How do I support my toddler who is terrified of people?

He is 22 months old and is afraid of unfamiliar adults (he is fine with children). In adult social gatherings, he hides behind me or his arms/hands. If someone he is unfamiliar with says hello or speaks to him he bursts into tears and clings to me.He is a very sensitive boy which we consider to be a wonderful trait, we don’t ever see it as negative. We consciously never say he is “shy”, only telling people he takes a while to warm up so they don’t get all up in his face. We never push him into situations he is clearly not comfortable in, never force him to be held by someone he doesn’t know and always reassure him that it’s ok to feel like this. He can play on his own as long as no one approaches him then once he has sussed out the situation (at least 1-2hrs) he comes out of his shell. Once he is comfortable, he is more open to calm, gentle approaches from adults. Any loud boisterous people freak him out.I understand this is all fairly normal. I am an introvert and I see myself in him a lot of the time. I just want to know if we are taking the right approach and is there anything else we can do to make him feel safe and secure in social situations? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2XoXc2h