oh thankyou all for your replys! glad there is light at the end of the tunnel! im going to ride it through!! hes just going to have to get use to others eg daddy taking over! the little monkey! my husband & i went to london to watch a show the other day & stayed the night! without our son! it tore me apart! lol! was ringing constantly! my mum had him! & he was an absolute angel! good as gold! didnt cry or anything! goes to show hes just trying to play me off! lol! am going to be strong & not give into him when hes acting up! how do they klearn at such a young age eh! lol!
many thanks! xxxxxxx

I understand this can feel really annoying but it is indeed very normal
around this age of eight months plus for “separation anxiety” to start. For
the first few months of a baby’s life they are becoming attached to the
really important adults in their lives. If this has tended to be mainly mum,
it can sometimes happen that they protest when passed to dad or other
relatives. This doesn’t really have anything to do with teething –being
clingy, and “separation anxiety” are a normal stage of development.

Now your baby is that little bit older, he knows when you are not there and
can be upset when you leave because he doesn’t yet really understand that
you will definitely be coming back. As he grows a bit older, this will get
easier as he will learn to trust that you always return.

It would be useful to work on building his relationship with his dad, as
that will be much better for both of you. It will mean he will be quite
happy to be left with his dad, and you will equally be able to take a break
to do other things. You should build this up gradually with short
separations, always saying you will be back. If you constantly take over,
dad doesn’t get a chance for your son to become attached to him, so that he
will continue to protest.

Hi. My daughter is nearly 17 months and still has days where she only wants me and she regularly protests if I go upstairs without taking her with me! Most of the time she will happily go to daddy or to our childminder but whenever she is feeling tired or a bit poorly it's always mummy she's after! All kids go through a clingy phase no matter how you are with them or how happy they may have been to be left beforehand, my advice is to ride it out but don't let them get the better of you. It doesn't take long for children to realise they can manipulate situations to their advantage so be firm in how far you will indulge their yearning to be held and cuddled all the time! There will be a bit of crying to deal with but this gets less as time goes on. Emma will now sit and play with something in the kitchen while I'm making breakfast instead of hanging round my legs screaming!! and she usually stops any protest fairly quickly once I've left the room as she has learned that it's not the end of the world and I am coming back! xx

oh wow thanks 4 gettin bak 2 me! thought it was just me lol! hopefully he'll grow out of it soon! my son started doin it last week 2! very cheeky these boys! hes been okish 2day, but will w8 untill hubby comes home & c how he behaves then! lol! ellie xx

Hi, my son is nearly 8 months and for the last week he has been doing exactly the same. He won't go to anyone else he just cries but as soon as I pick him up he stops. He is also teething. I spoke to my health visitor and she told me that this is the age babies get clingy but it's something they will grow out of. It really does get you down though I don't like to see him cry but I can't be with him all the time. Just hope this phase doesn't last too long!! Hope this helps a bit, becky x

ok, my son is 8 & a half mths old! hes teethin, oh wot joy!! & its making him feel awful! im giving him anbesol which is fab & calpol! thing is he just doesnt want 2 b with anyone apart from me! which is kinda of sweet but its now driving me crackers! lol, my hubby took harley the other day while i went 2 sort out the horse at the stables, was gone for only 3hrs max & apparently all he did was scream! i cld hear him as i was walkin up the garden path! as soon as i walked in he stops! hmmm cheeky monkey! every time my hubby takes him he just crys! but as soon as i go 2 him he stops! 2day i went 2 put sum washing on left him with his toys & as soon as he realised i wasnt in the room he cried! so i tested him again! left the room & once again, yes uv guessed it he cried! i feel completly worn out now! any tips advice welcome!! and is this normal behaviour or do u think hes just tryin 2 play me!!! many thanks xxxxxx