Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Stephen is 8 months also and does the very same thing to people.  He
    has no problem going to people he sees alot, but anyone who hasn't spent
    alot of time with him over the past few months, he will take one look
    at them and start crying.  We left him with some friends one evening
    while his dad and I went to the movies, and apparently he cried almost
    the entire time he was there.  I felt bad for leaving him there, but we
    need some time for us once in a while.  When we arrived back at the
    friends house he was clinging to me like a little monkey.  I had to
    just about peel him off of me to put him in the car seat.
    
    I would also be interested in any ideas on this subject.
    
    Kathy

    Does your neighbor wear a particular perfume or strongly scented
    deoderant that's different from yours?  
    
    My neice would scream bloody murder when my grandmother picked her up.  
    We finally figured out that Gram wore the same perfume all the time 
    (white shoulders) and no one else in the family ever wore it.  Rachel
    didn't like it one bit!  Rachel's 3 now, and that perfume doesn't seem
    to bother her much (she still thinks it's "stinky") but seems to have a
    very sensitive sense of smell.  If you need someone to find that
    potatoe that fell out of the bag before it's too noticeable....!
    
    Conni

	Not to discourage you, but Matthew lived in a backpack on my back
	from about 8 months to 12 months.  He also cried for 8 straight
	hours one time when we went to a wedding and left him with his
	grandparents. We had a friend who ate breakfast with us every
	Tuesday morning for years including Matthew's infancy, and
	Matthew suddenly started getting hysterical when Dick would
	walk into the kitchen.  Matthew did grow out of it however, and
	although a little on the shy side, is quite friendly.  Can't
	offer any real suggestions -- I opted to just accomodate him
	though this phase.  Good luck.

	Eileen

    Ryan did the same thing from about 6-9 months with one of my neighbors
    - whom we saw virtually every day. It seemed to be primarily with blond
    women, oddly enough....  
    
    Ask the neighbor not to look at your child directly - we found that if
    Ryan was doing the looking, rather than having someone stare or smile
    at him directly, it gave him time to adjust to that person's presence -
    basically we'd ask people to ignore him when they first came in the
    house. And his stranger anxiety was quite strong for a good 3-4 months.
    
    It does pass.
    

    Thanks for the replies.  I'm laughing to myself as I read them.  Guess
    we'll just grin and bear it. The neighbor understands, and I'm sure
    this will all work out soon enough.
    
    Mary

    Does she wear glasses?  Babies are very attentive to differences like
    that, they can't understand yet what they are.
    
    

    Interestingly enough, I wear contacts.  On the occasional days that I
    put on glasses Ellen stares at me for the longest time.  I have worn
    them enough so she recognizes me - I think - but maybe she doesn't like
    them on strangers. I'll check this out.  I don't believe the neighbor
    wears glasses.

    I remember that my son at this age was very partial to dark-haired
    women (I was miffed -- I'm blonde). Conversely, he had no use for
    any men except his father and grandfather. If he saw a man with a
    beard or bushy hair he would look alarmed, then turn away and cry.
    There's no explaining it or doing anything about it, really.
    
    Lucy

    
    Tanner is 8 months also, and he is pretty good with strangers except
    the father of one of the kids at daycare.  When ever he walks into the
    house to pick up his son, Tanner sceamss, turns away and clings to my
    sitter.  Kinda weird.