is something wrong?

[STIGZ]

(sorry long post) my baby is nearly 6 months old and seems to be showing some sort of stranger anxiety.

My mother in law came to pick her up today for an overnite stay, (my MIL only sees her DD once every two weeks due to work) when my MIL said hello to her she burst into incolsolable tears!

My MIL took her and phoned after a few hours saying that everytime she speaks to her she is bursting in tears and cant calm her down.

I feel so guuted for MIL but on the otherhand I'm panaking that something is wrong with my DD.

I also think she might be teething just now and wonder if that has anything to do with it.

any advice please would be so appreciated .x

Sounds like she has separation anxiety - normal developmental stage at 6 months. She just will not want you to be out of her sight and probably hearing MIL's voice reminds her that she is not you.

It does not sound like anything is wrong, but it is wearing.

PS teething won't help.

My dd was like this around the 6m stage, which coincided w/ her starting nursery, which was a bit of a nightmare! As Jaybird says, just separation anxiety...can be v difficult as it's hard to take a break if littlie wants to be with you all the time. Other family members sometimes take it personally too. I think I probably pandered to it too much, looking back. I think it's valuable to occasionally leave her with others whether she's got separation anxiety or not - sounds harsh but over the longer term will give her increased confidence

Children begin to form more secure attachments to their primary carers around the 6 month mark.

Your baby is simply becoming more in-tune with knowing when it is you caring for her, or when it is someone else. Your MIL doesn't look/smell/sound like you, and because your DD is forming a more secure bond to you, she's picking up on it more than ever before.

Totally normal!

My only advise would be not to worry (easier said than done, I appreciate)... and to know that you do the right thing by still leaving your DD in other people's care despite this. She will develop in confidence, and there will be feer consequences later on (in terms of clingyness etc) if she becomes used to a select few other people caring for her.

Otherwise, it's just a case of riding it out, I'm afraid. Give it a month or 2, and it will ebb!