Pedophobia is a type of phobia that often originates in children but also in adults. In children, they may reveal that they are afraid of certain dolls, try to hide them, or cry when they see them. In this case, you should not force the child to play with these dolls, but let the issue resolve itself over time.
The child's behavior may be due to slight emotional immaturity that will pass with time, so there is no need to be alarmed. Children may be frightened when they see their favorite television characters in real life (e.g., Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the Teletubbies, etc.). Their behavior stems from the size of these puppets, which are generally larger than their parents and therefore appear frightening. This phobia is often linked to coulrophobia (the fear of clowns).
Even adults, especially those who have had this fear since childhood, still fear dolls and are afraid that they will move or turn their eyes towards them, following their movements. Although adults understand that this fear is unfounded, they cannot easily put it aside.
To overcome this phobia, a series of dolls are used to which the patient is exposed, until they reach the ones they fear. Once the treatment is complete, the phobia may disappear completely, to the point where they can play with these dolls and sleep peacefully.