2 year old extremely shy and scared

[Kb2]

Hi all. My nearly 3 year old has always had a tendency to be shy, but I've noticed over the last couple of months that he's become much worse. Even with people he used to be fine with, and with strangers, he shys away, puts his head down, and doesn't talk to them and will cling to me. With his immediate family and cousins he sees a lot, he is absolutely fine. I've also noticed he's become scared of sounds, like the hand dryer, hair dryer, blender, but also more irrational things like a car driving past, or people laughing on tv, and doesn't like the sound of babies crying.

Sorry posted it without finishing! He gets so terrified of noises he will cling to me and there's no reasoning with him and will cry himself. I'm not sure what's caused this but wanted some advice from anyone else who may have experienced this and whether it will get better on its own or if there is anything I can do to help. I take him out to places as much as I can to try and expose him to people and get him used to them, as much as he doesn't like it. He was born during lockdown which I thought may be a factor, but I see other kids this age who are not like this.