Bunny Boo has taken clingyness to a whole new level...

[Inertia]

Ladies, I need your brilliant ideas on how to help my poor baby...

We have all heard of clingy babies.. Those that want to hang around mum lots and prefer to sit on mums lap rather than the pram. I have had those. Hazzle was a clingy baby.

Bunnyboo is extreme.

The best example I can give of this is when I feed her to sleep. I will be sat down and she will be feeding, next thing I know she is asleep. Now with all my other babies, and many many others no doubt, I could go put them down in the cot/crib/bed what-have-you. It wasnt a problem with Haz. I just put him down and he rolled over and kept sleeping. Boo however seems to sense that you are putting her down. I have done this 5 minutes after she has fallen asleep, 15 minutes, she should be so fast asleep you can play with her hands or hair and she wont wake up.... until I try and put her down. He eyes will snap open, fill with tears and she will start bawling. And we are not talking about loud angry screams or hey what do you think you are doing stuff. She is geniunely crushed. Today I tried again and she was bawling for a good 15 minutes afterwards - WHILE I WAS HOLDING HER! All cuddled into my shoulder and sobbing.

Its the same if I put her down to go do something. She will be right and smile for a little bit, but if I walk past and dont pick her back up its like I just broke her little heart. I mean we all know after a while we can tell the difference between their cries - this is not an angry cry or a demanding one - this is a crushed spirit sobbing.

I dont know why though. I know she loves me and I love her to bits, but I cant help but worry why she is so unable to emotionally cope without being right next to mummy.

Any ideas on what could possibly be going through her head and what I can do to alay her fears?

On background, I have never deserted her or left her in anyone elses care. She will sleep without being in my arms but only on my bed, and if I get up and leave the bed she soon wakes up looking for me. She can play on the floor by herself when the mood strikes her, but if I leave the room she will follow me to where I am and play on the floor there.

I only ask here because as an attachment parent I really do not want to hear "you caused this yourself by co-sleeping/demand feeding/etc etc" that I am already starting to wonder about. I did the same with all the others, but she is the only one to react like this.

[Shanti]

It sounds like the separation anxiety kicking in.... my DD started doing that around 7/8mths too.... they get VERY clingy. It is hard

DD would feed to sleep and drift off and i'd go to put her down and she'd then be wide awake and start crying as if to say "how dare you leave me?" it was so hard!!!!

It will pass.....

[Peg]

i wouldnt be concerned that her clinginess has anything to do with co sleeping or feeding on demand. Kids are all so different, some are independent and some are not...just like adults.

i co slept with all my children and fed on demand and it didnt cause them to be clingly. It was actually my first child who i tried to move into his own bed around 6 mths of age who was the most clingly and yet now he's the most independent (although he is 13 so i would kind of hope he was by now lol)

A friend of mine had an extremely clingly baby right up until 3 years old but her 2nd child not was clingy at all.

So i'd put it down to different personalities of our children rather then how we feed or sleep them.


Give her time and it will hopefully pass.... you could also try and get her a comfort bunny or blanket or teddybear...something that she feels safe with when you arnt with her.

[Heaven]

Oh, it's tough isn't it! I always wondered how ppl could get their babies to sleep and then put them down. DD was literally on me for the first 6 months of her life, she only slept in the hug-a-bub during the day. I absolutely could not put her down or she would be awake instantly no matter how asleep she was!! It was frustrating. But she grew out of it!! Slowly she would stay asleep longer and longer after I put her down. Now I still rock or feed her to sleep but I can put her down and she rolls over and keeps sleeping. It still amazes me, lol. It will get better!! DD still goes through stages of being more clingy, it's just separation anxiety and it will get better. You haven't caused it. You're helping her to be a confident little girl when she's ready.

[Dansta]

this may sound funny but...maybe when your not long off putting her down her down, under her head put some clothes/pillow case that you've used/worn under her (and if they're warm it may help too- with out the sudden change in temp from body heat to cold cot/bed). that way she'll still smell you KWIM? i did/still do that with DS - he used to go down then wake up upset/screamy because he wasnt with myself or DH. it was my MCHN that suggested it. HTH.

[*TripleJ*]

jamie was the same it was around the time he started crawling but now hes started standing on his own its died down a little not a lot but at least were he'll sleep without me