Very confident baby

[Booksandsea]

My baby is just turned 1. But she’s so confident and would happily go to anyone. She is still breastfed and she always looks for me, but at baby groups she crawls off and would sit and cuddle with anyone. Is this normal? Have I done something wrong? My friends babies cling to them and although they crawl/walk they won’t leave their mums. And mines off the other side of the room
I’ve never left her other than 11 x 8hour days whilst I work (in 13 months). I’m up with her every night. She’s reaching every milestone and she only sleeps attached to me. Does this mean she doesn’t like me?

Mine is the same.

I'm a single parent.

It's just how they are. Nothing we do..

Yeah 🙄

Mine was the same. Unlike you, I concluded that she was a secure child who was curious about everything and had a strong bond with her mum.

Typo

Wait until you go to nursery and they see you, say "mummy" in an excited way and then run of.... Make it make sense haha

Is this a stealth boast? She is obviously securely attached. Well done. But surely you know that already?

She’s reaching every milestone and she only sleeps attached to me. Does this mean she doesn’t like me?

Yeah she definitely hates you 🙄

No she's just feeling insecure.

I had the worst ppa and ppd, I had trouble bonding and interacting with my child (I had help). My little one rarely cries and hes very confident. Nothing I've done.

Some kids are more clingy that others and that’s about the top and bottom of it. Unless there is neglect which I assume in mist situations there isn’t.

100%.

My DD was/is like that. My older 2 children were more like limpets. It's just personality, totally normal and nothing to worry about! (Your child definitely likes you, in fact, having the confidence to feel that she can be independent is a sign of your mutual love and trust (a good attachment)).

Purely anecdotally, I've observed this happen with girls more than boys (my older two are boys)... and other parents I've spoken to have said that the strong desire for independence is a "girl thing". Obviously, pure anecdata and I know some boys can be very independent too.

I think it's normal to question things as a first time parent with no benchmark for comparison. I'm a parent to 3 and I still find myself wondering what's normal (or not) occasionally.

If OP has observed lots of clingy/cuddly babies in her social group and hers is less so, I can't blame her for wondering and asking about it. It's what MN is for.

My DC was like this. A friend who is an early years teacher said it was a sign of being securely attached. I took it to mean that DC was used to me handing them over to others when I could but always being there when they needed me. It wasn’t planned - and I didn’t realise it was a good thing at the time.

DC is a fairly confident teen now.

My DS was like that. He’s been diagnosed ADHD now. My DD was v v clingy

My eldest was a very anxious, clingy little boy. He’s 28 now and a highly successful emotionally intelligent person.

It’s genetic, hard-wired and observable from a few hours old. Nothing to worry about.

Why is it a problem? If you are that insecure you could benefit with getting some help with that it cant be healthy your hv can advise

My little boy has never been clingy to me. Rarely cried if I left (inc nursery, with friends etc) only the odd occasion. Always excited to see me return though.
He's so confident he just dives right in anywhere we take him.

It's just personality imo!

She sounds fine OP. They're all different!

My son is was tje same diagnosed autism. It was a self regulation issue

Appologies. It wasn’t meant to be a stealth brag and sorry if it came off like that. Was just a worry I’ve been having. She’s a little diamond and I love that she’s social (I’m the absolute opposite and would quite happily not talk to anyone 😂); just start to worry sometimes when she takes off and plonks herself in someone else’s lap 😂

Our nearly eleven month old is like this. Always crawling half way across the room before you can stop her, using everything and everyone to stand up on and generally interested in absolutely everything around her, particularly things she's not meant to have! However, I think that it means that my husband and I have made her feel so confident with us that she knows she can go off and explore with the knowledge that we are there if she needs us, which is so important to develop a baby's sense of independence. She regularly looks around to check we're still there and watching her but then happily gets on with her own thing. She's an absolute bundle of energy, never stops from the minute she gets up to the minute she goes to bed, but this means she's a great sleeper at night as she's always exhausted by then so we're delighted for her to use up all her energy in the dayytime!

The bitches are out as usual 🫡

OP they come and go with this stuff. Mine was always on the other side of the room without so much as a glance back to me from the age of 6 months when he could crawl. He’s now 4 and very shy, quiet and cautious.