extreme shyness in 2 and a half year old

[herbidacious]

anyone had an extremely shy toddler to deal with? my dd bursts into tears around people she doesn't know - even her older brother who comes home weekends from college. she is bright and articulate but incredibly fearful of new people. my partner thinks she needs to go to preschool, but i feel this may worsen her anxiety. any suggestions?

I read, ages ago on a website, that this is an entirely normal part of growing up that lots of 2-3 year olds go through, and is entirely unrelated to having social anxiety as an older child or adult. It is within the range of what is developmentally normal to be very afraid/shy of strangers at this age.

I would question whether preschool would make any difference. DS goes to nursery 2 days a week and, while he's not as shy as your dd, he still takes ages and ages to adjust to new places and situations.