During these months, your child sometimes may seem like two
separate babies. First there’s the one who’s open, affectionate,
and outgoing with you. But then there’s another who’s anxious,
clinging, and easily frightened around unfamiliar people or
objects. Some people may tell you that your child is fearful or
shy because you’re “spoiling” her, but don’t believe it. Her
widely diverse behavior patterns aren’t caused by you or your
parenting style; they occur because she’s now, for the first
time, able to tell the difference between familiar and
unfamiliar situations. If anything, the predictable anxieties of
this period are evidence of her healthy relationship with you.
Anxiety around strangers is usually one of the first emotional
milestones your baby will reach. You may think something is
wrong when this child of yours who, at the age of three months,
interacted calmly with people she didn’t know is now beginning
to tense up when strangers come too close. This is normal for
this age, and you need not worry.