Clingy child and not close to her dad

[Sweetyolo111]

Hi,

So my daughter is 3 years old. She is very clingy to me.
She refuses to let her dad do anything for her such as feed her, put her shoes on, read her a bedtime story etc. She will always say she wants mummy to do it.
If i am not home then she is fine with her dad doing everything its only when i am there. She is like this with her grandma and aunts too. Where she wants me to do everything instead of them.

Has anyone experienced this type of behaviour? Is it normal? What can I do to make her have a better relationship with her dad?

Normal. DD sees you as her primary care giver.

We got it right with my second child. The only way it works is for your DH to persevere with being an absolutely equal parent - everything not just the basics like food and dressing and bedtime - all the other stuff too, like doing craft activities together, taking her to the dentist and administering care when your DD is unwell, taking her out to the park, to the shops, day trips, to wash the car, to buy her clothes, to see relatives and friends, swimming.

With relatives you see less often you just need to give it time. A secure child will eventually feel very comfortable separating from their caregivers, but you cannot force the issue, it will take longer to build confidence that way.

There's definitely a bit of natural temperament in the mix too, so don't entirely blames yourselves.

Oh my goodness me too! My two year old does this and I find it sooo difficult as does DH. We are in a place where I just have to refuse to do some things and DH just has to get on and help her despite the complaints. I was really sick for a couple of weeks and she let DH do everything while I sat on the sofa but after the first full day of me looking after her again she has reverted back to "mummy do it" "mummy help" and I love that she loves me so much but I must confess I find it mentally draining especially since I'm still not 100%

My dd did this, then when she got a bit older switched allegiances and wants daddy not mummy to do this or that.

It’s nothing to worry about.