How long does separation anxiety last ?

[Lisa229]

My 8 month old dd2 has been suffering with it for the last month. She is better now with me not having to pick her up all the time and also I can now leave the room without her crying all the time. But if she is left with anyone about from DH, she has just been crying and screaming. She was ok with the grandparents but now both sets have had to try and deal with crying when I have left her for a few hours. As soon as I come home, she puts her arms out to me and is all smiles.

I know they all got through it but I am due to go back to work next month and very nervous about how she will be with my childminder. Any tips to help her understand that it is ok to be apart from me?

My 9mth old is exactly the same. She has started nursery this week ready for me to go back to work. It has been horrendous! I have 4 children all of which started nursery at this same age. All of which experienced seperation anxiety. It took a good month with them all and then they were fine. We have not looked back. I'm just sitting the next few weeks out and hoping she will be fine. It is not easy though is it? I do feel for you. Good luck and I hope she settles soon.

Thanks Floops, my parents in law are going to look after her one day a week and she is not even good with them. Hopefully another month she will be better and like you say settle after a few weeks.

I have to say DS hit his peak of separation anxiety at 15 months. However, he started nursery at 9 months and apart from a melt-down each time I left for 8 weeks which was truly horrid, it was fine. I used to stand outside the window and he was fine and babbling within a few minutes - else I would have gone back in! I was regularly in tears though at the beginning. What is weird though is that it definitely peaked about 14/15 months but at that stage he had no issues being left with nursery and was keen to go, as he still is. It's a truly horrid phase but it does pass, and for us it was like a switch - one day it just changed!

dd was over 2 before it got significantly better.