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Avoiding The Bad Santaland Diaries

Photo by DONNA KOEHN

Santa tries to get Cassie Koehn, 15 months, to look at the camera, but she isnt about to take her eyes off Mom.

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By DONNA KOEHN

dkoehn@tampatrib.com

Published: November 28, 2008

Updated: 11/28/2008 03:12 pm

If my then 15-month-old daughter had been able to dial out on her toy phone, she would have called the authorities on us.

In the span of one day, we put her on the lap of a terrifying stranger, then drove her through a growling, tentacle-flapping automatic carwash. Rookie mistakes.

The year before, when she was just a few months old, she was oblivious to the horror of Santa, making for a perfect snap for our "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. We were not expecting the meltdown one year later.

According to the experts, stranger anxiety begins between 8 and 9 months of age and hits its peak at 12 to 15 months.

From parenting blogs and experts' tips, here are some suggestions for how to handle this emotion-fraught meeting.

•Prepare by reading picture books about Santa and watching Santa-themed videos. (Hint: Avoid anything that stars Billy Bob Thornton.)

•Try to visit Santa during off-peak hours. Waiting in a long line is miserable for little ones - and their parents and grandparents.

•Don't visit the mall Santa after shopping for two hours. Nobody will have the patience.

•Even if the little reindeer sweater or peppermint-striped tights are precious, keep in mind that Florida's heat could turn them into scratchy torture.

•If your child seems terrified, it might work to join him or her on Santa's lap. But don't count on it.

•Don't push. If your toddler starts to freak out, it probably isn't going to get better. You might be better off trying again next year. By then, children get the idea that Santa equals gifts and realize a little sucking up won't hurt.

We're inviting families to submit photos of their own scary Santa moments to our Snap gallery on TBO.com, Keyword: MotherLoad. Keyword: MotherLoad, to read our mommy (and daddy) blogs, join the discussion, upload your children's photos and check out resou

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