Coping with a 'velcro'd' toddler

[voituredepompier]

DS is 15 months,goes happily to nursery 2.5 days per week with no drop off/pick up tears, is baby sat occasionally with no problems and generally a very happy go lucky boy.

Except that when I am with him he wants my constant and undivided attention. Being in the same room is not enough, me or DP has to be interacting with him at all times. This makes getting dressed/cooking/insert any kind of domestic task/ near on impossible unless I close my ears to his howling! I can't even leave a room for 1 second before he starts crying. Just talking/reassuring/distracting by giving him toys to play with isn't enough.

Is this common, any suggestion for how to reduce the degree of dependency or should I just wear ear plugs and accept that it is a phase and it will pass?

It will pass.. DS had a lot of days like this.

I never took him with me to the bathroom or anything though, I told him every time I was going out of the room, saying that I'd be back soon... it took a little while, but they do eventually get used to the idea that you're coming back

Not sure about the constant interaction while in the room though, (lucky that DS is OK amusing himself most of the time)

DS was like this (he's now 3.5) and DD is like this 15 months. DD gets much much worse when she's teething /ill (like recently) - you just have to accept that you won't get as much done in these times. When I know she's ok though I try though to carry on even if she's howling as often she'll give up if she sees she's not getting the attention and gets distracted - today for eg after tea I managed to make DH's and my dinner and she pottered around happy as anything which she would never have done in teh last few weeks.

If I need to do stuff in the kitchen I have a tupperware type cupboard she can amuse herself in (DS would do this too at a similar age) and then she'll pull the whole lot out and I can get on. If I'm upstairs clearing up I make sure she has toys up there - her favourite is posting things through a wooden ELC postbox (!) hours of fun. DS was a terrible clinger and still does follow me round to an extent and also wants to always come with me if we're out as a family (to the loo, to nip into a shop etc) ...

Both mine go to nursery part time. I think they either are or they're not clingers but you sort of have to go with it. It can be exhausting. At the most difficult times I always call in the grannies to give me a break - they are never as bad with anyone else !

Can only really add empathy with this, as I'm going through the same thing with DS who is also 15 months. DH and I joke about the floor being electrified or spiked with nails as sometimes DS howls if we even make the suggestion of moving to put him down, even if we then sit down beside hime to play. It makes doing things very difficult and I have to say I often resort to sitting him up on the kitchen counter beside me while I'm preparing food (I know it's prob not the safest but you do what you have to), or putting him down and making sure he has plenty of toys (he is liking his pushalong walker at the moment) and interacting with him vocally. I find its worse if he is tired or hungry or teething (which is actually most of the time TBH!) HE too happily goes to nursery and isn't like this there.