Baby suffering severe social anxiety, please help!?
ByMy little girl is 8 months old and 16 days. My boyfriend and I don’t get time to hang out with friends or arrange baby play dates with our babies friends so she hasn’t had much of a chance to socialize. When we are out on those rare moments it’s because we are running errands or picking up groceries etc. I take care of her and work and he has school. Today we took her out to meet with one of our girl friends and her baby daughter who is about my daughters age (a rare moment of free time). My daughter has met this baby several times before, but today her social anxiety was so bad that she wouldn’t stop crying the entire 2 1/2 hours that we were out and she broke out in horrible stress hives, which have since vanished. We also took her to the doctor today and he said that socializing her more will take the fear away, but how can we when even one other person makes her so fearful? What can I do to help my sweet baby not be afraid? It broke my heart to see her so afraid. I didn’t know that babies this young could know such fear, I mean babies don’t know violence or death or bad things… Is this normal? Please help a new mommy who is very confused! Thank you kindly
Why don’t you try introducing her to calm people on her own comfortable turf.
Bring some sweet tempered adults home for your baby to see and hear their voice but tell them not to be in your baby’s face.
In fact, tell them to pretend they don’t even see her. Do this until she gets comfortable. Maybe every other day or every three days. When she settles down, bring two at a time.
Seems like a lot of work but I think your baby’s worth it. When you decide she’s ready, bring her to the home of the the very people she got comfortable with.
BABY STEPS. With patience and effort, I think you’ll beat this thing.
2 Comments
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:53 am
Unfortunately I’d say the doctor is right, you just have to put your baby in that situation and with time she should become more comfortable. Doesn’t make it any easier on you of course! But you have to understand this from a ‘cruel to be kind’ perspective, it’s like you shouldn’t buy your daughter absolutely everything she wants, you have to say "no" sometimes even if it ends in a tantrum (which no-one enjoys!).
References :
I care for my relative’s kids sometimes
September 3rd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Why don’t you try introducing her to calm people on her own comfortable turf.
Bring some sweet tempered adults home for your baby to see and hear their voice but tell them not to be in your baby’s face.
In fact, tell them to pretend they don’t even see her. Do this until she gets comfortable. Maybe every other day or every three days. When she settles down, bring two at a time.
Seems like a lot of work but I think your baby’s worth it. When you decide she’s ready, bring her to the home of the the very people she got comfortable with.
BABY STEPS. With patience and effort, I think you’ll beat this thing.
References :