too much attention ??????

[pugsmum]

my 5 month old has always been quite needy from birth to six weeks we were unable to put him down AT ALL!!!!! not even to sleep

he now sleeps much better (still not great but better ) at night and naps in his cot but i am concerned about the amount of attention he needs i love cuddles with him and he is very very cuddly and i have all the time in the world to entertain and play with him an however he is at the point where i cannot put him down for more than 5mins (if that) awake before he starts screaming and he stops screaming and smiles as soon as i pick him up! which is a fantastic feelin but i am not sure if i should be tryin to break him of this habbit and trying to get him to b slightly more indapendant at this stage or if i should just be giving him the attention that he craves!!

any ideas on what the right approach for this situation is ?

I'm in the 'leave them to it' camp to be honest.
If I knew someone would give me a hug and attend to my needs every time I wanted, I'd cry too
Provided he is not crying because he needs changing or feeding, I think he has to learn to settle himself.

I disagree. Research suggests that babies whose cries are rapidly responded to in the first six months of life cry a lot less in the second six months of life.

Trying to encourage him to be independent before he's ready will make him less secure and more clingy. If he knows he can trust you, he'll get to the point where he knows you'll respond without him having to scream.

Lots of babies get more independent and adventurous once they become mobile too.

If you find it difficult to get things done, you could try using a sling at times.