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?

[Buildthemup]

Very interesting as I have same thing at the moment DD v insecure and screaming at night. Am pg unbeknownst to her and other DC. Watching with interest!

[SprogletsMum]

My dd has been the same since I got pregnant but she does know now.
I'm just hoping it passes once he's born else it's going to be really tough.

[AuntiePenguin]

I found the same, my boy was clingy long before we told him, and long before I had a bump.

I was very tired/nauseous, so maybe he just picked up on something being "not right" with me. I did Wonder if he could sense the hormone change somehow.

Apparently cats change their behaviour as well when their human gets pregnant.

[isthistoonosy]

When i got pregnant dc1 was 4 months and then 8 months (miscarried the first pregnancy) both times he became more clingy and started rooting for breastfeeding dispite having been weaned to formula at six weeks.

[SnotGoblin]

Yes I do believe this. I don't know whether they're picking up on the hormonal changes or that you are slighlty more 'off' and distant with them. For me it has the unfortunate effect of wanting to push the clingy toddler away even more so it's like the chaos theory feeding in on itself.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[Kazzyg88]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[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

[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

[Aunaturalmama]

YES

[Aunaturalmama]

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

[Babymamma2]

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

[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!🐶