stranger anxiety kicking in?

dianabeee

is anybody going thru this stage with their child? how do you deal with it? a week ago we went to visit my sister in law it was a disaster. my son was ok from time to time. but when that anxiety kicked in he would cry. he would want to run out to the front door, would not sit in our lap, cry and climb on us till we got it. it was a very stressful visit. it sucks because i feel like this stops me from wanting to do anything with anyone. my sister goes to places with her kids and the couple times i have went with her its so stressful cause my child cries like there is no tomorrow. any tips on how to ease down the process? do you have your share of stressful moments?

beemaya83

My son cries with anyone he doesn't know or hardly sees. They literally start taking to him and he cries. Yes, it's stressful. However, he will stop after just a few minutes if they leave him alone. We do try to prep him before we go out to visit family/friends by saying we are going to see so and so, etc., just so he kinda knows. I'm hoping he will grow out of it. 

dianabeee

yes i hope the same. i feel like since i am a stay at home mom and he hardly gets interaction from others that play a big role in his behavior too. i try to get out the house once or twice a week to visit relatives. its overall a plesant visit but he starts getting anxious as we are about to leave. i feel bad because i eant him to have a relationship with his family. i guess time will tell

ciennah99

I'm sure that's very stressful. I was that way as a child. My mom stayed at home which may have been part of it but I think a lot of it is just personality. I'm an introvert, slow to warm up with new people and somewhat anxious still. My daughter is exactly the opposite so I haven't had to deal with the same situation as you. I'd say just reassure him and go slowly with new people. Some kids (like I was) just need a lot more reassurance than others. I haven't read this but maybe it would give you some suggestions "How to parent your anxious toddler" by Natasha Daniels.

janat1717

My son isn't like this but he isn't overly friendly with others either. I would say not to push it and be ok with it if he is upset. Let him cry. Acknowledge that he's upset and that meeting with people can be hard. Maybe let him play in a corner away from everyone? I'd still go places just not stay long if he isn't comfortable. Once the pressure is off he will probably learn to enjoy certain situations.

dianabeee

Thanks for the suggestions. I will most  definetly try this  out! Also update, i had a close friend come over to visit and he totally  flipped out. Now he wont even want to go out to stores with out making a tantrum i feel like its plain fear though  and not a cry of being defiant. But a couple days have passed since then and he gets nervous entering stores but did not cry this time. I guess i have to take it slow. 

alcrimmins

DD is like this for about 15 minutes any time she sees someone that isn't dh or myself. As long as people leave her alone and let her warm up at her own speed she's fine. When people try to force her to interact with them she freaks. We leave the house daily to socialize. We all need it. I am now juggling a newborn along with it, but we still try to get out and about almost every day.