My sweet baby all of a sudden started crying when I walk out of the room even for a second. She doesn't want anyone else to hold her and wants to nurse a lot. She doesn't seem to have any symptoms of sickness, no runny nose, or temperature, etc. She really wants to "disobey". She does the opposite of what I ask her...grab the electrical cord or the plant instead of her toys. She has been such an easy and sweet baby up until the last 3 days. She does have a tooth coming in, but it is the 3rd and none of the others caused her to act this way. She's just not her usual self. I cried today because I feel so confused and bad for her. Any advice?????
Sorry... its a developmental mile stone. Once she reaches "object permanance" this clingy thing will fade.
Good luck!
T.
It is one of those "stages" you hear about...it is called "separation anxiety". You can google it and find out about what developmental ages it tends to hit.
My daughter has been though it twice and she is now 16 months. At times I feel like if she could she would crawl back into the womb...she does not want to be anywhere but attached to me.
As far as the doing the opposite of what you are telling her...once again normal and a bit scary to kids who are starting to realize they can do other than what you ask them to do...at 9 months just redirect her to something she can touch, out of sight of the no-no.
Good luck, it seems as soon as we figure out what is going on with our kids...wham!, there is a new development and it changes...lol
{{{{hugs}}}}
Yep, as everyone has already said, this is totally normal. I just wanted to chime in and say enjoy it while it lasts because one day (all too soon), she'll be wanting to spend her time with her friends!
Also, I wanted to say that my son is going through this right now too. If I'm in the other room and he can't see me, but he can hear me, I just keep talking to him and he does ok with that.
Good luck! This phase usually doesn't last very long, but again, try to enjoy the fact that your child loves you so much that she depends on you for comfort! That's a very special thing. :)
sounds like a normal age for separation anxiety to kick in. and teething can be part of the cause for her clinginess as well. she probably feels bad and wants comforting. as far as coping with separation anxiety, try leaving her in a safe place (playpen, swing, etc.) for just a couple minutes, even if she cries, then come back and pick her up and tell her "it's ok, mommy always comes back!" then as she gets used to it, try leaving her for a couple minutes longer and keep increasing the time. also, playing games like peek-a-boo can help her understand that out of sight doesn't mean gone.
as far as disobeying, now is a great time to start teaching her boundaries! i starting lightly swatting my kids' hands as soon as they could crawl if they touched something they weren't supposed to. if you are opposed to that method, just give her a firm "no!" and hand her a toy and say "you can play with this" and place her away from the object she touched. you will have to repeat yourself maybe 30 times in a row, but it's worth the time and effort if you don't want your baby to be one of those kids who can't behave in a store!
It's called separation anxiety and she is just at the right age for it. It's really hard to get through because, as you said, you can't even leave the room. Can she crawl yet? If so, encourage her to follow you where you go (if it's safe). My daughter didn't crawl until after 9 months and she started her separation anxiety at about 7 months, so we had a long road before she could at least try to keep up with me. Talking to her from the other room sometimes helps just so that she will know you're there. Unfortunately, you're probably just going to have to deal with a few tears. She will outgrow it eventually, so don't worry.
As for the "disobeying", again, totally normal. You just have to keep redirecting her or put her in a play pen or large gated area where she can't get to anything but her toys. When my daughter would try to touch something that wasn't hers or was dangerous, we would use the words "Don't touch, not (insert child's name)". This worked great for us because we weren't constantly using the word "no" and we could tell her what was hers to touch. She has always done great at only playing with her own things and not getting into things that aren't hers, so maybe that's what did it (or maybe it's just her personality). I have a 3 month old son now, so time will tell if it works on him too! :-)
This is the time when you have to start being very vigilant and begin "parenting" your child. Believe it or not, she is old enough to begin understanding these things. You don't have to discipline at this age, but you should set boundaries and change your tone of voice so that she knows the difference between what is okay and what isn't. Be firm, but don't punish...as I said, just redirect her to something she is allowed to have.
Try not to let this get to you! It's totally normal behavior, even if it is frustrating. It won't last forever, so take a deep breath and you'll both get through this just fine.
