2Yo with Social Anxiety?

Poor guy. He just sounds overwhelmed. Basic seperation anxiety. Not all children are stereotyical two year old in terms of being loud boisterous little boys. He is proabbaly very sensitive and really dependent on his schedule. Instead of focusing on his anxiety this week, try focusing on how brave he is being. He is just a baby. Try making things a little more peaceful for him. He has a different temperment than you are used to. Make sure his parents know how hard a time he is having and ask if there are some things that might help. It's not an attack to try to make him more comfortable, but I wouldn't assume there is a thing wrong with him based on these limited interactions.

I wouldn't call it social anxiety, but he could be more sensitive than average to sound. Lots of kids have some degree of sensory integration issues, with light, sound, movement, touch, tastes, textures. Also, if you've ever watched a boxful of puppies or kittens, you'll notice that some are bold and adventurous, some are extremely timid, and some need to watch a situation cautiously before they'll join in.

He's probably within the range of "normal," and just not used to the noise level in your home – plus, he was away from his mom and dad in a new house. That could definitely freak some babies out. And if he's feeling tense and anxious, he probably can't eat – his tummy is tied up in knots.

If you plan to go on sitting him, he'll probably eventually adjust, but it could be a long and painful adjustment unless you can offer him extra tenderness and reassurance throughout the day. I think I was a baby like this, and my mom would not accept my shyness as my basic personality, and always forced me into terribly uncomfortable social situations to make me more "normal." In my memory, that never went well.

It sounds to me more like separation anxiety from his dad or mom. It might be a tad extreme, but it mostly sounds normal. My daughter is 3.5 and hates loud noises, always has. So if she was already nervous about being away from me and there was screaming, running, door slamming, etc. she'd probably freak. If you haven't had him to your place, alone, for a while, I think this is just his way of coping. I really wouldn't worry though.

He is young so it may be the beginnings of social anxiety but it more likely have to do with sensory issues. Usually kids with sensory issues will have socail anxiety or just plain anxiety. This is something to watch for as he gets older and has more experiences.

I agree that he may just be overwhelmed and out-of-sorts. I doubt that it's social anxiety. Maybe he needs a little more quiet activity and O.-on-O. with you? Poor little guy. Good luck!

More likely that it is just his personality. Some babies are slow to warm up to new situations and people. A big birthday party can really freak him out, as can a different house, noisy kids (I assume he doesn't have older siblings?), dog, etc. It does sound like he is slowly warming up to your house - not crying as much. Hopefully he will usually have a regular babysitter (you mention it's just this week for you - does he go from one family member to another week by week? that's hard on any kid, especially one who's slow to warm up).

It sounds like a sensory issue. Just to much all at once, it's normal but varies greatly from one kid to the next. Just do the best you can to keep things calm and keep a routine while he is there, so he knows what is going on.