Really struggling with baby

[Kmm395]

My son is 8 months old and since birth he has been really attached to me, he won’t go to anyone else not even his dad (who is really hands on). Anytime I try to leave him with anyone he just screams until I come back, so no sooner am I out the door I’m getting a phone call to come get him. The longest I have ever been away from him is about 2 and half hours (and he cried the whole time) I feel completely trapped like I can’t go anywhere alone because I know he is just going to scream as soon as I leave. I’ve tried going out when he’s napping or at night but it’s like he can sense that I’ve left and will wake a few minutes after I leave. He is EBF, not through choice I wanted to combi feed then gradually move to only bottle feeding but he refused bottles, I would love to stop breastfeeding but he won’t take a bottle, I’ve tried different bottles/sippy cup/ getting others to feed bottle. Before he would happily sit in a chair as long as he could see me so at least I could do things around the house or tend to my other children but now he just wants held all the time and only by me. Any advice on how to get him comfortable around other people? I really need a break 😔

can you get a daily break - a couple of hours every evening. Consistency and persistence will win through
My youngest wouldnt take a bottle for 3 months (i wanted to mix feed)- every single day i offered a bottle, and eventually she took it and we mix fed after that.

It’s really hard to get a break when he just screams until I come back, I feel bad leaving him with his dad because he finds it so hard especially since we have other children (it’s hard to deal with the others and deal with him screaming too) and no one else will watch him because he gets so upset when I leave 🙁 I went out today with his sister and was out for half an hour before their dad called me to come back, and this is everytime I go out. Is this normal? I keep telling myself that it will get easier as he gets older but it just seems to be getting worse. I have never known a baby to be this clingy even when someone else is holding him he never takes his eyes off me, it’s like he thinks I’m going to run away! Don’t get me wrong I love that he’s so attached to me just wish he would occasionally go to someone else so I can have some time to myself, especially his dad because he’s finding this so hard.

No words of advice just some solidarity as my 13mo is the same. He seems to be going through a particular needy phase at the moment because he’s been unwell on and off this past month. I think breastfeeding has a lot to do with it because it sort of makes you their entire word if you see what I mean. It’s so wonderful to be so close but it’s also really tough and exhausting at times ☹️ Hoping I’ll get a little more sleep and freedom bit by bit as time passes

I hope so too latinorapida 😔 I was hoping it would have gotten easier once he started solids as others can feed him but hasn’t made any difference if anything it’s worse 😞

@Kmm395 my DD (7m) refused bottle. I put her with a nanny and voila, she realised it's bottle or starve. She has now accepted bottle from strangers and my DH but not much from me, only very reluctantly.

My DS was a total velcro baby, like your one. Again, nanny started 30mins, 1 hour...etc. Very slow. At first he was extremely distressed but it got better with every day and week and in 2 weeks he was fine to be left for a few hours.

Good luck :)