2.5 yr old just wants mummy!

[pinkandblue]

Hi

I have a 2.5 year old daughter who, for the last few weeks, just wants mummy.

She goes to childcare once a week and used to love it and not cry when I left her. For the last few weeks she has been jumping up and down screaming for me when I leave. She usually calms down after about 10 minutes but keeps asking for me during the day.

I thought maybe something happened but I have asked the teachers and they cannot think of anything. I have also asked my daughter and each week she will tell me she is scared of something or doesnt like something (eg. she doesnt like one of the kids, or shes scared of the truck that comes to mow the lawn next door).

She also wont stay with my mum anymore. We used to leave her overnight once in a while but we cant do that anymore because she just wants mummy. She will stay with my sister, but as soon as other family members come home, she doesnt want to stay anymore. I've tried asking her whats wrong and she will just say she wants to stay with mummy.

She is fine if I'm around but as soon as I leave she gets very upset.

Nothing major has changed at home that I can think of. I am 7 months pregnant and I am not holding her as much as I used to because she is getting too heavy but I doubt this has anything to do with it.

Do you think this is just a phase she is going through? Will she get over it? Or will it get worse when the baby arrives? Should I take her out of childcare till next year? Or just keep sending her and hopes she gets over it?

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks

[Ky]

She sounds so incredibly normal!

My 2 ½ year old son has started the "I want my Mummy" thing and not wanting to go to creche or friends places.

I have perservered in sending him and he is fine the minute I walk out of the door ... they just seem to get a bit clingy at this time, although, saying this, I can't remember my daughter being clingy ... hmmmmmm :confused:

In reality, for your own sanity and the need to not have a clingy toddler when your little one comes onto the scene, you need to keep sending her to childcare and for the occasional overnight visit.

[Artemis]

She sounds very normal indeed. My daughter is 3 and just before her birthday he was very *clingy*. She attends kindy with me at at uni and we made sure to try and minimise any stress she was feeling. The night before a kindy day, we would talk about her friends that she would see, the games she would play and the fun she would have the next day - we would leave earlier in the mornings so that I could spend some additional time settling her at the centre - I spoke to her teachers and let them know how she was feeling, so they would come and engage her in one of her favourite activities while I was there and once she was happy I would say goodbye - every night we would talk about her day and let her tell me all of the fun she had - I would say things like.. "mamma has to go to class now, but I will be back after your sleep in the afternoon" so she knew when to expect me....

I know that it must be very demanding with another baby so close, but try and spend as much time with her as you can now... very soon she will have to share you and feeling securely attached to you know should help to ease the transition for her.

Good luck

[pinkandblue]

Hi

Thanks for your replies. I wasnt sure what to do the other day so I kept her home from childcare but spoke to the director of the centre and she said the same things you both did.
I'm going to keep sending her once a week till the end of the year and then she will be home with me and the new baby for about 6 weeks until pre-school starts at the end of january.
I also think alot of it has become a bit of an act as I have asked her so often why she doesnt want to go to school or stay with my mum and I think she is just playing on that so she can stay with me.
Thanks so much for your help, its just good to know its normal.