Is baby shy or is it a phase?

[MelNess]

Hello. My 13 month old is a happy, chatty boy who babbles away to me and his dad and his grandparents all the time. But when we meet new people (especially men) he freezes up and clings to me and won’t smile/won’t say anything. He even does this to his other grandparents and aunties/uncles although he hasn’t been seeing them as much due to pandemic. He will eventually warm up but it takes a good 30 minutes. This has been since he was about 10 months old but before that he would smile and chat to everyone we met! I don’t know why I’m worried about him being shy as I’ll love and support him no matter what but I also want him to be outgoing for his own sake and for other people to see his lovely personality...
Have any of you found your baby/toddler has gone through a clingy/fear of strangers phase and come out the other side?

My daughters similar, I think they just reach an age where they are aware of who is a stranger and who is someone familiar

Yeah I think this is the case. I think I have a bit of anxiety about it and should just wait and see how it turns out!

My son was the same, I think all toddlers go through this especially after lockdowns. My son is 16 months now and he's starting to be less clingy and shy, especially as he can now walk and communicate his needs better so I think he feels more independent.

Or he’s shy. I have a shy child. He was a shy baby, a shy toddler and is a shy 9 year old. He’s kind and clever and has lots of friends. He’s never going to be the heart and soul of a party- that’s just who he is. His sibling is a total party animal.

It's totally normal, at this age, it is a development phase as they realise they are an individual and get separation anxiety etc. don't worry about it.
And as pp says, some people are shy, maybe he is more reserved and that's fine.
Don't apologise for his being shy when he is withdrawing from someone, there is nothing wrong it, respect his boundaries