Can toddlers sense you're pregnant and get clingy?

[Loops81]

Does anyone have experience of this? One of the staff at my daughter's nursery mentioned it to me - babies/toddlers getting clingy and upset when they sense their mum is expecting (as in, before being told). I'm 7 weeks pregnant and we haven't told anyone, but my 2.5 year old (who is normally easy to put to bed and reliably sleeps through) has been acting up at bedtime, waking screaming in the early hours, and won't sleep if I'm not sat by the bed holding her hand. Possibly it's unrelated and just a phase - I just wondered if others had experienced similar things?

[CelticFay]

39+5 weeks pregnant with a 16 (almost 17)month old. He was sleeping by himself in his cot after a year of co-sleeping, and recently all of a sudden couldn't sleep by himself anymore, so he's back co-sleeping with us. Also, before I could leave him in his room to play by himself for half an hour or so, now he has extreme separation anxiety. Months ago he would look at my big belly and pet it, give it a kiss, now it seems he doesn't even want to look at it when I point my belly to him. He's also been demanding milk way more often. He's still breastfed but only before nap/bed time, now he's been drinking very often, which is making him gassy and have tummy pains. He can definitely tell there's something going on but I can't imagine he understands there's a baby coming. My hormones lately are making me be over-protective over my body and he can sense that too.

[al1n]

@Mummywaltz021 I've just found out I'm pregnant, complete surprise but my husband and I both agree our 15 month old knew before we did! Clinginess, rejecting boob during the day, putting her head to my stomach, spooky!

[Mummywaltz021]

I know this is an old thread but I do believe this is true! I was a couple of days late on and my 2 year old girl twin was constantly rubbing my belly she even lifted my top and shoved a dummy up there ! I'm 7 weeks now and she's constantly curling up with me 🥰

[MamaofRoyalty]

I believe they do. As someone else went through, I also am currently pregnant and recently had a miscarriage and both times my 1 year old immediately became more clingy. Its actually what made me think to take a pregnancy test. When I was miscarrying he just calmly laid by me when normally he’s very active. We co-sleep so no screaming at night. But I’ve woken up to him breastfeeding through my shirt lol, and he is now a octopus cuddler. Arm around my neck, face in my face, leg tossed up on my thigh. Will ignore his toys to be physically closer to me so I had to set up toys everywhere so he wasn’t just stalking me. I don’t mind it, and I’m sure it’ll pass. Toddlers are very perceptive and I’m sure they sense hormones more sensitively at that age.

[Beseen19]

I'm 34 weeks and my almost 3 DS has always been very clingy but to a new level at the mo. He has gone to bed himself for about a year and a half but every night he just wants me to come in and cuddle him to sleep. He cuddles and kisses me all day long and wants to hold hands all the time. He's very insistent about what is the babys things and what are his. He does NOT like being called a baby at the moment, he is a big boy.

I'm nervous about the transition for him but mostly as I can't quite comprehend loving another human like i love him and only think about the baby in how it will affect DS at the mo. Got to see him in 3d scan today and he looks exactly like DS..cant wait to hold him in my arms now!

[Nelbert19]

I’m 8 weeks and my 2 year old has been incredibly clingy over the past 4 weeks, very out of character.

Except mine is a 2 year old mini schnauzer!🐶

[Babymamma2]

I have my 10 month old son and im 19 weeks today with our second baby he is very clingy

[Aunaturalmama]

I’m on the third and my first went through this same clingy stage

[Aunaturalmama]

YES

[Momlife19]

My two youngest sons are super clingy and won't let me rest for anything could they sense I'm pregnant because i no longer have my iud in anymore and my husband and i are trying for baby number 5 I'm feeling every pregnancy symptom known to mankind can anyone help me out there

[laylasmummy1]

my 5 year old daughter commented that I looked like I had a baby in my tummy before we told her that there was... very odd.... x

[JanaHitt1992]

My son has been very clingy to me and that is unusual for me because he is more clingy to his grandma more than anyone but lately he hasn't been wanting his grandma and when I leave to go to work he cries which is also unusual and my boyfriend has been playing around and telling me your pregnant and oh 2e are going to have a boy so I don'tdon't know if he is right or wrong

[Jojo13]

This is interesting. My 18 month old (at the time) went through a very unusual clingy phase with me during my early-mid pregnancy, I put it down to another phase..! Wouldn't have anyone else Bath him and started crying again when I left him at nursery etc.
Maybe it was because he could sense a difference in me.
I have 4 weeks to go and I'm starting to get nervous about how he is going to react to a new baby in the house. X

[Donnad87]

My 3 year old told me last week that there was a baby in my tummy and this morning I did a test and I'm sure I can see a faint second line. I believe that you'd children can definitely sense something.

[SparklyUnicornPoo]

Not sure if there's scientific evidence but I'm one of 8, every time mum got pregnant the youngest at the time would get clingy and annoying.

[buckyou]

I'm due next week and my 1.5yr old has started being really naughty! Not sure if it's an excuse for her or what. Not great timing though!

[bakingmad83]

I just searched for this topic, as ttc and DS has become super clingy the last fortnight and won't let anyone else do anything for him. Could be just him being a toddler and a phase, but I'm now on CD43 - assumed cycles messed up as periods just recently returned and still breastfeeding, as don't have any symptoms at all - so probably going to test over the next few days just to rule it out!

[Mumchatting]

No problem here with my DS 2.7 years old. He has been alright throughout my pregnancy. He only became a bit clingy over the last two weeks and I'm currently overdue so he probably has noticed that mummy's nervous and very tired. Otherwise he hasn't been clingy at all until recently.

[SpunBodgeSquarepants]

That's so funny - I am almost 8 weeks and for the past couple of weeks my almost 3-year-old DS has been uncharacteristically clingy - he won't walk anywhere at all without holding my hand whereas before it was a struggle to get him to hold my hand at all, and he's suddenly wanted a kiss and cuddle before bed which is new. I wouldn't have linked it without reading your post.

[Fallonjamie]

They're picking up on the subtle changes in your verbal and non-verbal communication and of people around you. They can't 'sense' that you are pregnant.

[Bear2014]

My 3 year old has been more clingy to me when pregnant. I was pregnant for 10 weeks last year and now I'm early pregnant again. I think it's more me 'playing hard to get' though - I suddenly stop picking her up and letting her jump on me etc which makes her really want to do these things. They do go through some stupidly clingy phases at that age, though. I don't think they can necessarily sense it, but your behavior probably changes making them insecure.

[Kazzyg88]

My 4 year old has started being really cuddly and clingy too I'm only 5 weeks xx

[toomuchtimereadingthreads2016]

DD 2.5 is exactly like this! started well before I was showing or she was aware! Never wanted to cosleep, we tried a few times. Now she goes to sleep in her own bed (after a lot of reassurance!) and comes into my bed in the night and has to be physically touching me all night its like separation anxiety!

[AWaspOnAWindowInAHeatwave]

I had the opposite. DS was 8mths when I became pregnant with DD - within days of my having found out he went right off being breastfed and stuck to his dad like glue. Made me feel like crap if I'm honest / although it is much easier to throw up multiple times a day when you haven't got a screaming baby attached to your leg.

[Whatthefreakinwhatnow]

Not at such an early stage, but from 6 months in, so DD2 15 months at that point, she became incredibly clingy, wanted to be with me all the time, was inconsolable every time limit left the room. DC3 was born a few weeks ago, she's been so upset since

Anyone any idea on when she might start to settle and adjust? She is so miserable and cries /screams/ is naughty any time I have to feed, hold etc the baby. She screams the house down for me at night. I hate to see her so unhappy dd1 was 7 when DD2 was born so I've no experience of it.