Imagine being in a small body which anyone can pickup and carry around.
Not a very exciting thought for most grown-up people, correct? Now imagine discovering new things each day - not every one of them very pleasant or easy to understand.
Wouldn't you be a little apprehensive? But this is just what a toddler is going through.
At this age, your baby is becoming increasingly aware of her world.
She is discovering lot of facts like 'needle is sharp', 'falling on the ground hurts' - not always in a pleasant way.
She is small enough, so people do pick her up and carry her to various places - not always with her prior permission! She still depends on you for most of her needs - food, bath, and dressing up, for instance - so she knows she is not yet capable of doing all that elders do.
Add to all this her newly developing imagination and memory retention power which is confusing her little brain.
It is only natural that your baby might start getting scared of various real or imaginary things at this age.
As a parent you are the best help she can get.
Here are some easy tips on how to deal with your baby's fears: Treat "monsters under the bed" with respect! Fear itself is difficult for your child to handle, do not add ridicule to the turmoil.
Treat her fears with respect - just like you would want other grown up people to deal with your feelings.
Understand what she has to say with patience.
Talk to her in a setting where she knows she is safe from the object of fear.
For a child who is afraid of the dark, it will be difficult to talk about it at night.
During the day, when she knows it is safe, it will be easier to discuss.
Reassure her that she is not the only one going through the scary feeling.
There are others who have been afraid of the dark and have overcome their fears.
Explore the object of fear together and understand its true behavior.
My little daughter was scared of mannequins.
Taking her shopping often meant we carried her around places adorned with mannequins, if we could not avoid them altogether.
One day, my husband decided to risk making a scene and took her near one of the "big dolls".
He explained to her why they were kept.
"So that Diya can see different clothes and how to wear them", he said.
Together they explored the plastic faces and hands, false hair; talked to a sales person about how he dressed them up.
Diya realized that they were harmless after all.
Seek innovative solutions together Often, you can find very simple solution to the fears of your baby.
For a child afraid of the dark, a glow friend in her bedroom or a night lamp can offer a big help.
For kids who are shy or afraid of speaking to a group, a little practice in family settings can provide encouragement and confidence.
For kids scared of the clowns, a visit to the make-up room of a circus will explain that, after all, it is only a normal looking person under the big red nose and bulging eyes.
Don't frighten or pass on your fears If you or any of your family members tell kids things like, "Don't go near the dog, it will bite you" you might have a toddler who runs to your lap every time she sees a dog around.
Kids should be taught to exercise caution around animals, always, but simply instilling fear, without providing advice on how to avoid mishaps, will not help.
Here, you have passed on your fears to the little one and left her clueless on how to defend herself! Another common mistake is to use 'fear factor' to control your child's behavior.
Doing this does not provide any benefit except may be temporary.
In the long term you would have bargained a temporary tantrum for either permanent fear or couldn't-care-less attitude.
Instead, explain in a reasonable way to your child why she should or should not do something.
This habit of looking for a reason will also help develop the analytical skills of your baby.
Practice safety rules Teach your baby to handle things safely - be it pets, fireworks or swings on the playground.
A child who has "learnt" how to deal with pets safely is far less likely to irritate a dog and get bitten.
Similarly, is you spend time teaching your baby how to play safely on the playground, you'll save yourself hours of needless worrying when she is out playing all by herself.
However, in spite of your best efforts, there will still be times when your baby gets hurt by something and starts to demonstrate reluctance or fear towards that thing.
Like it happened to me.
My baby was scared of swings, so I decided to show her it is perfectly safe by swinging myself.
Unfortunately, I lost my foothold and fell in front of her, confirming her fears.
But I did not give up - I laughed out loud about my own fall and got back on the swing.
My actions taught her that it is OK to fall, OK to laugh at yourself.
Next time we went to the park, she (hesitantly, at first) but did give it a try and realized that she did enjoy it after all! Finally, more than all these tips and tricks, it is important to remember that as your baby grows, you cannot accompany her each and every minute.
Her best defense will be how you teach her to face various situations.
After all parents are our first teachers in life, isn't it?