Separation Anxiety??

[pops79]

Hey..

My DS is 6.5 months old. He has been doing really well getting into a regular routine, eating and sleeping. However the last week I have noticed a change in his mood. He is a lot more irritable during the day and constantly wanting to be held. The biggest change however has been his behaviour at bedtime. Previously he would settle himself after a nice bedtime routine and I would only have to go to him maybe once or twice a night to replace his dummy. Now however he basically goes absolutely ballistic when I leave the room. At first I thought he might be teething or reacting badly to solids but as soon as I reappear he stops. This evening he cried for nearly two hours and has just gone to sleep exhausted. I have been going in and trying to re-assure him at short intervals but it only seems to aggravate the situation. Has anyone else experienced this change at around this age? Could it be a very early case of Separation Anxiety? Or just good old attention seeking? Help!! I feel terrible to hear him so upset!

[henrybaba]

So sorry to hear what you are going through -I have been there and it can be quite distressing

My DS is 10 months and has been through exactly the same recently - it only lasted a couple of weeks though and he seems to be much better now. The nursery said it was like a different child was there but they said he was back to normal again today. They recommended I just keep reassuring him without completely giving in and sitting with him all the time. At bed time I left him for 10 minutes at a time before going in and reassurting him, picking him up if needed, and it gradually got better.

As soon as one phase finishes they next one starts though.... they do keep us on their toes these littles ones, don't they!?

Good luck

[beanstalk]

pops - yes, my DD is 6 months and went through 2 weeks of this and then 2 tiny teeth appeared last week. She has been fine since. Apparently it is very common for babies to become really clingy when teething, and it would also explain the change in his mood. I had to resort to Calpol to settle her at bedtime. I would say give him lots of cuddles and hang on in there for a week or two. My DD wouldn't let me leave the room for even 5 minutes, so I just had to move her around the house with me! Hard work but she needed the comfort. It won't last forever!

[pops79]

Thanks for the feedback guys...makes me feel much better about the whole thing.