One of our readers told us that her 8 month-old baby had been frightened inadvertently by his grandfather: ” Keeran is 8 months. Since a few weeks, his behavior really changed. As soon as there is a family meeting at our home, with his uncles, aunts, cousins, he begins roaring. That never arrived before, and moreover, he knows them well! Now, we go there slowly: I always alert him as soon as somebody arrives, I keep him in my arms, and everything smoothly passes better! ” Jessica
If your baby behaves like Keeran, he is dealing with a standard case of stranger anxiety; it refers to a nearly universal behavior of babies that starts that usually appears at 7-9 months. It is a significant evolution; the baby is now capable of distinguishing the known for the unknown.
The flip side of stranger anxiety is separation anxiety, the child becomes aware that her mother is a person different from him, and he is afraid of losing her when she leaves Rest assured: your baby is neither wild nor shy! He just needs a little time to adapt to the world.
Prepare strangers ahead of time:
You know your child’s uncomfortable around people he hasn’t met, so, whenever possible, you should warn him before their arrival. In addition, let them know how he will react if they introduce into his personal space. Inform the “strangers” (for instance grandparents and close friends) that they shouldn’t try to touch, kiss or hold the baby right away and that they should let you set the stage; eventually, the baby will usually go to them by his own.
Besides, you must have a regular chat with the “strangers” and don’t be worried about your child. Your baby evaluates the “strangers” in the way you behave with them. If you seem nervous, he will be too. It is a basic mimetic situation.
Let us know if you already had to face a similar situation!
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