How are they managing with four-year-olds anxiety through lockdown? My little boy is really anxious and nervous all the time.
How old is this? We’ve been in “lockdown” for almost a year.
Its been hard on the littles forsure !
I find the both of my girls 17 and 5 have been a little on edge as well .
I find creating a safe spot has helped my 5 year old . When she’s feeling overwhelmed or upset , she goes into her play tent that has lots of stuffed animals and books . It also has fairy lights to light up the area ! It really helps to calm her down when she’s struggling . You could also make a star jar ! Which is super cheap and cute . Dollar rama Mason jar , with fairy lights in side and a bit of glitter OR a bottle of water with blue food coloring and glitter that he can shakes . It sounds silly I know , but it actually helps!
Walks! My son loves walks
Go outside, take a walk or bike ride… Go to the park. We do normal everyday things… I live in Florida and not much has changed for us… Since August life has went back to normal.
Something that helps my anxiety and depression is to get out of bed and get out and do something! Keep busy! Maybe take him outside and let him run around?
I have this with my daughter i do a 7 day roster of activities inside outside in the arvo this has helped alot
Try doing more activities with your baby. Like putting puzzles together, coloring, reading, and watching their favorite shows. Just keep their mind off all the crap that’s going on. Keep adult things adult.
I work in education and it’s really important to realize that what your energy is can be passed on to your children. It is crucial to not let everything be about the negativity and keep things as consistent and routine for your little one as you can. Children are not born with anxiety. They develop it based on their environment and if a parent struggles with anxiety, that can then be passed on to your children. Love them, nurture them and keep their life as normal as you can especially in these times.
We bought my daughter a weighted blanket. She’s still anxious but there has been a lot of improvement. When she uses it it calms her right down. We got her one off of Amazon.
Find a park that doesn’t really have many people go. The sun will kill the germs on the playground. Take him on small easy hikes. Buy a 10ft trampoline for the little one to jump if you have the room. the lock down we found a part of the beach that no one was ever at and did that. We went to a school playground that never had more then one kid there. We went back to a smi normal life after July. Playground are back to being busy with kids but we still go. Kids go to school in person. 4yo went to a preschool where kids didn’t wear a mask the adults did only inside the classroom. 5yo went to a after school program where they did the same thing. Haven’t had any issues
Do what makes you feel comfortable but I highly recommend finding a preschool and doing at least two days a week. You will see a HUGE change. My 4yo was at a private preschool 4 days a week moved her over to the school district preschool 5 days a week. She’s doing even better with the one extra day. With the private school I could pick from 2-4 days a week and full day or half day. You could probably find something like that where you live. At this age it’s extremely important for them to be around other kids. It’s important for their development!