Mom Needing Help with Infant Behavor

This is really normal behavior for his age. He will grow out of it eventually! If you can, wear him in a sling or baby carrier as much as you can.

Hi J., coming from a mom to a 15 and 10 year old... I would give anything in the world to have either one of my kids WANT to be in my arms with my undivided attention for any amount of time!!! Although it is stressful, try to enjoy every moment of it. Give him the attention he needs to grow up happy and secure, before long he will be too busy and too embarrassed for even a quick hug.

My daughter is doing the same thing. She has an ear infection right now and a major cold and is teething really bad. I must have changed her 10 times yesterday, just from her shirts being soaked with drool.
Anyways being clingy, yes I think it is just teeth.
She is clingy even at bed time. This weekend it has been really bad, like you said I can't even walk out of the room into another room where she can still see me, without her freaking out. I found myself ducking behind down behind the bar this morning, so that I could get my stuff together to go to work. (I didn't want her to see me)
HOpefully once the teeth come in they can be sweet big babies!

You can never give a baby too much love or nurturing, in my opinion. If he needs you, be there for him. He may have pain in his gums, or he may just be having separation anxiety. Either way, this time is short and goes by so quickly. Enjoy it. Before you know it, he will be saying "go away,mom". Give him that self confidence by always answering his needs as an infant, and he will be a caring, independent adult, too. I got a "Hip hammock" at Walmart at that age($25), made by playtex I believe, it allowed me to carry my bigger baby around and have my hands free to clean, etc. A nice plus was the squats that I would do to pick stuff up with his added weight, got my legs in excellent shape!!

Sounds normal around this age. I really believe that what you do with a child as infant will not harm him for life if it is loving behavior. I really don't think you can ever give an infant too much attention. I have two kids; did not learn that until my second. However, if you need a little freedom, I would practice leaving the room. Maybe play peek a boo with him - make it into a game. That way he gets used to the fact that you are coming back. At this age they do not understand that you are coming back. They think you are leaving for good. Also, you may consider leaving him with a trusted relative or friend. He may cry when you leave; however, he most likely will stop after a while. Then return after a short period of time so that he gets the idea.

I have a baby carrier called the Ergo carrier - you can wear the baby on the front or back. When my guy was feeling REALLY miserable, I'd wear him around the house when I needed to get stuff done. It's a bit more expensive than the others, but he's now 20mos old and 34 lbs and I can still carry him comfortably in it :) TLC, company, some extra cuddling, and teach him to occupy himself. You're doing fine :)

It may be just that he's teething. My baby boy is going through that right now. I work full time so I spend as much time with him when I'm at home. My husband's schedule allows for us to not to need a sitter so either he's with him or I'm with him. But I'm guessing it's the teething. What we do is we're in the same room with him, we pour out his box of toys and put him on the floor. We stay near him until he's too entertained with toys that he doesn't notice we're not there on his lap. Then when he realizes we're not right there we do the whole thing all over again. I hope he feels better!

my daugher went through teething and separation anxiety around 8 months too. So i was used to her being clingy and cranky. But there was one week when it changed and got soooo bad! I coudn't even walk over ot the other side of the room without her freaking out! So i took her to the doctor and she had a double ear infection!! sometimes the only clue to an ear infection is crankiness! It never hurts to get it checked out.

It is separation anxiety, an important part of their social development--it can be hard, but it is essential to his growth. I know teeth can also be a prolonged bummer. My 7 month old is generally happy, but always on edge now that her top two teeth are coming in...

They go through phases... give him the attention he needs/wants while he wants it, won't last forever, my mom says! :) you'll wish you had later in life.

Hi... as a mom to 3 boys ages 5.5, 4 and 2, I can truly say that he is going through a phase that most kids go through at about 7-10 months of age... it the seperation phase. they are more aware of strangers and you coming and going... it does not last past about 18 months but can last to 2 yrs... mine always got better at about 18 months. but dont let him "train" you to spend all your time with him. that will make the phase last longer and wont teach him to learn trust.

but do reassure him when you leave and train him by leaving for short periods of time (even in another room) then reward him with smiles and higs and kisses when you return

Good luck
A. J

I held all 3 of my kids any and every time they wanted my attention. I agree with others who have posted that this age goes by so quickly and before you know it you will want to be able to hug them and they won't want a hug. All 3 of my kids started school and day care with very little problems leaving me and I believe that is because they knew I would be back. Babies are still getting used this world and they need your reassurance that you will help them through all the scary parts like teething or seperation. Good luck!

I would hold him all he wants. Baby wearing is awesome! Put him in a pouch and wear him around as you go about your day. I think giving him all the love and attention you can is the way to go. I would NOT start leaving him alone unless it's with Daddy so you can have a few minutes. Enjoy his younger days before they pass you by!!!

My daughter went through the same thing when she was about 8 months old. It was sort of strange because she wasn't very moody when her first four teeth came in but the next four - yikes they were miserable! It lasted a few weeks off and on and then resolved itself. I would maybe just spend some extra time with him for a few weeks and see if it works out on its own. Good luck!

PS...My daughter is now 14 months and getting the two top back molars. And while she is not being clingy -- it is greatly affecting her sleep habits and giving her some terrible acne (from the drool I guess). It seems that every time we get a new set of teeth it is a different drama ;-) So be prepared...

If he is teething it may not be a good time to start trying to seperate from him a little. If not, then get him interested in something he enjoys and go away from him, but where he can still see you. Just a few minutes at first and gradually increase the time and distance. Both my boys follow me around constantly. One is 1 and the other four. Until they could crawl, I had to carry them if I left for more than 5 minutes, but I didn't mind. Since they are always around, I know they aren't getting into trouble. Someday we will want them around, but they won't want us. So enjoy your time with him.