trish - if anything, you need to pick up/carry him more. carried/worn babies are less clingy overall than the poor little mammals who are left to CIO in whatever situation. wear more.... dooo iiiiiit... and to blazes with anyone who thinks it causes clinginess, it doesn't.
my little beastie doesn't have a cold after all, must have just been a one-off snuffle patch. he is also clingy atm. this is the separation anxiety age AND teething-ville, so i expect him to go bats when i walk anywhere without him. i just carry him for as long as i possibly can. it's a cycle, just like everything in life. some parts of the day he's clingy, tired and sad, other parts he's himself.
i read a horrible article about ferber CIO and i actually cried reading this lady's account of making her poor little bub cry. so bad. why are people in such a rush to separate? i bet K will be fine after he's been glued to you for a few days. if that's what he needs, it makes you the best mummy in the world to him for giving him that comfort.
the ear pulling and redness sounds very teethy to me - being with mummy is probably quite a nice proposition to him at the moment.
i always think that the men-folk can be quite off-hand when it comes to all this because they just don't have the motherly compassion. the logic 'problem-solving' thing becomes more important than the big picture.
dh learnt the hard way once when i was out and he let james CIO, except he didn't cry it out at all - he just got worse and worse until he vomited. dh felt soooo bad he has never mentioned the dirty cry method ever again.
i always think about what i would want if i were mostly incapacitated, couldn't speak, couldn't feed myself, couldn't warm myself and bits of me, like my gums or ear, hurt - you're damn right i'd want someone to be there with me as much as possible.
there's plenty of time for these little pudgy mammals to be grown up and independent, and they will want it in their own time anyway. mummy is very uncool soon enough - but it sure is nice to be flavour of the first few months at least!!
that's my morning pep talk for the clingers and carriers out there.
woo ha!
eta: feel for the animals who have a number of little babies clinging to their undersides as they negotiate high branches. i'm grateful i don't have 6 grabbing onto my hair as i go about my business. nature wanted us to hang out with our babies until they're ready to go off by themselves - it's the best way to protect them.
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