimuli.

now that he is 3, he has found words for it and will often say "too loud!!!" as he claps his hands over his ears. if i listen closely, i can tell what is bugging him (sometimes it is something like the dishwasher running downstairs that has finally gotten to him...it's not always totally apparent what it is)


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

Wow, maybe it's a combo of all these things. DD also has very good hearing, so maybe she is senstive but this ear covering just started a few days ago. But I am always amazed when I hear her say "firetruck" or "airplane" when we're indoors and sure enough if I listen intently I hear a siren in the distance or an airplane overhead!


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Bunnybee* 
. But why would a sensitivity start all of the sudden?

Because as the brain becomes better differentiated, the child can better tell which stimuli are bothering them. Toddlers don't have a great sense of where something hurts (or even how badly) - that's one of the reasons they check in with you when they hurt themselves.

My suspicion is that she did it once or twice around loud noises/surprises, and then found out that things sounded weird/interesting. She might have done it while pooping in anticipation of the flush of the toilet. That always bothered my kids!


----------



## want2bmoms (Feb 8, 2008)

Quote:

dove ------ ds started doing this around 1.5 years. i'm sensitive to noise, so i just figured he is, also (noticed he does it when he picks up on things that bug me, too - often just lots of low-level noise that doesn't seem to bother other people). i am glad he has found a way to cope with the stimuli.

now that he is 3, he has found words for it and will often say "too loud!!!" as he claps his hands over his ears. if i listen closely, i can tell what is bugging him (sometimes it is something like the dishwasher running downstairs that has finally gotten to him...it's not always totally apparent what it is)

(For the record, I'm a march baby, but a little past the "baby" stage lol)

On occasion, I know I have had to do that, I think it has to do sensory/auditory processing disorder for me. I think sometimes the quantity of sounds becomes overwhelming. Also, does she hear a ringing in her ears? I know that can drive anyone crazy, but necessarily _hurt_. Maybe with the pooping, when she strains, it makes a "buzzing" sound in her head???

My DP laughs at me when I stand in the middle of a room with a look of distress because I can't figure out what it is... She is the one who noticed me having the issue ( I had some pretty traumatic events as a child and it took me a while to heal enough to be in touch with my body). Anyways, I'll be sitting there freaking out, and she'll go turn off... whatever... and walk over and ask if that's better. It may help her, when you see that happen, to turn off everything you can, to make the one sound you can't stop (baby crying, ie) but identifyable and less overwhelming.
Occasionally, I'll just have to cover my ears and go away too.


----------



## Bunnybee (Jan 16, 2007)

nak

just wanted to say thx for all the resposes


----------



## lisarussell (Jan 24, 2005)

I think it's probably just because she doesn't want to hear the loud noises. Covering the ears muffles the sound. I cover my ears sometimes. I don't think it's cause for alarm.


----------



## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

My DD started this in the last few months and it seems to be a phase. She complains that things are too loud when they're really just a normal volume (like me whisking an egg in a bowl). I think she's just more _aware_ of specific sounds, not that they are too loud of her and cause pain. They could be irritating to her, though.

I always acknowledge her fear or discomfort, and tell her that she can cover her ears or go to another room until I'm done.

I'm not worried about it. I think as she gets used to specific noises and being able to identify them, she'll stop covering her ears.


----------



## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

I worked with a kiddie once who covered his ears at 'random' times. Turned out they weren't random, I just had to train myself to listen for whatever noises were bothering. He hated a few specific sounds: heavy rain or thunder, the gurgling noise made by the kindergarten taps when they had air caught in them, and the whooshing sound hot air balloons made when someone pressed the flame button (er, or whatever it's called!).

He got over it eventually...


----------

