19 Month Old Freaking Out!

My daughter went through it too at the same age but she will out grow it. My daughter is 23 months and is much better than at 19 months, she is still nervous but does not scream like she use to.

Could be a phase, but might be something more. For our daughter it was more, but only time will tell. As our daughter got older, it was obvious that this was an anxiety disorder, but it had to come down to a point where she could not function normally and it effected all areas of her life, and until you get to that point, all you can do is to either avoid these situations or to try and make them as short as possible. I wanted to get our daughter a button to wear that said "don't talk to me, I am afraid of you" because people would talk to her in the grocery store and she would not quit crying until we left, I was dead if someone spoke to her in the produce section! Hope it gets better, but if it gets worse, please don't hesitate to treat her. While no one wants to treat a child for this kind of disorder, it works wonders and they do get better (and are not zombies or guine pigs!) Treatment truly helped our daughter, and now she is doing very well.

M.

Very normal. My grandson who goes everywhere with me. He hates drs because he has had to see them a lot. When I go and with my health troubles I go allot. He cries like crazy. He even hates to go to the Pharmacy. He started out loving to go. But I went to the ER once with Mom and him and now He thinks we are there for him. I usually take him in the stroller since I cannot lift him and I have been falling so I don't want to hurt him by dropping him. I can only get him to hush by saying they aren't going to touch him and pushing him around till my turn. I think he thinks we are leaving. He's usually fine once we are in the exam room and he doesn't see his drs.
On the down side my oldest son was so friendly with others including strangers I was scared he would go with anyone. I was even told once to watch him extra carefully as it could happen quicker than you think. Thank God nothing ever happened. I think it's just a phaze or at least we hope he grows out of it.

i went through the same with my daughter around that age. every time she had a doctor's appt. she would scream and cry for just the littlest things like checking her heart or getting her height and weight. i never understood it, but when she went to get blood taken once, she didn't make a peep! she'll be 4 in november and is fine now, she just grew out of it. i guess she just went through a little phase, i don't know. but hang in there, it'll get better :)

Unfortunately this is completely normal. I went through it with my sons. I would ease the doctor visits by taking my son's stuffed piggy. Our doctor was wonderful and would check everything on piggy first and then my son. It worked and would ease the situation. Carrying along their favorite lovee worked some. Just have to keep your eye on it some that it does not get lost. With my son it lasted for 4-6 months. With our neice it lasted for a year and a half. Good Luck.

Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety usually peaks between 18-20 months. So it's too early to worry about it. Just be aware of the situation and plan for it. Avoid some situations if you can (cut her hair at home, etc) but not completely. The more she has positive interactions with strangers, the more quickly she'll get over it but don't overwhelm her, either.

For something like the doctor that you can't avoid, talk with her ahead of time. Explain in detail what will happen, who will be there, etc. While there, remain calm. That's the hardest to do but the most important. Kids can pick up on your anxiety and if you start to get flustered because of her behavior, it'll just escalate. If it's something like getting feet measured, just go to the store and talk with the salesperson. Offer to let her play with the measuring thingy. Don't even attempt to measure her. Come back another day and try the measuring.

Good luck, like everything else kid-related it's a phase and then you'll be on to some other challenging aspect of parenting. :-)

It is probably that she is entering the terrible two stage which is when her independence drive really kicks in. It may be that she just does not want to cooperate. Anything you can do to encourage her in making decisions will help. If she doesn't want the person in the store to measure ask her if she would like you to measure her or have the person measure your foot first.It is a good thing to give options.

Totally normal for this age. It may take about six months for her to overcome this and somtimes it is longer. If you can do these things (measure her foot, fingerprint her) the strangers are doing it will relieve some of her fear but it is normal and to be expected. She is right on track developmentally; it is part of learning that she is an individual separate from her parents or caregivers. Hang in there you are doing a great job!

Sounds very normal to me.
My daughter has actually developed more stranger anxiety (25 months) as she has gotten older. She does great one on one, as soon as we are in public, she wants to be by my side or on my lap.I cuddle her at first, then encourage her to explore and play with others.
My son has no problem in any public situation (15months) but when we're home, he wants to sit on me, he wants me in the same room, he cries if I walk out of the room.
Mostly if he's a little tired but still exhausting ;)

I am enjoying this phase as I know that very soon they'll be pushing me away ;)

I try to keep them both socialized by doing 2 to 3 activities during the week. However, I am 35 wks pregnant so I get tired easily and they won't be getting out much after the baby is born in November (also cold) so I also have to teach them to play happily at home ;)

I didn't have this problem but my sister did with my niece. She wouldn't even come to family. she freaked out and clung to my sister anytime any body came near her. Doctor visits were horrible! But she eventually outgrew it and she is now the social butterfly of the family. All my sister did was just tell her she was fine, introduced people to her and put up with her "freaking out". There's not really much you can do but wait for her to out grow this phase.
Good luck!