3 year old talking to strangers all the time

[Kiwikiss1]

My very confident and charming almost 3 year old DS wants to talk to everyone whenever we are out. I am starting to get concerned because yesterday he ran off and hid from his childminder and I worry that he would just go off with anyone if they approached him. He was put in time-out and we have had a good talk about never running off from his CM or Mummy or Daddy. I am giving my childminder a wrist-strap today but is there a way to explain stranger danger to a three year old without scaring the pants off them? A lot of adults seem to find it uncomfortable when he goes up to them in the supermarket etc. has anyone else had this experience? My other DS who is 14 months is vary wary of strangers and takes a long time to warm up to new people. Many thanks for any advice.

My DS was the same.
I have a vivid memory of when he was 2 and we were on holiday. He was pottering in the paddling pool while I sat at the edge watching. I could see him chatting away to another woman with a toddler. After half an hour she came to speak to me. She said "I know everything about you, I know your name, where you live, you have two boys called X and Y and a DH called Z,etc. etc" .

It should not be a problem with a 3 year old because there should never be a time when he is unwatched in a public place.

But would he go off with anyone.

DD1 would chatter to anyone, but she was born with a deep confidence and wasn't afraid of being in her own. I suspect she'd have trusted her instincts and would have taken some persuading.

DD2, on the other hand was far shyer. However, she likes to follow societies rules. I tried giving her a talk about not going with strangers and she said "but what if they are nice?"

My DS is exactly the same! I don't want to discourage him because I think it's great he's so sociable and don't want to scare him by telling him he shouldn't. But I am fully prepared to have a chat with him about stranger danger when he's old enough to understand. My view is, no harm at this age (unless the person is clearly uncomfortable with talking to a child and are irritated by it) but one to watch for the future.

Should have said, DS still likes to be able to see us and soon feels out of his depth if he can't. This I think is a good thing.

My DD1 is the same, she's 4 and within minutes has been known to tell complete strangers her life history. She's very trusting but everyone who cares for her knows it, and we all keep a close eye on her.

I do talk to her regularly about not bothering every single person we see, and not everyone wants to hear about our last holiday in excruciating detail ("and then we had lunch, and there was a fly, and I said 'No fly!' and daddy tried to hit it and he missed and... and...") but it's taking time for the message to get through. It will eventually, it has to!