Velcro/Clingy Babies Anonymous

[ss_storm]

*sticks hand in the air* count me/us in!
I feel so sorry for my parents when we visit..DD cries as soon as I put her on the floor and mum & dad can't even give her a cuddle. Poor dad can't even look at/talk to her because she just bursts into tears!
I have to be within eyesight, preferably not more than a metre or so away. Having problems with sleep time atm because she starts crying as soon as i walk out of the room, even if I creep out at the rate of a mm/minute So resorting to rocking her to sleep, and hopefully she'll go back to going to sleep on her own like she used to do!

A lot of the time she doesn't even want to go to DF, and if he is holding her and she spots me she'll try and leap into my arms. It is tiring and sometimes I just wish she would go to someone else (watch out any strangers that even attempt to touch her! If I'm holding her she will just hide in my shoulder). But the snuggles are also nice, and knowing that I'm the only one that can console her (although that can be trying at times as well!).
I'm hoping that once she eventually starts walking she'll be a bit more independent and less clingy!

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

My Name is ~ Zarava Flutterby ~ and i have a velcro baby.
DD is nearly 9mths old and she would SCREAM if i left the room without her and i mean scream til she makes herself sick, high pitched come get me screams.
In the last month she has finally started going to DP but if she sees me leave the room.. OMG all hell breaks loose.

I have NEVER had a night without her, actually i have never had time without her at all, when she was younger i went to mothers group dinners with her, if i go to Dr's appts she is with me, you name it.

It does get easier, she is finally happy to be handed to other people as long as i am within arms reach so i am hoping that once she starts crawling or walking it will make life a lot easier.. TBH i think she just wnats to be up and moving and part of the world and she doesn't get that sitting down on the floor... lets hope mobility helps!

[Manhattan]

Wow, so it would seem that this issue is more widespread than I realised. How is it possible then that I dont see any other velcro babies?? Oh thats right, DD won't let me look

SS - your DD sounds exactly like mine. I must admit I love when she plays coy and snuggles into my shoulder around strangers.

ZF - I can't wait for the day she will go to someone else, her grandparents are starting to get a complex

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

ZF - I can't wait for the day she will go to someone else, her grandparents are starting to get a complex

Don't worry MIL was the same, so was my mum.. we went to Adelaide and Z wouldn't have a bar of her.
she seems a bit better now but is still very wary, some people she wont even look at let alone allow to hold her.
One day i am hoping i can put her in CC or a creche and know she wont be sick or screaming the joint down.

[Snowy Love]

And to be contrary, my velcro bub today spent 5 mins with his 16 yo cousin before needing to come back to me! And a couple of mins with his grandfather!

[ss_storm]

Lol Snowy..we had the opposite day..starting when I got out of bed to go to the loo this morning, leaving DD with DF in bed and she screamed until I got back...haven't been able to be out of sight of her all day and she barely let me put her on the floor so I could make lunch & dinner! It was a day full of tears

[deletedit]

I'd reply to this thread but the baby won't let me out of his sight ...

Makes showers/toilet/doing the dishes/anything a bit tricky at the moment ...

[Swoop]

Can i just ask how your little velco babies interact with other kids?

I was watching DD today and she's really not a very sociable little thing at all. When there's any more than a couple of other people she sits on me or stands right by me clinging on and doesn't interact with the other kids. She'll play with a toy buy generally if one of the other kids goes to take it she just lets them. Today she cried because one of the other kids in out MG grabbed her sleeve, not at all hard or aggressive or anything, but it freaked her out. She's ok when there's just one other baby/family - she likes giving toys etc to the other baby, but as soon as there's a crowd she's a hundred times more stuck on me! I can't work out whether it's just to do with her clinginess or if she's shy or something too.

[~Hestia~]

Well my Moo spends most of MG trying to crawl all over me! He just wants to be with me and whinges til I pick him up. But sometimes he surprises me and plays very happily next to the others. I find he is better if I arrive early to things. He seems to react badly to walking into a room full of people; can't blame him though as I don't like it either!

Today we all went out to a caravan and camping show in Melbourne. DH had to push the stroller so Moo could see me! God forbid if DH walked into a camper trailer ahead of me.

[ss_storm]

DD usually bursts into tears if another kid touches her. She might be alright at first but if they hold on then she'll start crying. I think our main problem is that we just don't interact with many other people. Haven't been to playgroup for a while so will be interesting to see what she's like when it starts again after school goes back. she does like watching the other kids play, she is still too young to join in though and might be easier when she can walk on her own, but she doesn't like strangers touching her. Can't really say I blame her, I probably wouldn't like it if a stranger just came up to me and grabbed onto me!

[EsJay]

wow, lots of us! its good to know im not alone and havent caused this, as i constantly get told its my fault for bf or being a sahm, or not attending a mg, or not letting anyone touch dd as a newborn or whatever reason each person comes up with thats either not true or utterly ridiculous.
dd has been like this since 11 weeks and has only the last few weeks been happy to go to dh for cuddles, but she will still cry for me after 2 mins. she has never gone to il's and screams like crazy if i hand her over, while koala hugging me.
its frustrating when you want them to have cuddles with someone, but at the same time its nice to be so wanted and needed.

guess we just have to hope it will ease in time

[Moi]

Jen82 - I feel like people blame me too.

I keep getting told that DD is much better when I'm not around. Do others hear this too?

[EsJay]

oh yes all the time
I dont know whether ppl mean to blame us or its totally inadvertant... Either way the comments dont help

[Swoop]

Yep, another velcro baby here!

DD is gradually getting a little better recently, but it's very similar to what most of you have described already - if I'm in sight she will strain to get me rather than anyone else, and if she sees me leave the room all hell breaks loose! She's almost walking now and her favourite pasttime is to stand next to me/behind me hugging my legs. I have to say 'DD, mummy's going to walk now' or 'DD, mummy's going to stand up now' and she sits straight down, but follows straight after me whinging and moaning. One of her first words was çuddle' too - said with outstretched arms in my direction (I think it's cute, but I don't know that her grandparents agree when 'she refuses to cuddle them....). She also throws herself against the shower door howling, but i don't take her in the shower with me, because the few times I have she just wants to be held the whole time so it's impossible to get clean.

I don't mind her being around me all the time, I don't even mind that I can't go to the toilet in peace, but I do feel bad for DH sometimes. She's getting better with him, and for some reason is absolutely fine with my mum and dad, even though they are on the other side of the world so she's not spent major amounts of time with them. I find myself apologising to other people when she snubs them, but actually i think I probably shouldn't because she can understand an awful lot of what I say now. I do try to reassure her that I'm still there etc and I'm always saying to her 'DD and mummy stick together like glue'.

[*TripleJ*]

ok well DS went through that stage from 8 months till even now and hes 16 months its only just improving now