My son screams when he is around people he is unfamiliar with: Advice?

Any time I take my five-month-old son to a friend’s house, he screams bloody murder. I finally get him calm, but if someone he isn’t familiar with looks at him or talks or touches him, he screams again. Idk what to do anymore. He wasn’t like this when he was 0-3 months. I feel like I need to socialize him, but it’s exhausting and embarrassing to take him with me when all he does is a scream as loud as he can for an hour straight. Send help.

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He may be getting over stimulated.

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#covidbaby

My son does the same thing when we first get to someone’s house, but it’s gotten a lot better! These babies that have been stuck at home with just immediate family haven’t had enough social exposure and, unfortunately, being around people they don’t know, in homes they don’t know, is scary for them. Between 0-3 they’re not super aware of where they are/can’t see distance very well, but as they get a little older they become more aware and can see much better. It will pass. Best advice I can give is to increase social interaction and just be out of the house as much as possible, however, that’s still difficult given the pandemic. Hang in there, mama! #thistooshallpass

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My daughter can be like this and she’s 5 month old, I personally think it’s because she was born in isolation/quarantine and isn’t used to going out places or seeing people and her “safe” place is at home. That’s all I’ve put it down too. Just take small steps

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Maybe while at family or friends, you could have them hold him so he can see they’re ok. See if they can calm him

My daughter did this for almost the first year she’s 17 months now and she’s gotten a lot better with it sometimes I still have to take her outside if it’s a house full of people and tell her she’s ok I’m not going anywhere. Every time I just remind myself I’m her comfort zone and enjoy it because she won’t be little long💜

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My daughter was like that it’s was hard she’s much better now I used to take her out in small doses and if it got bad I would just leave she is so much better now :slightly_smiling_face:

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It happens. He will grow out of it. My daughter was the same exact way. She just didn’t like strangers! :woman_shrugging:t3:

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My now 11 year old son was like that at 6mos old. Even towards familiar faces. No pandemic, it was separation anxiety. Took a few months to grow out of. He’s an introvert. His sibling- complete opposite. Very social extrovert.

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My little did this too but only with men because she wasn’t around men often. Her daddy worked on the road for months at a time and so I was all she saw most of the time and other women. We just increased the amount of people both men and women she was around to show her it was ok.

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Lots of babies go through that it will get better.

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This was my daughter! She is still slow to warm with some people. Even in our own house when people came to visit I couldn’t put her down and it was pitiful if someone else tried to hold her. They had to learn to let her warm up to them. She 18 months now and can still be standoffish at first. Even my parents if she goes too long without seeing them is weird at first. My 4 boys were always crazy outgoing.

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It’s normal. I worked in daycare and that lasts a few minutes then they realize that it’s fun. Sometimes it’s gut wrenching to see it but do them if and walk away if not they’ll always continue. If it continues usually they’ll call you

Just a stage. Don’t force it.

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Very normal stage. My Mom and Grandma used to call it “making strange” :wink: 2 out of 3 of mine did this. Both grew out of it within a few months.

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Uncle Bobby and ruth auntv

Phone skills minenal

Totally normal! Around that age they have separation anxiety, my son had it, but we just kept bringing him to family and friends, showed him it’s okay, and he got over it. He’s about to be 19 months now and he is not shy or scared at all

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My son from New born to about 4 months screamed every time I took him in grocery store. In scream , Out stop like flipping a switch.

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Totally normal thats the natural stranger danger kicking in

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Shoooot my almost 2 year old still doesn’t like strangers :woman_shrugging:t3:. Some kids just don’t like strangers. Does he take a pacifier? On rare occasions when we have to be around a lot of people, I find that caving in and giving the pacifier (which is typically only a sleep item) will help boost confidence, but at 5-6m it was basically just 4 people- maybe 5 who could hold him for any period of time.

I kind of have learned to respect the fact that he just isn’t into some people. It’s ok for them to have opinions about things and people, we just have to continue to expose them to what we can (considering COVID) and a lot of times when strangers would approach (pre-Covid) I would simply say “he’s not into people sorry. :woman_shrugging:t3:” and keep on moving.

My 2 year old is like that. She went from being a people person to being shy and screaming as well

Usually the normal 5-7 month development. My daughter at 6 months wouldn’t go to any other man except her dad. Grandpas would try and hold her and she’d just freak out. He will be over it soon! They are just getting used to recognizing people!

Also my daughter usually doesn’t know a stranger but with covid right now and everyone wearing masks the masks freak her out but that’s it!

Around 6 months is when most babies begin to have stranger anxiety. Its worse for some than others. Just make your child feel safe when going out and try calming them, dont let them get to agitated. They’ll eventually realize everything is ok, it may last a couple months to a year, its dependent on the child. Make sure to nurture them during this time

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My youngest son would always cry in stores, or any place new that was a little more noisy or bright. As an infant, he didn’t like to be any place but home, the familiar lights, sounds, smells, etc. I had to give up taking him out in public. He got over it when he was older and now he travels the world when he can. Sometimes it’s just too much sensory overload for young children. By the way, he was also legally deaf but we didn’t know it at the time. That may have contributed to his distress. Who knows? They do seem to adjust. It is a good idea to have hearing and eyes tested, though, just in case.

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My daughter went through this from around 3mo to a yr. She wouldn’t let ANYONE other than us around her. She finally grew out of it. We didn’t force her too either. If it helps tho, my father n law was able to come around by coming over and just sitting around until she finally let him near her.

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I think he is at the stage of “stranger danger”. It’s normal Dad.
Young for a baby to comprehend why they are going through this, so the same for you!
Stay as calm as you can and talk softly to your child. Ask any adults that want to calm him down to please step back it may help your child get over the episode faster.
Someone said they like their house smells and sounds. Take a sm blanket (receiving one) with the smell of his home. Also quiet music may calm him down
Prayers the stage passes quickly!

He could have stranger anxiety which is normal for infants of a certain age. I can’t remember the age right now.

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I think he needs to be socialized a little bit every day… I would take him to the supermarket for a half hour every day until he stops being afraid…

Put him in the carriage and walk him around for about a half an hour every day no matter whether he cries or not. Talk softly to him comfort him for about a half hour and then go home… this is worth a try and I think after a week or two you will see an improvement unless there’s something else wrong with him. If it keeps up I would have him checked at the doctors… but it might be as simple as he has to just get used to people around him little by little… I’ve read that shyness is inherited and I think you might have to work with him to get him over the shyness

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I hope you also realize that children are also the most innocent of souls and when confronted by 'scary ’ scenarios their reporting mechanism is to scream…learn to listen to your child’s reporting mechanism, don’t try to force him into an uncomfortable space, there is a good reason for that scream and its possible you may not see it and remove the embarrassment and listen with the intent to ease his discomfort and not suppress his reporting mechanism

My daughter was like that for a long time. It’s ok and don’t force the issue. Some kids are just shy and selective. She is now a fully functioning near adult. Friendly but still conservative on who she lets in to her circle. And that’s ok:)

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Pick a few family members or friends u trust and leave him with them for an hour or 2 a day. When he starts crying cause ur leaving…leave dont make it worse by trying to calm him down…do this everytime and eventually he will get use to it. As for gatherings dont force it. My nephew didn’t like anyone but his mom all i do is sit on the floor and play with toys eventually he comes over to me…if he doesnt then he isnt feeling it that day and its whatever. As he has gotten older I have found he loves to wrestle so I fake fight him while in moms arm and eventually he gets so excited he wants me (just so he can beat me up lol) but it breaks the ice

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My baby is 5 months old too. He hasn’t left the house other than for Dr appointments, since we have multiple members in the family who are at high risk of complications where they to get corona. We are trying to quarantine as best as possible. I sometimes wonder how having him quarantined and not being out and about will effect him. He is a happy baby though, smiles at everybody at the Dr’s, he doesn’t show any apprehension towards being friendly with others. Time will tell I suppose. For now, I think keeping the kiddos safe is key, even if that means keeping them home.

He could have sensory overload and become overwhelmed very easily, I know I do when I’m around new people and they all wanna talk at once and I’m 27!

He may not be comfortable around others just bc they are babies don’t mean that can’t be uncomfortable or sense things

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My friend was dealing with this and found out her son needed glasses. Poor baby was just not able to correctly process the images he was taking in and it was all scary to him. Not sure if it might be the same issue for your baby. But might be something to check out.

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Don’t be embarrassed it’s normal… they basically know immediate family and your smell… especially if you breast feed! But they will grow out of it. Try not to stress to much

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My daughter was like that also until she was around 2. Only people she wouldnt scream with was us and her brothers. He will outgrow. Just have to be patient.

Keep your baby home and bond with Him. He doesn’t need to socialize.

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Hes little. Kids can be nervous around new situations and people.

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He sounds insecure he needs lots of love and attention from mom and dad.

Your baby may be starting to recognize people and starting to trust certain people. My son screams when he sees his doctor.

Check hearing and visio. My little girl had these issues and was discovered to be legally blind.

Normal… I had 5 daughters, all did it… and a couple were scared of older people with glasses on…:flushed::see_no_evil::two_hearts::two_hearts::two_hearts::two_hearts::two_hearts:

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Some kids are sensitive to others for some reason or another .

Our granddaughter was 4 months old,she would cry&scream unless her mommy was there,it passed,we thought she might of had separation anxiety,now she is 6 yrs.old.

It’s perfectly normal…He will out grow it…

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Take it one day at a time. It’ll all workout.

This happens a lot with children who are used to being with mom 24/7. Maybe start leaving him with a sitter a couple hours a day, a couple days a week… someone he can become familiar with, just to get him used to not having you around constantly. He will probably cry for a while when you leave, and then cry again when you pick him up for the first few times.

It is actually very normal for them to go through this phase.

My daughter still does this at 3. It takes almost and hour for her to settle and then she’s fine with them as if it never happened. This has been the case since she was born.

Both of mine did this! I just waited until they were older… it was so exhausting and stressful dealing with it, I just kept them home until I felt it was time to try again

I would try to not pay attention to the screaming and have the friend offer favorites and such. Just everyone behave normally. Maybe not for an hour I’d give everyone breaks lmao and let people know you’re doing this. Don’t rope them unknowingly into your “training”

Poor baby! Poor mama! Honestly though, either he has anxiety which would be perfectly normal, or he’s going through a stage. My second went through something similar, I just followed his lead. It wasn’t long before he started being comfortable around other folks. Maybe try having friends over to your house instead of going there? I know it’s probably nice getting a change of scenery, but maybe your little one won’t have as much anxiety around a new person if they’re in a familiar environment?

First off he is a baby they cry secondly the feed off the vibes of those around then just like adults do third ever think he maybe teething or take dissect your routine there maybe a trigger

I would like to tell you story that might inspire people to beilve in god and that anything is possible with god but your side even when the odds are against you. my mother went through a rough time a year and a half ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. for 6 months she couldn’t eat she was in constant pain pain where even the slightest movement on her bed would make her scream. the doctors didn’t beilve anything was wrong then one day they took a ex ray there was something wrapped up around her intestines. they said we either do a exploratory surgery and your going to die from being so male nuerasured and her heart beat being so slow or we don’t do the surgery and you die. my mom picked surgery. all through the process before they figured out something was wrapped in her instestines when she would have a pain wave which was all day if pray and song gospel songs to help the pain and tell her to not give up and the lord would heal her body. when they did the surgery they figured out that she got poisoned and the poison outs what ended up causing cancer. they took our 10 swollen lipniods 3 feets of dead intestines(from the poisioning) they reconstructed her bowel and took out a 6 ounces tumour. my mom is here today without a issue she is healthy. the lord blessed her and made it possible to meet my baby girl.

There’s no point of stress. Look at life in this perspective and your stress will disappear. Every lesson is a blessing in disguise cuz of the wisdom you gain and also in your battles bring you one step closer to where you need to be and who you need to be, miracles are real don’t let anyone tell you different, what you say is what you beilve what you beilve is what comes true, instead of looking at what you don’t have look at what you do have, tomorrow isn’t promised so cherish today, what’s meant to be will be, and you have 2 choices everyday be happy or stress stress doesn’t fix the problem it sets you back ten more steps back and if you get lost in it its hard to snap out of beilve in a better tomorrow beilve in miracles and beilve in yourself but most of all believe in God he can fight your battles better then you can

It’s normal about this age. Babies have learned who their caretakers are (mom, dad, etc) and they’ve learned the world is uncertain ( loud noises, shots, etc) so they will cling to their caretakers until they become more accustomed to the world and their mobility skills. This stage will come back about 18months to 2 yrs, but won’t last as long. This would not be the time to introduce a new babysitter. In stead, baby needs to know you are still his safe spot. Don’t force him to go to others while he’s upset. Give him a bit to figure out he is ok and you aren’t leaving and he will warm up.

My twins are 15 mo.s my one twin is afraid of men, especially if they have facial hair. It’s stranger danger and completely normal. It is overstimulation. Can you try not to put them in a situation around people they don’t know?

It’s normal it’s stranger danger all my kids went thru this for about 4 months

I realize that my granddaughter at 4 months is going through the stranger anxiety but I have seen her regularly; at least weekly; but I try to be patient that someday she won’t see me as a meanie.

Going out stress the baby my kids were like that