Shy toddler

Moms of shy toddlers or anyone with experience in child development/teaching. Please share your advice.My son is 2.5 and I’ve noticed he is shy when we are in social settings compared to other toddlers his age. He’s slow to warm up and takes his time to join in especially when there are a lot of kids. Most of the time he ends up playing but not always. There are times when I know he’s eager to play (like when they hand out shakers to all the kids at music time, he’s so excited and jumping up and down but hangs back until all the other kids have taken one). He’s also timid, for example if another kid takes a toy from him or pushes him aside on the playground, he won’t do anything and usually just looks to me for help. He stays home full time with me and hasn’t been to daycare or preschool. I tried leaving him in our gym childcare when he was 18 months and he had really bad separation anxiety, we haven’t been back since. He’s exposed to social situations almost daily, like library storytime, mommy and me playgroups, church group, swim class. We also do one on one play dates with close friends at home or the park. At home, he is super loud, confident, talks and sings all day long.What can I do now and as he gets older to encourage his confidence in these situations? I know he’s still young but I was painfully shy as a child and didn’t really enjoy school because of it. I had low confidence and didn’t really “outgrow” all this until I was in college. I see myself in him and it breaks my heart to imagine him going through what I did. I don’t want to force anything or change his personality, but I want him to enjoy his childhood without being afraid or anxious. How can I gently encourage him to build his confidence and social skills? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FA2tNa