Toddler cries when other toddler cries or screams

[HoneyBunnii]

Hello everyone hope you are all looking forward to some pleasant Easter holidays.. i'm going to get straight to the point with my toddler problem.

He is 22 months old and very playful at home and among older kids, but whenever i take him to gatherings where there are other small children he is okay until one of them screams or starts crying and this then sets off my toddler and he wont stop and clings to me.
My sister has told me that i should just let him cry it out rather than cuddling him because he needs to stop being so super sensitive but i feel guilty 🥺
When he turned 1 i used to take him to toddler classes once a week and he seemed unphased by other children screaming or crying and would ignore them (he was discovering the world around him at that time as he just started walking).
I dont know what to do.. i dont want him to be a push over or a mamas boy 😫
Does anyone have any advice for me?
He seems to be okay and playing with toys etc. Whilst surrounded by toddlers as long as nobody screams or cries.
It sometimes feels as though he is frightened of other toddlers or something.

I thought this was normal? It’s a contagion behaviour. Apparently it’s rooted in empathy, but he’s not behaving outside the norm imo.

don’t know why you wouldn’t comfort and reassure him still though, that seems very weird.

as with most things in childhood it’s just a phase. It’ll be gone soon enough.

Identify the emotion to him, comfort briefly then move on?
'

I think it's a good sign that he recognises emotion so deeply in others. Please don't withdraw affection as you think by comforting him might make him a 'mamas boy'! He's so young. Give him cuddles, reassure him and then distract him with something else.

Don't worry OP, this is a normal phase, it's about discovering other people's emotions. It's fine to cuddle him and reassure him until he grows out of this phase.

Your sister is a shit parent. This is a normal developmental process. He is recognising strong emotions in others, which is triggering big feelings in him. It is your job to notice, label the emotions and then show him how to regulate so he can feel safe and in control again. Leaving him to cry is so awful don't listen to her.

I dont leave him to cry it out because i would feel terrible.. i just pick him up and cuddle him and tell him it is okay and that the child is crying because he/ she fell etc. but then the way everyone else looks at me makes me feel like i am doing something wrong because their kids dont react like that🙁kinda like a party pooper.
If i distract him with nursery rhymes etc on my phone (he rarely gets to use the phone/tablet) when he is having a cry over another child he tends to calm down instantly though.
He is my first child so thats why i get alittle lost in regards to what is normal and what isnt and feel pressure from others if he gets upset over things that i dont know he should be getting upset over.
It is reassuring to know that this is normal though and i will continue to give him a cuddle whenever he gets upset until he calms down