CM Club: Help - my child is being a nightmare for my CM!

[crochetdiva]

DD is 1 tomorrow, and has been going to the CM since I went back to work on 1st September.

She knows her - she is the mother of DS's best friend, and DS has been going to her since a very young age: she now does school drop off and pick up with him.

As a younger baby, she was attached to me in the extreme - would scream blue murder if anybody (and I mean anybody) other than me or DH tried to pick her up. She's come out of the other side of that, and now happily goes to the CM.

The problem is that if the CM (who is wonderful, and who I am desperate not to lose!) tries to put her down, or doesn't focus all of her attention on DD, then DD screams - and she has an incredible scream on her.

CM can't carry her around all the time, she has the maximum of 3 under 5s - her own dd (3yo), and another young one (14 months).

Have any of you got any tips or any ideas at all for me to help out the CM.

I'd say that DD is a high-maintenance child ... help!

anybody got any ideas on this?

What happens when you are at home wth her? Every time she wimpers does she get picked up? Does she get carried a lot?

Buy your lovely cm a baby carrier/sling?

This was put to me (a cm) as an idea, at least then cm's back not compromised and her hands are free. Or does DD want constant interaction too?

I have to say that she is fairly high maintenance ... but having said that, she isn't picked up at home every time she starts up ... I've got too much to do!

She does like to have interaction, but on her terms ... if she spots something interesting, she'll often stop mid-scream, go and have a look, play with it on her own for a while, then come back and carry on where she left off.

A sling is a good idea - CM borrowed mine for a few days when she first went to her until she got a double buggy that she could collapse and fit into her boot.

Any more hints and tips would be very welcome!

I think it's great you and your cm are keen to work this out. If she is inquisitive how about a treasure basket/box to keep her busy when cm needs to pop to loo/ see to another child/etc. You can put anything safe in them for babies to explore. Willow balls, mirrors, fabrics, shiny things, a wooden spoon, a shoe lace of chunky beads, etc. A good one is an old handbag I have found with purse (no pennies), keys, mirror, etc.

I have had a baby like this in the past and the only trouble with a cm isif there are other children there, even though you may need to leave them to cry, you can't if it may unseetle or upset another child! It's tricky.

Happy Birthday to your DD tomorrow BTW