Separation anxiety! Lockdown clingy baby!

[Maria1234567]

Hello everyone! I would really love to get this out of my chest! If someone can advise me something, I'll appreciate a lot. So basically my baby is nearly 1 year now, she is super clingy and it seems that it's not just stage of development, because she is 'on hands' type baby pretty much from birth. But at least before I would say before 7 months she could be okay with her Dad. But now she gets upset even with him. I can't go to shower or wash dishes without her whiling. All this time we didn't get any help. Never had any time for ourselves with my husband as my parents live very far away, but my parents-in-law were not helping at all in this lockdown. I feel just overwhelmed, as I'm still breastfeeding and only me can soothe her. My husband's Mum started to visit us, but it doesn't help me at all. My baby wouldn't even go on her hands. We also started sensory classes, so hopefully it will help. I just don't know if someone experienced something like this (since birth) when will it finish?

Hi OP

We're just moving this over to parenting for you.

Oh thank you so much. Sorry, I'm new to it

My son was the same for a good 6 months (I am the father, but that makes no difference here). Nothing we did made a great deal of difference - I just made sure to gradually lengthen the time I spent apart from him, and gradually things improved. He is now 15 months and still clingy to me, particuarly before bedtime, but my makinh sure I'm not just plonking him down and leaving, things have improved. I'd maybe also check on your partner, as it can't be easy for him either.

Thank you, yeah my husband is very upset that he can't spend much time with our daughter without her being upset and looking for me. So from what I understand time is all we need? We just think we need her to stay with him more, because she is basically all the time with me

My little boy can be very clingy. If I leave the room he screams. But only does this for me. He is fifteen months old. We are just persevering but it’s hard at times, but I’m sure it will get better in time.

@Maria1234567

Thank you, yeah my husband is very upset that he can't spend much time with our daughter without her being upset and looking for me. So from what I understand time is all we need? We just think we need her to stay with him more, because she is basically all the time with me

I think that will definitely help - maybe you can start with him leading the playing with you three sat next to each other, then with you in tye same room sat elsewhere, when gradually getting further away. We did this which kind of worked. But yeah I think time will fix it eventually - from reading online some clingy phrases can last for months!

Ds seemed to hit the height of his seperation anxiety around the 11 month mark, just as I was trying to introduce him to nursery a month before I returned to work! This was last September so there was no proper settling in process (covid) and there was just no way it was going to happen, he screamed himself into hyperventilating at being left with anyone! Instead we gradually got him used to the grandparents instead but he would scream every time I left him for the first couple of weeks (it was a slow process). It was like he was scared of everyone. We just kept exposing him to as many people as we could and he seemed to gradually get used to it/grow out of it. He's 18 months now and he has spent the past 2 days following random estate agents round our house chattering and trying to hand them things 😁. I'm sure it will pass soon, clinginess is part of their development.

My 14 month old is like this - he will go to his dad but not if he is tired or hungry. I guess he's always been like it but in lockdown it was barely noticeable- I just popped him in the sling and cracked on! Interestingly he goes to nursery twice a week (started at 8 months) and whilst he hates being dropped off, he is actually ok once I'm gone. The nursery staff says he picks a member of staff each day to be his 'mum' and clings to them (they call him little koala!) although he is getting more confident. He always has a smile on his face a pickup! He is my third child but the first to be clingy and have separation anxiety like this. However I'm sure , like everything, it will pass!

Thank you so much everyone for support words and your advices! We will try to do the best we can 🙏☺️