I'm glad Lexie seems to be improving. The mouse was a great idea! I went through similar issues with both of my eldest daughters at a similar age. My eldest was forever washing her hands, they were red and sore and both daughters would freak out if there was even the slightest bit of dirt on them. And they both out grew this problem-now I'm forever nagging them to clean their nails
My second daughter was petrified of bugs, she would literally get hysterical if there was a bug in the house and we spent a whole summer doing indoor activities because it became so extreme! Neither me nor thier dad is afraid of bugs so when we saw one we would pick it up and try to get her to touch it, we let her name it and then released either outside or back into the house depending on what type of bug it was
It worked! They both still have a whinge if theres a spider in their room and we remove it without fuss but its a great step up for dtr 2. My son is just entering the "fear" stage-he is 3. I keep telling him "bugs are our friends" and I even bought a baby tarantula which we have watched shed skin and grow-he named it Incy Wincy! We're hoping this will help but he still freaks out if a spiders sneaks up on him or runs out of his garden toys!