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Pregnancy

Can toddlers sense you're pregnant and get clingy?

30 replies

Loops81 · 19/01/2017 15:23

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?

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Beseen19 · 19/12/2019 19:42

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!

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MamaofRoyalty · 19/10/2020 07:24

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.

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Mummywaltz021 · 11/11/2021 20:24

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 🥰

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al1n · 11/11/2021 21:29

@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!

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CelticFay · 12/11/2021 13:03

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.

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