12 months and soooo clingy!

My DD is 2 weeks shy of turning 1 and for the last couple of months, she has become sooo clingy. I'm often told that I made this rod for my own back due to my parenting style, but I've never been comfortable with letting her cry to sleep or cry for anything for that matter. We co-slept until 5 months and now she sleeps in her own room until 6am when she wakes to b/feed and we sleep together in my bed for the next hour or so. I've always worn her in a carrier and I love how close we've become.

The only problem is she will not play alone for long (5-10 minutes maximum) - just not long enough for me to get anything done. Her crawling and cruising around furniture is going really well (she'll walk soon, I think). She loves to chase me around the floor and plays enthusiastically when I'm on the floor with her. However, she'd much prefer being in my arms walking around looking at things. Once she's playing well, I move to the kitchen to start dinner & other chores done, but she realises I'm gone after a couple of minutes and starts crawling towards me and up my legs to be held. The house is open plan so she can always see me, but this doesn't seem good enough for her - she wants to be held.

She's goes to care 2 days a week (next door) while I work, and her daycare aunty says she's the same with her ("your little girl loves to be held!").

I always thought that by the time she was 1, I would have my time back to get dinner and housework done, but I just don't have time for all of that as there's only so much I can do one-handed. I'm not willing to let her cry for cuddles and would rather leave things undone until hubby comes home to help.

Whilst I love our close bond, I'm wondering if anyone might have some tips for me to help her to become a little more independent. My back is getting sore and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up with her growing heavier and heavier by the minute. When she goes to mothers group each week, she's happy to go off and play, as long as I'm in her line of sight. Maybe she's bored at home with just us two?

Sorry this is so long and rambly ... any tips to encourage a more independent girl?

sorry, cant offer and advice but just wanted to say that I know exactly how you feel! I also thought my DD would be more independent by now, but sometimes especially if she is getting tired, she just wants to be held by me!