13 Month Old Not Affraid of Strangers.

C.,
My daughter will be 17 in 2 weeks and was NEVER afraid of strangers. She would walk up to people in a store and say "Hold me"! I was mortified and scared at first because we lived in Wash DC. She is healthy , happy and I would not be too worried about something being wrong with her. As she gets older, she'll set her own limits. I think it means she has a big heart and will be very loving like my daughter. My opinion is she is beautiful inside and out!

I have two children that are exactly the same way. My oldest is seven so I cant say it is somthing she is gonna outgrow. I just stress to my children daily that we are not to talk to strangers. This has worked and now they usually just talk to people if we are waiting in line for something. Right now I wouldnt worry too much about it she is at an age that she is expressing herself and she wants to be noticed heard. When she gets about 3 or 4 is when you really need to stress to her the dangers of strangers. When she is old enough to understand.

My daughter will be 2 next month.... at about 12-13 months she started being a social butterfly with strangers too... and sort of still is.. she is very shy around people I want her to know but very excited around strangers.. I've noticed though in the past few months she's starting to shy away from that too.. Maybe she will grow out of it but I think its normal.. they just like attention, in my opinion.

I am so relieved that tehre are other moms with this going on!!! My daughter (almost 4) will go up to anyone, she thinks everyone is related to her...I have explained strangers to her but she now thinks that if you ask their name they are nolonger strangers, I love that she is friendly but it worries me also!! But at the same time I dont want her to think everyone is bad and not talk to anyone...all I do is just keep a close tabs on her she is always holding my hand even to go to the mail box, and at stores she will probobly have to sit in the cart until she is 13...lol...cause she will just talk to anyone, but as far as something wrong with her,,,no way she just has the innocence we all loose and she loves people...so dont worry!

Dear C.,
Your child is normal!! Stranger anxiety can pop up at about anytime. Be thankful you have a fearless child!! My son is the same way and has been since he was tiny and he is a happy, healthy child who just needs an eye on him at all times because he is very busy.Good luck!! K.

i don't think it means that there is anything really wrong.neither of my kids have ever been very afraid of strangers.my 11 months little girl does have some serious seperation anxiety,but is ok with strangers if i'm around,usually.my 5 year old little boy on the other hand has never really had either seperation anxiety or stranger anxiety.as long as you constantly remind her as she gets older about the dangers of strangers it shouldn't be a problem.it probably only means that she is very secure and trusts that you will keep her safe.not all babies and toddlers go through that stage.every child is a little different.be glad that you probably won't have any problems leaving her with a babysitter.my 11 month old considers me her life support system!lol..i have yet to be able to leave her with a baby sitter other than my husband.oh well..i know she'll get over it eventually.so don't worry.i'm sure she is just fine and her lack of anxiety is probably just a show of trust.

There's nothing wrong with your baby, she's just social. Some kids are shy, some are social butterflies. Fear of strangers is mostly a learned response, and she hasn't learned that one yet.

Follow her lead, you may meet some new and interesting people :)

There is nothing wrong with your daughter mine is the same way, she is just social. My daughter can walk up to anyone and say hi or bye she is only 17 mths old and has done it as long as I can remember. She blows kisses to strangers in the grocery store and walks up to people pulling into their driveways to say hi. At this age I don't want my daughter to be a afraid of people or create any anxiety in her. I love the fact that she is social and I am slowly trying to teach her about strangers and that it is ok to talk to them as long as I am there. When your daughter is a little bit older you need to teach her not to go with strangers but don't make her afraid to live. It sounds like she has a great personality like my daughter and that will help her in life. Being social is very important to make friends in school to succeed in a career, love her for who she is. It is so nice to see how my daughter can make anyone smile in a grocery store, on the street just by saying hi to them or blowing them a kiss that is really special and that is what makes her such a great person. I don't want her to lose that but I do want to teach her not to go up to cars when I am not around etc but right now she is so young that it will take awhile before she can even understand that concept. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful daughter!

I know you've already had lots of responses, but I saw your question and just had to respond. God blessed me with a little girl in 1991 (& 2000 & 2006, so now I have 3!). Anyway, she never met any strangers. I had a hard time teaching her about "stranger-danger". She loved everyone. She talked and cooed to everybody! (She actually met ONE guy when she was 10 months old and cried when he picked her up. We KNEW to stay AWAY from him! HAHA!) Anyway, I was so worried about her loving everyone that I was afraid for her. I prayed and asked God to doubly protect her from harm. He gave me a feeling of assurance that this would be something that she would use later as she grew up. Today, she is 16 and still loves everybody. People can tell that she loves them and they come to her and talk to her about their troubles or even just to chitchat. They can tell that she loves them no matter who they are, what their lifestyle is, or their race, or wealth, or whatever. She loves. People need love. People need unconditional love. She gives them that. God gives her strength. Enjoy your bundle of blessed joy! Rejoice in the love she gives to everyone. God bless & keep you.

My son is almost two and he is the same way. Don't worry about it because he definitely knows mommy and knows I'm not suppose to go with anyone that's not mommy or grandma or friends of mommy. The child knows I wouldn't worry but I still keep an eye on my son. He will let people hold him and walk around with them (of course I know them but they are not close friends) and he will start to ask for me after a little bit. Their just being friendly and not afraid. I always believe if you put fear into a child he will be clingy and fearful of things he shouldn't be and that could be bad for you, mommy. He won't be outgoing, or have high self esteem if I limit him.

Do you feel me a little?
I hope so, take care.

My daughter is probably the most outgoing little girl but she really gets that from me. At 13 mos. she just wants to be friendly. It's when she is older that you teach her about strangers and what to do when approached etc. But right now I think she is trying to is find her niche in this world. But as she gets older you can teach her right from and wrong. But she is completely normal!

C.

I wouldn't worry about it. I have a 3 year old and a 13 month old...neither of which ever had stranger anxiety and both are just fine. I think it shows good socialization of your daughter on your part. BUT, as your daughter gets older and more independent you'll have to really discuss "strangers" and the need for her to stay near you in public places. Good luck.

My daughter now 3, was very friendly around your daughter's age but now she is very shy until she has been around you for a good 30 minutes. Even my brother who is a marine and is stationed in CA, she takes a while to warm up and talk to him.
So she may outgrow this, until then, Just keep a really close eye on her.

C.,

Hi! When my daughter was your little girls age she walked right up to a lady with her son in Babies R US, gave the boy a hug and grabbed the ladies leg and smiled at the both of them. I thought oh great this isn't good but them 1 month later this guy came up to her just to say that she was cute and she grabbed on to me and looked at the guy like he was alien. There are some people that she will look at an others she won't so it just might be the age that your little girl is at now? It's kind of a catch 22 cause you don't want them to scream their heads off when a stranger says hi but yet on he other hand you don't want them to just walk up to anyone. If she just started doing it call your pediatrcian and see what they say. I always call my pediatrician about everything to the point when I say Hello they know it's me.

I hope this helped I am also a single mom if you ever just want to talk reply to this email and we will exchange email address if you would like to.

Good Luck,
R. J.