Seperation anxiety

[Littletreasures]

hey everybody

well i just have a quick Question! What do you do when your baby has seperation anxiety, cause i think my 10 month old has it the only time he is happy is when he is being held and i dont want him to get into the habit of being held all the time.. How long does it take to get rid of. and what can i do to help the situation???

[rynosmum]

My DS has gone through this at different times - around the same time as yours, about 13 months and again at 18 months.

At first I was really concerned about how to avoid it. Then I simply started giving him as many cuddles as he wanted and completely enjoying them - he's growing up so fast and soon may not want to cuddle Mummy quite as much.

It will pass, just try and help him by standing by as he gets confidence with a situation.

:hugs:

[Funkychicken]

I honestly believe some babies/children are like this and some aren't. Our DS#1 was born with separation anxiety! He wouldn't go to anyone and had to be held by me for soooo long. I just went with it-followed his cues. You can't make a child not be this way and I agree wholeheartedly with Rynosmum, you just have to go with it and hold/cuddle etc..as much as they need it. Also there are some particular ages that babies develop more anxiety about other people. 10 mths, 14 mths, 18 mths and I'm sure there are other times. They do eventually get on their feet, so to speak. If they have been reassured thoughout babyhood that you will always be there, they do become more confident, knowing they can trust you to be there when needed.
Our second child was so not like our first. She was born independent and was actually never that fussed by being held or not. I struggled more with that as it felt as though I wasn't needed as much as the first time around but that's a whole other story! :D