Understanding your baby’s new anxieties… 7months+

BABY’S GROWING AWARENESS

As your baby’s social world expands, and she reaches a certain level of awareness and understanding of other people, she will start to develop new anxieties. This is a normal, healthy stage in development, but can be quite trying for parents. From six months onwards, fear of strangers really starts to kick in. An up-to-now very sociable and confident baby can, almost overnight, turn into a fearful and clingy child. But it’s only a temporary phase that all babies have to pass through as they learn about their world. This period definitely calls for extra patience. Give your baby lots of encouragement and plenty of time to adjust to new situations or people. Be aware that even those she has met on several occasions, such as relatives or friends, might be greeted with trepidation or even tears. Right now, she feels the need at each meeting to reassess them and their place in her world. It may be a good idea to warn visitors about your baby’s current sensitivity to strangers. Rather than scooping her up and covering her with kisses the instant they walk through the door, they should give her the opportunity to come to them, on her own terms, once she feels confident and comfortable enough to do so.

SEPARATION TROUBLES

Along with a weariness of strangers, at some point in the next six months your baby is likely to experience a stage when she finds it particularly hard to be separated from you. She will cling to you at every opportunity and burst into tears if you so much as leave the room. Again, this is not an indication of a permanent, new personality trend. It is precisely because she is taking an ever-greater role in the world, that she starts to fear separation so much. You are her safety base, the one thing she absolutely relies on – you give her the confidence to venture out and explore. When you’re out of sight, she cannot be sure that you’ll ever return, and she feels rather lost. So her best protection is to ensure you do not leave her side! Try to see things from her point of view. This will help you cope with what can be a difficult and frustrating time for parents. If you need to leave your baby once separation anxiety sets in, talk reassuringly to her about your impending absence. She will not necessarily understand everything you say, but she’ll respond to your calm, confident tone. And, whenever possible, try to leave her with people she knows well, until you’re sure she’s overcome her fear of strangers.

Source: Pampers Newsletter (Your Baby, Month 7)