Question
Our 4.5 year old daughter has started having intense meltdowns - screaming and crying with most things bathroom: washing hands, brushing teeth, raising up or putting down toilet lid, flushing potty, running bathwater, draining bathtub. It began with an ear infection and heightened sound sensitivity several months ago. At that point, she started covering her ears if running water was involved (kitchen and bathroom sinks, toilets, bathtubs/showers) and began avoiding the source with as much distance as possible. Her pediatrician confirmed that our daughter’s ears are clear but her behavior has escalated to the other issues mentioned. She constantly asks us to "stay in the bathroom" while she's pottying or the water is filling the tub (which we don't and thus she has a meltdown). She had absolutely no water-related issues before this started. We try not to make a big deal about it, ignore as much as possible, and have tried everything we can think of but are at our wit's end.
