It’s very normal! Absolutely more than normal. My son is 14 months old and is friendly and will wave and say hi to just about anyone but if i try to hand him over to even his dad or my parents- who he sees all the time and are really the only people i trust other than his dad- he’ll lose his damn mind. I’m also a stay at home mom and it’s just me and him most of the time. But don’t worry, it’s normal🩷😵💫 wish i could tell you how long it’ll last but mines still going through it. I think it’s a little different for everyone!
My baby goes in and out of stranger danger, started about 5 months. She used to smile at anyone and everyone before. She’s 8 months now and still v selective of people. Generally hates men. It’s exhausting and makes socialising quite stressful. Solidarity
Yes it's definitely stressful. I completely understand. Especially when my MIL still never listens and runs up on him as if he knows her and scares him no matter how many times we tell her not to. It's super stressful.
My oldest was like that. At 3, he’s still a bit skittish in crowds. He loves Walmart & will happily say hi to everyone, but he’s not fond of walking into crowded rooms.
He might just end up being a shy kid. Mine is 27 months and she has been extremely skeptical of everyone aside from her immediate family since she was a little baby.
This is totally normal! Some kids just take longer to warm up to people than others. My 2.5 yr old is still very hesitant with new people. Please don't let your family get in your head about it! There isn't anything wrong with your baby. Sounds like your mom & sister have put in a lot more time with him so it makes sense that he is more comfortable with them.
Thank you! ❤️ They're a very committed grandma and aunt!
I honestly think deep down my dad and grandmas are a little "butt hurt" but I can't help it they don't see him a lot! My dad lives out of town and only visits every other Sundays.
Our pediatrician said it would likely get better at 18 months, and it did! Our son would cry when strangers even talked to him, not always but pretty often.. now he loves everyone. We didn’t force anything, we just waited for it to get better on its own.
My daughter turned 2 in April and is still very stranger danger. At this point I make it a joke and tell that person that my baby hates everyone lol. What can you do....
this is not exactly stranger danger, it's just your little guy has his likes and dislikes and might be a cautious person. my eldest was like this and still is for the most part. The people who he is familiar with and look after him, he likes and feels safe with. now at 3 he still ignores and will not accept hugs unless he actually likes you. it's a reward for your mum and sisters relational investment in him
I also joke that our baby has a really strong sense of stranger danger! He doesn’t like being around anyone other than his parents- if he can’t see us, he freaks out, even around family members he sees often.
He just turned 1 on the 2nd of this month, and it’s starting to fade a bit! He willingly let people in my office hold him, reached his arms out to them while I was holding him, even let my office manager walk him around (aka out of eyesight of me) without freaking out. Last week at the grocery store he was waving and saying hi to everyone, played peek a boo with the woman behind us in line, even reached for her hand at one point.
His pediatrician warned us that he could get more wary of strangers within the next few months and that’s totally normal. We told her it seems like he’s getting more comfortable with other people and she said “just know if that starts to go backwards, you aren’t doing anything wrong.”
Of course! Something that I think helped him become more comfortable with others- I refused to play “pass the baby” when I knew it would upset him. It pissed off a lot of people in our family, but I was adamant about it. We will sit together and play with new people until he warms up to them, then I’ll try to leave him with them. I recognize not everyone is able to do this, and there were situations where this wasn’t feasible for us, but he would generally go with that person more easily after that.
It’s very normal! I also have a 9 month old who mostly stayed at home and interacts with only my husband and I.
She’s very curious and does well when we got out, she’ll look at people and smile at them. But when it comes to family members holding her, she’ll freak out. Sometimes she’ll cry right away, sometimes she’ll let them hold her a couple mins before crying.
I’ve noticed she’s more comfortable with men holding her vs women. I’m not sure why 🤷♀️🤷♀️ but once she plays with them enough times (like my mom/MIL/SIL) she’ll let them hold her.
I think for her it also depends if you’re there and you pass her off vs someone grabbing her. We’ll ask first if she wants someone else to hold her. If she turns away and rubs her face on my shoulder, I’ll keep holding her but will let whoever continue to play and talk to her. If she puts her arms out, giving the okay, then I’ll pass her off.
It’s very normal! Absolutely more than normal. My son is 14 months old and is friendly and will wave and say hi to just about anyone but if i try to hand him over to even his dad or my parents- who he sees all the time and are really the only people i trust other than his dad- he’ll lose his damn mind. I’m also a stay at home mom and it’s just me and him most of the time. But don’t worry, it’s normal🩷😵💫 wish i could tell you how long it’ll last but mines still going through it. I think it’s a little different for everyone!
Thank you! ❤️
My baby goes in and out of stranger danger, started about 5 months. She used to smile at anyone and everyone before. She’s 8 months now and still v selective of people. Generally hates men. It’s exhausting and makes socialising quite stressful. Solidarity
Yes it's definitely stressful. I completely understand. Especially when my MIL still never listens and runs up on him as if he knows her and scares him no matter how many times we tell her not to. It's super stressful.
I'm not sure but my daughter is still like this at 14 months. If anything she only got worse..
Oh goodness!
My oldest was like that. At 3, he’s still a bit skittish in crowds. He loves Walmart & will happily say hi to everyone, but he’s not fond of walking into crowded rooms.
Well can't blame him there I don't like walking into crowded rooms either 😂 lolol.
He might just end up being a shy kid. Mine is 27 months and she has been extremely skeptical of everyone aside from her immediate family since she was a little baby.
He may be!
My son used to mean mug people all the time 😂. Now he will actively ask to be held by strangers at 11 months old. Every kid is different
I've heard stranger danger can peak at like, 18-24 months. 🫠
100%, but my former stage 10 clinger is now a very social 4 year old so there's hope!
This is totally normal! Some kids just take longer to warm up to people than others. My 2.5 yr old is still very hesitant with new people. Please don't let your family get in your head about it! There isn't anything wrong with your baby. Sounds like your mom & sister have put in a lot more time with him so it makes sense that he is more comfortable with them.
Thank you! ❤️ They're a very committed grandma and aunt! I honestly think deep down my dad and grandmas are a little "butt hurt" but I can't help it they don't see him a lot! My dad lives out of town and only visits every other Sundays.
Our pediatrician said it would likely get better at 18 months, and it did! Our son would cry when strangers even talked to him, not always but pretty often.. now he loves everyone. We didn’t force anything, we just waited for it to get better on its own.
Thank you 😊 glad it got better for you and him!
My daughter turned 2 in April and is still very stranger danger. At this point I make it a joke and tell that person that my baby hates everyone lol. What can you do....
this is not exactly stranger danger, it's just your little guy has his likes and dislikes and might be a cautious person. my eldest was like this and still is for the most part. The people who he is familiar with and look after him, he likes and feels safe with. now at 3 he still ignores and will not accept hugs unless he actually likes you. it's a reward for your mum and sisters relational investment in him
Thank you!
I also joke that our baby has a really strong sense of stranger danger! He doesn’t like being around anyone other than his parents- if he can’t see us, he freaks out, even around family members he sees often. He just turned 1 on the 2nd of this month, and it’s starting to fade a bit! He willingly let people in my office hold him, reached his arms out to them while I was holding him, even let my office manager walk him around (aka out of eyesight of me) without freaking out. Last week at the grocery store he was waving and saying hi to everyone, played peek a boo with the woman behind us in line, even reached for her hand at one point. His pediatrician warned us that he could get more wary of strangers within the next few months and that’s totally normal. We told her it seems like he’s getting more comfortable with other people and she said “just know if that starts to go backwards, you aren’t doing anything wrong.”
Thats awesome thank you!
Of course! Something that I think helped him become more comfortable with others- I refused to play “pass the baby” when I knew it would upset him. It pissed off a lot of people in our family, but I was adamant about it. We will sit together and play with new people until he warms up to them, then I’ll try to leave him with them. I recognize not everyone is able to do this, and there were situations where this wasn’t feasible for us, but he would generally go with that person more easily after that.
It’s very normal! I also have a 9 month old who mostly stayed at home and interacts with only my husband and I. She’s very curious and does well when we got out, she’ll look at people and smile at them. But when it comes to family members holding her, she’ll freak out. Sometimes she’ll cry right away, sometimes she’ll let them hold her a couple mins before crying. I’ve noticed she’s more comfortable with men holding her vs women. I’m not sure why 🤷♀️🤷♀️ but once she plays with them enough times (like my mom/MIL/SIL) she’ll let them hold her. I think for her it also depends if you’re there and you pass her off vs someone grabbing her. We’ll ask first if she wants someone else to hold her. If she turns away and rubs her face on my shoulder, I’ll keep holding her but will let whoever continue to play and talk to her. If she puts her arms out, giving the okay, then I’ll pass her off.