19 month old suddenly crying for mummy - help

[Cloudmummy]

My 19 month old daughter has always been a little bit clingy but over the last week she has reached new levels. She has become inconsolable if I leave the room when she doesn't want me to or if I hand her to someone else to hold for a moment. She has always been happy to be with my husband but she even cries uncontrollably for me when he takes her up for bath and bed now.

Recent changes: she stayed in a crèche for 3 hrs for the first time. Also I'm due to give birth any day now.

Has anyone else experienced this? Should I be leaving her to cry (with her dad, not alone) or going to her? I'm worried that if I keep going to her it will create problems when I need to be with the newborn after it arrives.

Any advice?

Go to her. She is still a little one even though it doesn't seem like it (when your youngest is 19 months you'll see what I mean).

I think I've read somewhere that it's more or less normal around this age to start realising where mummy is or isn't. I have twins and they both cry for me a lot and it can be really hard.

My husband holds them and they go apoplectic. But I have reasoned that he is their dad and they are safe and I simply need to have both hands free sometimes so although it breaks my heart I try really hard not to give in (ok sometimes I do but I try!)

Good luck it's hard xx

Thanks for your replies. Very helpful to know it's not just us too.

I would suggest a lot of reassuring, but maybe that you can go and come back again. You are going to disappear to have a baby, and then maybe for the odd nap when the baby arrives. She'll need to be happy with other people.

We make a big deal of leaving the house and then coming home again. Maybe you could just do this between rooms, but with LOTs of cuddles when you return.

(Finally, hoe long does she cry for? Are you ever leaving her to realise it's actually alright for mummy to go because daddy is there and then mummy comes back and it's BRILLIANT?)