I always used to get accused of holding my babies too much. But I only ever held them as much as they needed to be held.

You are doing nothing wrong. What you are describing doesn't even sound like real seperation anxiety, just a developmental stage. But if it were seperationg anxiety, how would being seperated help? I don't beleive holding your baby "execessively" causes it.

FWIW - Out of my 3, only one has had any real seperation anxiety (DS1). And he has always been fine so long as I am still visible, or is with people he knows well and trusts (ie, nanna or daddy) and now at the age of 2 seems to be gaining a bit more independance on his own. I have never done anything differently with any of mine.