Daughter crying at people?

[Ilovemybaby91]

Has anyone else had this with their child? My daughter is 8 & 1/2 months & will just sob uncontrollably if a stranger talks to her. It's not always strangers... there's a few family members too... uncles, & a grandad that she seems petrified of & even after being around them for hours she'll still scream if they talk to her & keeps an eye on them across the room with this concerned look! It does seem to be mostly men... but she has done it to women too. Is this a phase?! Is she a shy child?! Honestly it's getting a bit embarrassing I know it's going to happen when a well meaning person says hello & im just waiting for her to scream in their face!

Quite normal, don’t worry!

DD1 did it and now I have to refrain her from asking everyone their name when we’re out. She’s nearly 3.

refrain her? I’ve not even had any

Totally normal! Mine did this until about 14 months and I used to get so embarrassed. Now he is a complete extrovert and will talk to anyone.

Ahhh that's lovely ladies thank you. I was hoping it's just a young baby thing & it'll pass! I guess some faces she just doesn't like

My DD is much better now at 15 months but there are two close relatives who she seems to hate with a passion.

koalab lol same here. Her dads brother & my mums partner (step grandad) for some reason they're just absolutely terrifying. Feel a bit bad for them both!

Around 8 months is when they start getting separation anxiety too isn't it? I think they're just starting to realise then that people are all separate entities who behave differently and come and go. Because it's not like an 8 month old will realise what you mean when you say 'Uncle Dave's visiting us today' or 'Aunty Emma is leaving soon' but they all seem to just come and go. Especially if she doesn't see them very often, they may be just a vague figure in her mind who isn't mum or dad but who act familiar with her because they know her well if you see what I mean? It will very likely pass. If not she might be a bit shy but there's not really anything wrong with that!

Standard baby operating procedure. I am still emotionally scarred from being given a friend's similar ages baby to hold a couple of years before I had my own - I thought I'd broken her

I guessed your DC's age before I read your OP.

Perfectly normal and often starts at around 9 months.
Its difficult but its a normal developmental stage.

It's a normal stage of stranger anxiety, don't worry!

Tell people she's teething. They'll immediately be sympathetic rather than offended - though if they are offended by a baby then they are really rather odd in the first place!

At 17 months DC no longer cries, but will rest his head on my shoulder to watch someone if they talk to him while clinging very firmly to my top. I don't think he's scared as he does it to cashiers but still takes things that they hand him once scanned and doesn't seem too concerned. Sometimes strangers hand him other things and he will take them but immediately put his head back on my shoulder to stare at them.

@samewitches your comment made me LOL, because the uncle that makes her cry is uncle dave lol. She has 2 uncle daves... go figure ay? Such a typical British uncle name!! But what you're saying is so true they do act very familiar when they don't see her all that often...

@spudlet lol! Bless you... I think if I handed her to these people she'd have a full on breakdown. I held a ladies baby at babygroup the other day & he was fine until I did my usual loud cackle right in his ear & he screamed the place down. Poor love, I felt so bad. I guess DD is used to my cackle she doesn't flinch!

@firstmrs thank you... I had thought as much. Although she's been doing this for a good month now... but the separation anxiety has just become noticeable. She cries when ever I leave the room... very sweet, never felt so loved

My DS is 10mo now and has been doing this from about 7mo. He doesn't do it to everyone though. He was absolutely fine with my sis when she visited at Christmas (last time she visited he was 2w), but will cry whenever he sees my Nana, which is every week. Doesn't cry when one of my friends visits every few months, but cries when he sees my mil every month, and whenever the rest of my friends visit. Totally random.

Not sure if it's useful but my poor DP has a face that most babies seem to instantly dislike :(

I can't fathom it. He is perfectly nice looking, no glasses, big teeth, odd hair, proportions or anything out of the ordinary.

He is a gentle person and does a normal open, smiley hello like most people do to babies. He doesn't lean in, ham it up, talk too loudly or do anything distressing. But babies always start crying when they see him. Just has one of those faces I suppose!

He never takes it personally and I'm sure people don't take it to heart when your baby cries either. At that age, they can get away with setting their own social rules!