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Home › Articles › Behavior › Stranger Anxiety

Stranger Anxiety

When Your Baby is Afraid

By C.J. Johnson

Pages:  1  2  3  

Cloward explains that it is not healthy to discourage the development of fears. "We want to teach the child the place and context for these fears so that they can recognize when they are safe and then put the fears away," he says. Children learn situational elements of fear that will motivate them to action. "We want them to scream when a stranger takes their hand and to run home when someone asks for directions from their car," says Cloward.

Ease the Stress
Dr. Ostler has this suggestion for parents who wish to help their child through stranger anxiety: "If the baby is looking at a stranger and starting to feel anxious, a parent can reassure them with a soft voice or touch," she says.

According to Dr. Dorsey, new people can overwhelm small children. "When visitors come to your home, ask them to ignore the infant for 20 to 30 minutes," he says. "Let the child come around to them." If the stranger has not tried to hold the baby or make an aggressive move, the little one will warm up to them eventually. He also cautions parents not to thrust their baby into someone's arms in hopes that their little one will get over their anxiety with more exposure to unfamiliar faces. "It just takes time," he says. "Give your child space and time to become comfortable with new people."

At age 2, a child's anxiety can still overtake them, but by age 3, children are more capable of thinking logically. By that time stranger wariness should wear off completely. Luckily, many children outgrow their fear of strangers at a much younger age. For parents who are weathering stranger anxiety blues – hang in there. Before you know it your child will be more comfortable with people they don't know.


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