Stranger Anxiety: Here’s How Moms Can Help Their Babies
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If you are one of those mothers who thinks her baby gets very clingy especially when she sees a stranger, know that it’s normal and that there is nothing much to worry about. You might have experienced having a visitor, and your baby cries the moment the visitor wants to or holds the baby in her arms. Stranger anxiety is a common occurrence in babies. In fact, it is regarded as one of the first emotional yardsticks in a child’s development.
Babies might get anxious with new people around. You can pretty much expect your baby to cry if she is suddenly approached by a stranger. A child has heightened stranger anxiety from sixth to the twelfth months of its life, but it might as well span over twenty-four months. Stranger anxiety could be a problem as the child gets older, and you should get her into a habit of socializing and make friends.
By the time your child is four months old, she has already begun to decipher the people around her and who is to be trusted. So a new face might naturally raise the alarm button. However, her reaction akin to stranger anxiety could also mean that she is hungry, exhausted, or unwell.
The intensity of your baby’s reaction also depends on her temperament. If your baby is the welcoming type, it would be easier for her to go to anybody. But if she is the kind who is excessively observant or sensitive, she might get anxious in the presence of strangers.
Why Separation Anxiety Is Good For Your Baby
It is a mechanism that protects your baby. If your baby has begun to crawl, it’s easier for her to wander off to anybody or anywhere. The anxiety just helps her to be secure and safe as she naturally looks for her caregivers and familiar faces. So while she wants to go out and explore, at the back of her mind she also doesn’t want to make it so fast.
Your Baby Might Get Anxious If You Are Anxious About A Stranger
Your baby gauges your reaction to a stranger. If you are anxious, so will she be. If you smile at someone, she will feel secure. She gets her reactions from how you react to others.
How Do You Deal With Your Baby’s Separation Anxiety
1. Warn Friends, Visitors Or Strangers:
Let them know well ahead of time that you baby might not be very comfortable to see new faces. Ask people to be gentle and not show too much excitement when they see the baby because it might stimulate your child more than expected. A slow approach could hep the child go to them. Also, you might want to ask them to capture her interest through an unfamiliar toy or object.
2. Graduating From Familiar To Unfamiliar:
You should begin to introduce your baby to faces that are unfamiliar to her, but are known to you by smiling and greeting them from a distance. It’s important to have a cheerful disposition as it will help the baby understand that if you are safe, then so is she.
3. Be Gentle And Kind When She Cries In Your Friend’s Arms:
It might as well happen that your baby goes to your visitor or friend (willingly or unwillingly) and suddenly wails out of fear or anxiety, even if your guest is all nice to her. Don’t be embarrassed about it. Instead, take her back gently, hold her, and caress her.
4. Let your child understand that you are there for her and will return shortly:
Once your baby manages to be in your friend’s arms for a while, let her stay there, allow her to play, and keep peeking back into the room or show up once in a while, so your baby pretty much knows that you are there for her and would come back any moment.
By adopting these ways, you will be able to alleviate your child’s fear of strangers. It might take a few such meets with people for your baby to start getting comfortable in new surroundings and with new faces. But most importantly, it’s for you to stop worrying about your child’s separation anxiety which happens to be an important stage in its development.
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