Why are babies strangers?

This is how the alienation begins

Does your child no longer smile at everyone? Does it start screaming anxiously if strangers approach it or pick it up? Then the alien phase began . The phase in which babies strangers usually begins at the age of six to eight months, with some children even later, and lasts a few months. It is also called “eight month anxiety” because of the time it occurs.

signs of alienation

Fearful screaming in the presence of strangers is the clearest sign of strangers. Your child also wants to be around you all the time and generally distrusts or dislikes strangers. In some cases, this also occurs with supposedly familiar people. Your child really clings to you and fears any separation from you. The familiarity of your sight, your smell and your closeness are now very important to him. If mom is out of sight, it can even lead to panic attacks.

Strangers are a natural protective mechanism

You don’t have to worry if your child is a stranger. But on the contrary. Being strangers is a natural developmental step and a sign of healthy, emotional maturation. In a phase in which your child explores its environment more and more, for example by beginning its first attempts at crawling, nature has built in this protective mechanism that protects your child from danger and disappointment. The child becomes attached to the parents who care for them physically and psychologically and develops distrust of strangers. Your child’s growing ability to visually distinguish familiar people from strangers also plays a role in strangers. A greater fear of adults than of children, or of men than of women, can often be observed. Men with beards often frighten a child more than a shaved man.

The stranger phase is different for every child: Some strangers hardly ever or for a short time, for others it lasts longer. Children who are used to a lot of social contacts , such as children from large families , usually do not alienate so much.

behavior when strangers

You should definitely respect your child’s will during the stranger phase. So don’t let him hold other people’s arms when he cries, and offer him lots of comfort and protection. stay close to him. Your child needs to realize that they can rely on you.

Relatives and friends should not monopolize the child too much, but should be reserved. Careful contact and patience are required if you want to avoid anxious reactions and gain the child’s sympathy.