This past week my daughter and I have been in California spending time with my parents. We're going home tomorrow and I'm so excited! I miss my baby. Shes only been with me to eat or sleep and the rest of the time, she is in my dad's arms. He loves her so much but I'm afraid he holds her too much. At home, she is not held every waking moment and content so I'm afraid she will demand to be held all the time! Am I worrying too much?
Holding a perfectly independent baby all the time?
- Thread starter lcmorla
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MindUtopia
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You can never hold them too much, unless they want to be mobile and are fighting you and getting upset that you aren't putting them down to explore. Otherwise, if your LO is content, the more you can hold her the better. My daughter was pretty much always held except for short stints of tummy time until she was crawling at 8 month and even after that, whenever she wanted it. She slept with us at night. She slept in a wrap on my chest during the day. She's now 2.5 and incredibly independent and non-clingy, much more so than friends' toddlers who weren't held so much. So no, really, there is never too much unless she's getting upset that she's not able to do something else.
My experience is that independence is something that's not fixed.
My kids go through times of being very content to hang out, play or explore on their own, and then times of clinginess. Sometimes the phases last days, sometimes weeks.
In general, they are both pretty independent kids, but even independent kids have phases where they are like barnacles!
If your daughter is clingy on your return, it's probably just that she is seeking reassurance following the changes of being away, rather than that your father has 'spoiled' her. Once she gets used to being home again, she'll most likely revert to her normal level of independence.
My kids go through times of being very content to hang out, play or explore on their own, and then times of clinginess. Sometimes the phases last days, sometimes weeks.
In general, they are both pretty independent kids, but even independent kids have phases where they are like barnacles!
If your daughter is clingy on your return, it's probably just that she is seeking reassurance following the changes of being away, rather than that your father has 'spoiled' her. Once she gets used to being home again, she'll most likely revert to her normal level of independence.
