It is extremely appropriate for your toddler to be fearful of strangers, considering your child's age. Stranger suspicion is very common during this phase. Unlike stranger anxiety experienced during infanthood, stranger suspicion is a more rational fear - though it may not seem rational to you. Since your toddler is more capable of complex thoughts now, she is also more capable of complex fears. During this suspicious time, every grown up who isn't Mummy or Daddy can be viewed with suspicion: a neighbor, a friend, a baby-sitter, even a once accepted grandparent or relative may receive the distrust treatment. While this can be embarrassing for you, it is actually not an altogether bad trait. In fact if you think about it, it is comforting to know that your toddler won't walk off with just about anyone who offers him a bisquit. Fear may not be only factor governing this reaction; annoyance may be the other element. Consider how you would feel if someone you barely know came up to you and without your permission patted your head, pinched your cheek, tickled your tummy, hugged you, picked you up or asked you silly questions? For a toddler whose exposure to the world of manners has been limited, a civil response is often next to impossible. Stranger suspicion will eventually come to an end; sooner in some children and later in others. Since it is impossible to shield your toddler from other people completely while he grows out of this phase, these tips might help.


Give physical support.


If your toddler wants to be held while in the company of strangers, hold her for as long as she needs it. She will let you know when she is ready to go it alone. In the meantime be reassuring and understanding and don't demean or tease her with comments.





Try more exposure.


Your toddler will thaw faster if she is exposed to a wide variety of familiar and unfamiliar people regularly; take her to the supermarket, zoo, religious, social and family gatherings, playground and go for walks down crowded streets. Don't be pushy though and force her into interaction; being in the midst of strangers is enough for now.





Don't push it.

Often parents worry about the rejected person's feelings than those of their child, especially if the stranger is a relative or friend. So they may push a reluctant child towards the stranger despite the tears and tantrums. Strangely your child will feel more secure if you handle her fear with respect and understanding than if you pressure her to overcome it. Between the two, the stranger as an adult should be more understanding of the situation versus the toddler who lacks the maturity to comprehend.



No Fear of Strangers

Not every toddler is fearful of stranger; those who are gregarious by nature or have had exposure to many different people during infancy may take readily to new faces. Sometimes they are too ready and this behavior causes parents to be anxious for their safety. Since your toddler is at an age when comprehension is still very limited, your vigilance is his protection. Never let him out of your sight when you are out and about. It may be too soon to expect your toddler to exercise discretion around strangers but it is not too soon to start laying the foundation for safe behavior in the future. You can perhaps emphasize not to accept knick knacks from strangers without checking with you first. The concept may not sink in but repetition will help eventually. A word of caution: as you educate your child about stranger safety, be careful not to instill a permanent fear in them about strangers being harmful or dangerous. Instead emphasize the importance of seeking your okay before talking to a stranger, going to one or with one or taking something from them. Your goal is to make your child prudently cautious not unreasonably fearful.