A child in the first month of life sleeps quite soundly both at night and during the day: his sleep is not disturbed by loud sounds, speech, or background noise. However, from the second month of the baby’s life the situation can change dramatically. Some kids begin to be afraid of the phone ringing, flinch from the buzzing of the coffee grinder, or cry when they hear the singing of a wind-up toy. Parents, realizing that their child is afraid of loud sounds, cannot find out the reason for this and do not know what to do.

When and why does a baby's fear arise?

Fear of loud sounds manifests itself in almost all children at an early stage of their development (). A mother may notice that a two- to three-month-old baby is frightened by laughter, the hum of a working vacuum cleaner, loud conversation and other sharp sounds. The child may flinch at annoying noises or cry and become hysterical.

Why is the child still afraid (or just starting to be afraid) loud noise\sounds? Almost all infants' fears are inherent in nature itself. The exception is the fear of a specific event the baby has experienced, for example, after an unsuccessful bath. The reason for fear of loud noises is not improper upbringing child and not due to parental oversight. This is a reaction of the baby’s naturally developing nervous system. Similar fears of a child include the fear of being left without a mother, fear of strangers.

Fear of noise and sharp sounds is most often observed in children for a short time. This fear can persist for up to a year or two years. If a child continues to be afraid after this age, perhaps his nervous system has problems that require consultation with a specialist. How strongly and for how long a baby experiences a feeling of fear when making noise depends on the behavior of his parents.

What should parents do?

Mom and dad often cannot understand what to do if the baby is afraid. Some parents are capable of yelling at their child or even spanking him. However, with a baby under one year old, such behavior is not acceptable; it can only worsen the situation and turn it into a real problem for the child in the future.

To calm the baby and gradually rid him of the fear of loud sounds, parents should:

• Talk to your child more often calmly and affectionately, using constant intonation and strength of voice. It’s good if the baby can hear men’s voices: this way he will quickly learn to perceive the baritone that is unusual for him;
• upon hearing a sharp or loud sound or noise, behave as usual, do not jump up or scream, otherwise the child will consider that there is really a danger;
• sometimes play beautiful melodic music for the baby;
• Show the baby the source of the sound that frightened him. For example, consider together a humming vacuum cleaner ( we read), let him hold the ringing phone, look out the window at the honking car;
• teach your child to make different sounds: quiet and loud. Once carried away by a new activity, the baby will begin to react more calmly to external noise;
• calm and relax the baby by singing quiet songs to him;
• Do not remain absolutely silent while your child is sleeping. It is better if he falls asleep in an environment of quiet sounds: with the TV on or a calm conversation. In this case, a sudden break in the silence, for example, a doorbell, will not scare or even wake up the baby;
• When a child is constantly afraid of loud sounds, throws a tantrum every time there is a sudden noise, and has trouble calming down, he needs to be shown to a neurologist. A timely visit to this pediatric specialist will help identify disturbances in the functioning of the baby’s nervous system and find a way to calm him down. Together with a doctor's prescription, you can use daily

Children's fears and phobias are normal and an opportunity for a child to cope with problems at a certain stage of development. Almost half of children aged one and a half to five years old experience anxiety for various reasons. After six, fears of the dark, loud noises, loneliness or confined spaces usually fade into the background, but other phobias appear. If a child is afraid of loud noises, how can you help him cope with his fear? What could be causing this problem?

How newborns perceive sound

Newborn babies hear very well. Hearing begins to work in the prenatal period. The process of formation of the auditory system ends around the twentieth week of pregnancy. Already this week you can start communicating with your baby - talking about the world around him, saying how much you love him and are waiting for him, sharing your impressions. Scientists have proven that the walls of the abdomen transmit sounds with a volume of 30 decibels. The amniotic fluid slightly muffles the noise from the outside, but this does not prevent the child from not only hearing voices, but also distinguishing the timbre, mood of the speaker, and intonation. Low-frequency sounds, such as male voices, are perceived very well.

During the first days of life, a newborn's inner ear contains fluid, so he can hear almost nothing. But all systems are actively developing. Already by the fourth week of life, the baby will begin to distinguish individual sounds, and from the ninth to twelfth week he will learn to determine where they are coming from. A newborn hears equally both during sleep and during wakefulness. Children in the first months of life do not need complete silence while sleeping. This is explained by the fact that even during pregnancy they constantly heard the sound of work internal organs mothers and noises from outside.

How babies react to sounds

Newborns are quite sensitive to what is happening in the external environment. Loud and sharp noises, unexpected sounds may well cause convulsive readiness, which does not indicate the presence of any disease or other health problems. On the contrary, this situation indicates a timely and appropriate norm of hearing development. But some calm children may well not react at all even to sharp sounds. It is possible that parents begin to suspect deafness, but in fact these are simply features of the functioning of the nervous system of a particular child.

Over time, the newborn gets used to environment and stops reacting sharply to certain noises. This usually happens by one to two months. By this time, the child will demonstrate a clear reaction to the pace of speech, listen to a calm conversation, and from time to time try to find the source of the sound with his eyes. To develop a child’s hearing system, it is advisable to read him poems and children’s fairy tales, play rhythmic songs, talk to him more, share impressions about the world around him and talk about the past day.

Fear of loud noises in babies under one year old

Towards the end of the first month of life, the child will be sensitive to unpleasant and loud sounds. The baby shudders all over, may move his arms restlessly and cry. If your child has become afraid of loud noises early age, then usually this is not associated with negative experiences, but with the natural reaction of the psyche to noise. Sound is associated with danger. A baby experiences a similar feeling in the presence of strangers or when he is afraid to fall asleep without his mother. Prolonged sound causes discomfort in the hearing organs.

So, fear of loud sounds is a natural reaction of the body, a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation, which in this case makes itself felt up to 12-18 months. Over time, the child will no longer be afraid of loud noise, which is repeated and does not pose any danger. This is a phenomenon of auditory habituation.

Another interesting phenomenon can be observed already at the end of the second month of life or earlier. If a mother sings lullabies to her child, the baby will soon begin to try to imitate vowel sounds. This is directly related to auditory stimuli.

A child is afraid of loud noises at 2-3 years old

If in infants the fear of loud and unexpected sounds is associated with a natural instinct of self-preservation, then at the age of two or three years fear can appear for no reason or due to errors in upbringing. Too loud and constant noises can cause hearing loss and ear sensitivity, so the phobia is natural. This is a normal manifestation for the nervous system, which is at a certain stage of development. Usually, the fear of loud noises naturally goes away around the age of three.

Why is a child afraid of loud noises? Already at this age, the problem may be associated with an inadequate reaction of parents to the child’s actions (excessive emotionality), with fear (aggression of a dog or other animal), with undesirable consequences ( Bad mood parents after screaming, fatigue after prolonged listening to music, and so on). Phobias often appear after a specific experience, for example, a fear of water can arise after an unpleasant bath. This is also a physiological reaction of the nervous system.

Why loud noise is harmful to a child

Prolonged noise is unsafe for children. A loud sound overstrains the brain and makes it impossible for the body to coordinate its work. This affects the condition of internal organs, especially the heart and liver. The child experiences a feeling of anxiety. Other phobias also appear, he smiles less and becomes less active. Typically, such children get tired quickly because it is difficult for them to completely relax. Kids need more time for proper rest.

The main causes of fear

If a child at 8 months is afraid of loud sounds, most likely this is due to an immature nervous system. This will pass over time, but for now you need to provide comfortable conditions and a friendly atmosphere in the family. If a 5-year-old child is afraid of loud sounds, this may be due to sensitivity, hyperactivity and mild excitability of the nervous system. Such children shudder from any external influence. The cause may be diseases related to the ears. In any case, it is advisable to visit an ENT specialist to check for inflammation. This is especially true if a 3-year-old child is afraid of loud sounds after a previous illness, for example, bronchitis, otitis media or laryngitis. Hearing complications can come from influenza, meningitis and other diseases at any age, fatigue syndrome, and injuries.

Life experience as a cause of fear

Over time, the fear of noise inherent in nature may be aggravated by other reasons, such as:

1. The relatives’ reaction to the child’s actions is too emotional. Loud screams and frightened cries of a mother or grandmother can provoke stress for which the baby’s psyche is not ready.
2. Unexpected bang or explosion, firecrackers, fireworks. Some children happily forget about their experiences, while others develop persistent fear.
3. Saw an episode from a horror movie. Such films can tickle the nerves of even adults, let alone children. The baby's sleep deteriorates and persistent fear may develop.
4. Bad experience of cheating or playing with balloon. If the balloon bursts with a deafening sound, the child may begin to fear other loud pops.
5. The noise of a working hammer drill, drill or other construction tools. However, children who constantly hear such sounds usually become accustomed to them.
6. Separate Appliances They make quite unpleasant sounds. A vacuum cleaner, electric meat grinder or alarm clock can cause an adverse reaction in your baby.
7. Musical toys with loud or aggressive melodies. Educational toys should only come with calm music, so you need to choose such products more carefully.

Almost all children do not like disturbing sounds: loud voices, screams, sharp car horns, the sounds of a starting engine or motorcycle, fireworks and firecrackers, the noise of a mixer or vacuum cleaner, sharp sounds from falling objects, thunder, dog barking and the voices of other animals, the buzzing of insects, some musical toys.

Sensitive nervous system in a child

From an early age, children with a weak nervous system are overly sensitive. They easily notice changes in the mood of others and actively react to them, cannot sleep in complete darkness or in the presence of the slightest light source, and are very worried when watching cartoons or reading books. If a 5-year-old child is afraid of loud sounds, gets tired quickly, and is too emotional, then this may be due to hyperactivity and mild excitability.

Such kids need a thoughtful daily routine, feasible difficulties that will not lead to overwork, and moderate new emotions. Impressionable children usually have to be taught to overcome fear, to protect them from negative suggestions and negative self-hypnosis. If a child at 9 months is afraid of loud noises and often cries, you need to develop bedtime rituals during the day and evening. Baths with soothing mixtures are useful. In some cases, special medications are used.

Organic brain lesions

Is a 6 year old child afraid of loud noises? This may be due to negative experiences or health problems: complications, diseases or injuries of the ENT organs, organic brain damage. Neurologists claim that the latter diagnosis can be made in almost 90% of patients of different ages. But if the changes affect more than 20-25% of the brain, then signs of the disease appear.

In children, brain damage is usually associated with perinatal causes: maternal illness during pregnancy, infections, genetic predisposition, ischemia or hypoxia during childbirth, exposure to radiation or other harmful substances (tobacco, chemicals, alcohol, drugs). With complications, such disorders can develop into epilepsy, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and hydrocephalus. A characteristic symptom of these diseases in children is the fear of loud sounds.

Symptoms of organic brain damage include decreased intelligence, low immunity, memory problems, and delayed intellectual development and speech, constant weakness, dizziness, headaches, increased irritability. There may be difficulties in performing centralized movements of the eye muscles, seizures with convulsions, hearing, vision and smell impairments, and partial or complete lack of understanding of speech. Fortunately, most disorders detected at an early age can be corrected.

If a child is afraid of loud sounds, a correction program should be selected exclusively by a specialist. The most effective treatment is for disorders identified before the child enters first grade. Therapy in this case should be comprehensive. The child is recommended to visit a speech therapist and speech pathologist, study in neuroacoustic programs, in a Montessori environment. Rhythm therapy, color therapy, art therapy, sensory integration are useful.

How to deal with your fear of loud noise

How to teach a child not to be afraid of loud sounds? Parents need to show increased attention and sensitivity. Be sure to remember that up to a year, such sensitivity is not a cause for concern. To calm the baby, you can talk to him in a calm voice. It is very useful to hear dad's voice in order to get used to the unusual timbre (compared to mom).

When there is a sharp sound, you need to behave calmly, not flinch or be scared, because otherwise the child will sense danger. You can turn on soothing music (for a maximum of 30 minutes, because even calm sounds are tiring), quietly sing a lullaby, and talk calmly with the baby. If something specific scares him, then you can introduce the child to the source of the noise. Usually after this, kids stop being afraid of the phone or vacuum cleaner.

If a child is afraid of loud noises at 6 months, there is no need to create perfect silence in the house. The baby should get used to sleeping with little background noise. We are, of course, not talking about loud cleaning. But a child should not wake up from a quiet conversation or muffled TV sound. At this age, it is useful to introduce your baby to different sounds: the clicking of heels, the playing of a guitar, the jingling of keys. This has only a positive impact. Scientists have proven that children who grow up in a rich sound environment begin to speak more successfully and develop faster.

Art and fairy tale therapy

At 3 years old, a child is afraid of loud sounds, usually due to specific reasons. It is necessary to find out the sources of such a reaction and remember what could have caused it. The child could have been frightened by a dog in the yard that suddenly barked, or seen a fragment of a disaster movie where there were heart-rending screams. Adults need to take a closer look at themselves. Perhaps the child’s unfavorable reaction is caused by the fact that relatives speak in a raised voice.

Sometimes parents provoke stress in their baby by emotionally warning them of danger. In this case, out of all the many prohibitions, it is worth keeping only the most necessary ones (do not play with fire, do not put your fingers in a socket, do not open the door for strangers, do not eat with unwashed hands), because the child should not have fear of the outside world.

Children's phobias should be treated with understanding; you should absolutely not ridicule or shame the child. If something frightened the baby, you need to hug and calm him down. The child should feel the closeness of the parents and the readiness to protect him at any moment. Art and fairy tale therapy are very effective for fear of loud sounds. For example, you can invite your child to imagine himself as a wild animal and growl loudly. He will feel his energy, and the sharp sound will not cause negativity.

If a child is afraid of loud noises, what should parents do to help overcome the fear? From time to time it is worth organizing noisy games. Then the reaction to an unexpected sound will become calmer. You can play in a kind of store where candies and small toys are sold for fears. There will be a suggestion that the fear has gone away and will not return. Regardless of the results of the game, the child must be praised and emphasized that he showed himself in the most favorable way (he was not afraid of the sound, did not cry).

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion: how to help?

According to Dr. Komarovsky, the child is afraid of loud sounds due to a lack of a sense of security. For example, a child hears snoring behind the wall and imagines a scary uncle who might take him away from his parents. The situation is aggravated if the parents used to scare the baby with something similar when they behaved badly. Right Action Moms and dads - explain to the child where the noise comes from. It is important that the baby understands: he will not be offended. If a child is afraid of loud sounds, Komarovsky advises teaching him to “guide” the sound. The “louder - quieter” game helps a lot with this. A child who can already speak can be asked to say the same word one by one, first very quietly, then louder and louder.

If a child is afraid of loud noises, parents need to behave correctly so as not to worsen the phobia. You can’t laugh at the baby’s reaction or shame him. Otherwise, the child will begin to hide his fear. Parents should not give up if they cannot overcome their fear. It’s just that a particular baby may need more time for this. It is undesirable to limit your baby in every possible way from loud sounds, because a lack of life experience and communication with different people will definitely not get rid of the problem.

A huge mistake is the desire to resolve the issue in the familiar “wedge by wedge” way. If a child is afraid of loud sounds, you should not force him to go to a city festival where there will be fireworks, or children's event. Fear can only intensify, and the baby himself will withdraw into himself and temporarily stop communicating with others. There is no need to focus on the phobia. Fear should be approached without unnecessary worry. You can try to distract your baby with games, calm conversations, and listening to melodic music.

Valera Dem, Female, 2 years old

Hello, my name is Olga. Please help. I have a 2.4 year old daughter. She was always afraid of loud noises (drill, doorbell, etc.), but usually hid behind adults or, at most, did not cry for long. But a few days ago everything changed a lot. She fell asleep as usual and was almost asleep when suddenly they started drilling behind the wall. She even vomited from such fright (before that she had not vomited at all), she covered her ears with her hands and lay for about 10 minutes without moving, very tense and did not react to us, somehow we talked, took her to the bathroom, she was literally shaking there. She seemed to calm down in the warm bath and then fell asleep with her hands pressed to her ears. From the day she hears even a not loud sound, she immediately closes her ears and looks at the ceiling in fear, and when evening comes, she becomes not herself, even from not loud sounds she seems to fall into a panic, looks at the ceiling, calling for all of us. Sitting on his hands shows that he wants to leave the room, but in other rooms it’s the same. He completely refuses the bath (cannot stand in it). Before this, she could flounder in the water with toys for a very long time and brush her teeth. She is afraid to go to bed, although before that she herself showed that it was time to go to bed. If you put him down, he immediately covers his head with a blanket and also covers his ears with his arms. But he sleeps well at night. Mostly during the day he is an ordinary, cheerful, sociable child. We noticed one thing: if she sees where a sound is coming from, even a loud one, she reacts to it absolutely normally. We tried to explain and model the sounds that come from the neighbors above (jumping, throwing things), it helped a little, she herself explained to us if she heard a sound from above (jumping or throwing something). But a day later the same thing happened again. Tell me, how can I help her cope with this fear? Maybe we can change her attitude towards her fear?

Hello. You write that the girl was always afraid of loud noises. As a rule, sensitive, anxious, vulnerable children are afraid of loud sounds or new places, and so on - the list of fears can be long. Such a child is indicated for pediatric observation and, according to the doctor’s decision, mild medicinal assistance is possible. nervous system. Secondly, there are several psychological methods that can help a child cope with such fear. 1. Invent a fairy-tale “helper”, present it to the child, telling the child a fairy tale about him and about his magical abilities. In your case, this could be some colorful and soft-touch headphones that will really reduce the volume of sounds. 2. You can try to encourage the child to make loud sounds himself: he knocks or shouts (you need to come up with a game for this, for example, animals that growl loudly in the forest). If a child feels his energy in a scream or other action that causes a loud sound, then he will have less fear when he hears this loud sound from the side. If these methods do not help, I recommend that, in addition to the pediatric neurologist, you and your child attend a consultation with a pediatric

Doctors believe that fright in an infant, the signs of which manifest themselves in different ways, for example, a newborn gets scared and flinches, does not require treatment or warning. On the contrary, some experts agree that it is completely inappropriate to prevent all sorts of fears for a baby at such an early age, since the baby will not develop the instinct of self-preservation. Another thing is the consequences of emotional shock: it is important to know the symptoms and measures to eliminate them.

Usually, young parents, faced with a nervous state in their infant, often attribute such behavior to fear, but you should know several important signs that will help determine the consequence of negative emotions in the child. If the baby was born full-term, symptoms will appear periodically:

• the baby’s general condition worsens: he becomes capricious, too anxious, sometimes nervous;
• sharp, causeless crying occurs, the baby often shudders and gets scared and constantly asks to be held (afraid to be left alone);
• sleep and appetite are disturbed: this is why many mothers are interested in the question;
• Enuresis or stuttering may occur in an infant.

All these symptoms necessarily require intervention to exclude possible complications in mental and emotional state.

Important! If you determine the cause of fear in time and seek help from a neurologist or child psychiatrist, attacks of fear can be stopped with short time. Most often, the cause of frequent fears in infants is considered to be excessive parental care and control.

A few words about fright in a baby from E. Komarovsky. Possible reasons

Frequent manifestations of fear, as pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky finds out, appear in children under one year of age who are surrounded by constant parental attention or, conversely, suffer from its deficiency. Against this background, infants develop a fear of water, narrow or wide spaces, the dark, and some pets.

Children's humor! - Grandma, what are you making pies with?
- With potato.
- And mom makes it with cottage cheese and pakusta.

The following factors usually provoke fear in a child under one year of age:

• large and scary animals can frighten a baby;
• sudden screams or loud noises;
• parental laughter;
• the child’s stress due to what he saw or heard;
• strictness in upbringing (sometimes this factor is accompanied by symptoms of regular spasms and shudders).

Fear in an infant, caused by various reasons, requires a special examination for the presence of nervous abnormalities. At the same time, parents must provide the child with complete peace and a sense of security.

Treatment or self-control against anxiety attacks in infants?

Most parents, due to stress inflicted on their infant, immediately turn to traditional healers, who supposedly help eliminate both the cause and its consequences. But doctors are confident that without a full examination of the child by a neurologist ethnoscience will not help. Fear in an infant must be stopped, as there is a risk of it becoming chronic, and then the baby may experience causeless panic attacks.

Watch a video about how to cure fear in a baby.

After diagnosing and confirming symptoms of fright, consultation is recommended. child psychologist and a psychiatrist who will explain to parents how to behave with the baby in the future so as not to provoke emotional shock. Specialists must take psychological measures themselves to eliminate the child’s fear and give recommendations at home.

Children say! I ask my son (4 years old):
- Alyoshenka, have you seen the TV remote control?
“I was looking for him myself, like a dog looking for bandits.”

In most cases, everything depends on the mother; she should now communicate with the baby as often as possible, play with him, talk, and show toys. Regular walks also have a healing and calming effect. fresh air, light stroking massage and unobtrusive gymnastics.

If desired, you can use folk conspiracies and means.

Valerian herb tincture

It is better to purchase a specially prepared solution at the pharmacy, which you can then use to feed the baby when frightened for ten days. Thanks to the use of the drug, the symptoms of fear should disappear by the end of the course of treatment.

Using Holy Water

Every day before each bedtime, wash your baby when he is scared and read the prayer (“Our Father”). Thanks to this procedure, not only the child, but also the parents will calm down.

Feeding a baby with milk

Give your baby milk and honey every evening. If the baby still cannot drink on his own, add the mixture to the pacifier, you can also add lemon balm tincture to the milk. This remedy is very calming and allows the child to fall asleep without whims.

Note! Before use various means to treat fright in an infant, consult a pediatrician and check for any allergic reaction. It is not recommended to give milk with honey to a child under 7 months of age, as cow's protein and honey often cause.

Possible consequences of fright in a child under one year old

Children's fears should be treated carefully and supported in case of negative consequences. Complications manifest themselves as:

Curing chronic attacks of fear in a child under one year old is much more difficult than overcoming the first symptoms of emotional shock.

During the first month of life, babies sleep soundly at night and during the day. The baby may not be disturbed by loud sounds of TV or speech, and he will not be disturbed by background noise. Starting from the second month, the situation can change dramatically; the baby may begin to be afraid of a phone call, or flinch when turning on household appliances or an ordinary toy. Parents in such a situation are often lost, cannot explain the reasons for their child’s behavior and do not know what to do in such a situation.

When and why does childhood fear appear?

During the period of growing up to 1 year, a fear of loud sounds is observed in a significant number of babies. Parents can often see how a baby at the age of 2-3 months begins to show fear in response to laughter, loud conversation and other types of sharp sounds. The baby's reaction can be different, from crying to hysterical attacks.

The ability to be afraid is inherent in children by nature. The exception is fears that arise against the background of a shock or become a consequence of a negative experience. For example, a child may be afraid of water if he previously experienced unpleasant sensations or emotions after bathing. The reason for the fear of sounds does not lie in improper upbringing, as many parents mistakenly believe, it is directly related to their neglect of the child. This is how the baby’s nervous system reacts in response to previously occurring events. This category of fears also includes fear of mother’s absence or fear of strangers.

Fear of sounds is not typical manifestation long time. Fear may persist for the first 2 years, but if after this time the reaction to noise remains stable, then this indicates possible problems with the nervous system and is a reason to consult a specialist. Often the fact of how long a child will experience a fear of sharp sounds depends on the behavioral line of the parents.

What should parents do?

Often parents do not understand what is causing the child’s fear and his negative reaction to sounds that are common and natural to them. Some of them try to shout or spank the child, thereby increasing the risk of worsening the situation. Such behavior with a child under 3 years old can provoke problems in the future.

To calm your baby and relieve him of the feeling of fear from the noise of sharp sounds, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• Try to talk with your child more often in calm and affectionate tones, change the intonation, timbre of the conversation and its strength, it is advisable to provide the baby with the sound of a male baritone that is unusual for him;
• Do not react to sharp sounds by trying to scream or get up, behave naturally, which will give the baby an understanding of the absence of a real threat;
• Play melodious, beautiful melodies for your child;
• Introduce the baby to the object that frightened him, explain why a vacuum cleaner, household appliances or telephone are needed;
• Teach your child to publish different kinds sounds, pronounce them loudly and quietly, so he will react less to extraneous noise, and the game will become a new kind of fun;

Do not try to provide “perfect” silence while your baby sleeps; the optimal background for falling asleep is a working TV or a calm, quiet conversation. In such an environment, even the appearance of a sharp sound that breaks the silence will not frighten the child.

When to worry

If the child has a pronounced reaction to loud sounds, prolonged manifestations of hysteria and the inability to calm him down, you should consult a neurologist. Timely seeking help will help early detection disturbances in the functioning of the baby’s nervous system. Together with a specialist, it will be easier to find ways to calm the child and reduce the severity of his fears of sharp sounds.

In order for the child’s fear to pass without a trace, it is important for the parents to calm down and feel a favorable atmosphere in the family. Adults should not panic and should understand that up to 12 months, a child’s reaction to loud sounds is not a deviation and does not indicate a developmental disorder. Kind smiles, gentle glances and calm speech will help the baby cope in such a situation.