clingy 2 year old cant play alone for even a few minutes....help...

[butterfly23]

I have always tried to keep my son entertained. Ever since he was a baby. And now....

I notice that he can't keep himself entertained for even a few minutes. He is constantly clingy with me. Even when we go to playgroups (4 times a week) he insists I play with him, and if I choose to just sit in a corner, he will do likewise, but he will not play alone.

He also freaks out if other kids or even babies come near him whilst he is playing. He drops his toy and comes running to me and cries for his toy back!

I feel such a failure. Other kids seem so much more confident etc whereas my sons world is so small! Any recs on where to go from here would be appreciated.

 

[hel_5]

Sorry no help but you are not alone, my DD2 is nearly 2 and stays glued to me constantly! I'm sure I remember DD1 going through this, I'm hopeful it's just a phase xx

 

[RachA]

I would say you need to encourage him to play on his own for a few min here and there and gradually increase the time. I've always been the type of person that leaves my lo's to do there own thing so that i can get on and do the washing up, or some housework etc.
It's been easier for us as we have a stair gate on the kitchen as we have a dog that we don't want roaming the house. Therefore i'd tell my lo's that's i'm going in the kitchen for a few min to make a drink, loads the washing machine. To start off with, my daughter especially would stand at the stair gate and grumble. Once she realised that i would go back into the lounge with her after a little while she started to get toys and play with them in front of the stair gate. Then after a few months of her doing that she started playing with the toys in the lounge.

 

[chubbin]

Maybe Im soft but I would say let him sit on your lap for a whole playgroup if necessary. Like any clingy person in a relationship, he just requires his needs to be met for reassurance in order to feel comfortable and secure. Accept him in all his clingyness! Just my opinion, like I say Im the nurturing soft type xx

 

[pinkandfluffy]

I'd have said the same as chubbin ^^^

Funnily enough my LO was like this - yet today at a music / movement group we've been going to he totally did his own thing and sat with the other children for story time - I was so proud lol x

 

[Lina]

Up until last month my LO would run away from other toddlers and refuse to play independently. I was the only mother sitting inside the little toddler area with him hovering above me, trying to keep an eye on me. I found that the more I pushed the worse I made it for both of us. So we did everything on his terms, and thankfully he is much better now and the other day even followed a toddler around trying to play with him, never thought it would happen!

 

[Mrs Doddy]

My lo is the same ! I don't know what to do about it , so far I've just gone wih it - but soft play is exhausting ! She has all her friends there so I don't need to go down all the slides with her but I don't have an option she takes my hand and drags me !! She isn't a shy type at nursery and she's been fine there

Do I go with it or push her away to play and upset her ?

 

[kc1980]

My LO is the same and if it's any consolation, she's gotten better in the last few months. Maybe it's just a stage? Or maybe my response helped. I would just stick with her when she needed it. She's much much better at being on her own but it's still tough to get her to integrate with others, ESP if she doesn't know them well

 

[kjjh]

Hiya my son was like this until he started going to a childminders since starting there he has become a lot less clingy and willing to play on his own.

 

[fluffpuffin]

Isla was like this around the time she turned 2. the past few months her confidence has grown so much and she'll play happily on her own and just check back on me every now and then.the lady that takes the play group commented how much more independent she got the other week. I always stayed with her when she was clingy and reassured her. it sorted itself out without me having to do anything.