My Son FREAKS Out in New Situations

This is very normal. He just has no way of communicating that he is frightened, nervous, uneasy and just needs to be comforted.

This would have happened even without the shot. It is their age.

Just keep doing what you are doing. Hold him and speak calmly. Try to distract him and stay as calm as possible.

It is a phase. Some children will always be shy or have trouble in transitions that are unfamiliar and some kids will go with the flow.. It is their individual personalities.

Maybe he was used to staying at daycare and now thinks you are going to leave him in a strange place. This is an age where they get clingly and usually gets better in a short time.

the 15-18 month age range is when toddlers usually get the clingiest, i would just keep doing what you're doing and it will pass

Its a phase.
No worries.

Babies and children, DO still go through various developmental phases of separation-anxiety and stranger anxiety.
It will be expressed different, per the age of the child.
It is normal.
It is developmental based.

I would be more worried, if a child did not go through that. Then that would mean, that development is not, on par.
This was actually told to me, by a Pediatrician.

Kids this age... do NOT "socialize" nor play interactively. They only do what is called "Parallel Play." It is developmental based. Look it up online.

There is no worry.

It is the age. It will get better. Cannot do more than what you are doing.
Hang in. Better days are coming.

My oldest went through this horribly between 16-20 mths. I was being paged out every sunday sometimes 2-3 times at church. He even flipped at my parents house, my in-laws--basically anywhere he could potentially be left. We eventually stopped going to church, and stopped leaving my son with the grandparents. His teeth finally finished cutting through and right around the 21 month age he was a different kid.

He'd just run into any situation not even look back and take off and do his own thing. This hasn't changed a bits since, and he's now 3.5 yrs. In fact, I was just complaining to my hubby I don't even get a 'good bye Mommy'. He just goes, he's very secure, and ready to explore.

It's a phase, could be separation anxiety, could be teething. Just keep what you're doing I'm sure he'll revert back in no time!

It sounds like you are doing a great job of trying to alieve his fears by preparing him. just continue to let him have time to warm up to a new situation. It is likely just a phase, unfortunately phases aren't always easy to get through.

i would say that the transition from daycare to home may be part of it; did he ever go to the eye doctor with you when he was in day care? probably not. he went to the same place every morning and saw the same people. day care is very routine and predictable-- stay at home moms run all over the place and have much more flexibility. (something i LOVE!!!) but it may be confusing for him.

Of course most children are all unique in their fears and communication skills, and like the previous comments it may just be him adjusting in his own way. However, if you feel this is not typical behavior or something feels 'wrong', you may not want to play the "wait it out game. " You can speak with your pediatrican about seeing an Occupational Therapist to ascertain whether your child possibly displays signs of Sensory Integration/Sensory Processing issues. My child has recently been diagnosed with this as well as High-Functioning Autism. I played the "wait it out game" before which only delayed my child getting proper help and therapy to aid him in these types of tantrums. These are relatively new conditions and not all doctors will be supportive, however your child's health and safety are more important than feeling 'ashamed' of being the over-sensitive mother or ego-mom. Good luck! =)