Must be the age for it, eh? Lol I'm sorry, I have no useful advice because we're going through the same thing with DD2 at the moment... she loves being near me and now that she's crawling, will follow me around. Dinner time has become a hassle because I'm constantly stopping what I'm doing to remove her from the kitchen, she crawls in and goes for the (usually hot) oven door, or plays in the cat food :/ And smiles as she does it, knowing she's being naughty!
Hope some of the other wise women can share their tips, I know it's heartbreaking to hear them sob when you're just trying to keep them safe! *hugs*