Stranger Anxiety

Stranger anxiety is a form of distress that children experience when exposed to an unfamiliar person, typically peaking between six and twelve months of age and sometimes recurring until around twenty-four months, and it can occur even while the child remains with a trusted caregiver. It is considered a normal part of child development, though as children grow older it can make them hesitant to play with unfamiliar peers, and foster children who experienced early neglect are considered especially at risk. Researchers describe the anxiety as rooted in fear of the unknown, with the intensity of a child's reaction shaped by factors such as the stranger's height, gender and physical distance from the child, and it tends to ease when a trusted caregiver interacts calmly and positively with the stranger in the child's presence.