Opinions on My Baby....

Hi M.,
This is totally normal and good. You are his primary caregiver. You feed him. :) This is actually a good thing as it shows he has a strong attachment to you. One thing of note is that often times babies who will go to anyone with open arms tend to have attachment disorders. They don't recognize one person as being *their* person. Enjoy this very important position in his life!

Totally normal for a breastfed baby with a SAHM. I did not breastfeed, but am a SAHM. My son is usually like that with me (and Daddy). When I drop him off at Grandma's he'll do fine, but if I or my husband is there with him, he only wants us. It's like we have to be in sight or he thinks we're leaving him. Really normal for this age!

I think this is totally normal! It may be related to your breastfeeding or it may not...it could also just be this one's personality that he prefers the comfort of you over anyone. You sound like a wonderful mama! I probably would cling to you too like a koala if I was your son, LOL!

I would allow it and encourage it. It is a healthy sign of self-esteem and self-awareness. When he is ready, he will venture out into the world without you.

I have 4 children and they have all been soooo different since day 1. Some were clingy, some were not, and I've always been a SAHM. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say it's probably just a case of separation anxiety and it'll pass :)

He's just naturally bonded to you. Right now you are the center of his world, so he wants you close. Eventually he'll become more independant. Enjoy the closeness!! :)

Personality. Just who he is, nothing to worry about. I had one like this, it was not "love" it was stalking...having another baby cured that!

M.

I think that the breastfeeding is related. My first son didn't nurse - I pumped for him for almost a year. He loved to be cuddled (he is 5 and still likes to cuddle in the morning, bedtime, and when sick) but not as much as my 6 month old who is breastfed. I went back to work 2 weeks ago part-time but am still nursing. Nurse him at daycare, go to work, back to nurse at lunch, and then nurse for pick up at 3pm. He also prefers me to anyone holding him. He doesn't cry for me at daycare but is super excited to see me when I return. I'm trying to enjoy the cuddles as much as possible. He will be 5 also before I know it!

Enjoy the love but make sure that your son gets some father - son quality time when possible for just the two of them to bond.

my dd is the same way. We are rarely apart. Maybe once a week I leave her with dad for a few hours on saturday to go shopping or run errands. She cries if someone else is holding her. She's been this way since 4 months. I'm glad to know she's not the only one.

Hi,
I don't know if it can be directly attributed to any one thing. It does, however, sound exactly how my son was with me. The good news that what you are describing are healthy bonds with your child. My son is now 15 and very healthily independent. We still are very close and those formative years gave him the security, the confidence and the self-esteem to thrive as a young adult. When he was around 10 I asked why he was so confident and willing to try new things and he attributed it to having always felt secure and loved when he was little. So just keep on doing what you are doing! It's obviously working for his personality type and it will foster an healthy independence later. He won't remain clingy forever but he will remain well connected emotionally.

My son (who is now 2 years old) was extremely clingy to me until he was weaned at 17 months. I'm a SAHM also and whenever we're with our extended family he straight up tells me to go to the store or something. He doesn't want me around trying to cuddle him when he's got so many other important people to see and play with lol...even when Dad's home nights and weekends my son hardly notices that I exist (except when he's hungry and wants a "sammich"). I'm sad sometimes when I remember how he desperately clung to me 24/7 when he was little, and I miss it. But it's just part of them growing up. I also wore him until he was walking at 13 months in a sleepy wrap all the time too. He much rather preferred for me to be holding him over playing independantly.

My 6 month old daughter on the other hand is already much more independent. She is also breastfed but only wants to nurse when she is hungry. Sometimes she fusses when i'm holding her and wants to be put down on the floor to play and watch her brother run around. She is also obsessed with her dad and cries when he walks out of the room and when i'm holding her instead of him. She wants to be put down in her bed to fall asleep (will not fall asleep on the breast or with me holding her). Kids come with their own personalities/preferences and it's really fun to watch how they change. Enjoy him being clingy--maybe you'll get lucky and he'll always be a Mama's boy :) I'm also 23 and still pretty clingy towards my mom haha...she also says out of my 4 siblings and I, that I took the longest to wean and still climbed in bed with her up until my 13th birthday

This my sound funny but you sound just like my Grandmother talking about my Uncle who is the youngest. She had 4 children, my mother being the only girl she was the second child. All were breast fed. My Grandmother said she couldn't go anywhere without my Uncle. There are pictures of him holding on to her dress and crying because she wasn't holding him. If she wasn't in his sight he cried. She said he was that way until he went to Kindergarten. She said her other 3 were not like that. He was a Mama's boy until my Grandmother passed away. I can tell you now he is a Doctor with a wife and family so it will get better. He just loves his Mom. Its might be a pain now but enjoy it. He will grow up and move out and it will all just be a funny memory like it was for my Grandmother.

No, I don't think the working or breastfeeding is your answer.
Sounds like he loves his mommy and he's a sensitive little soul! Enjoy him!

How wonderfully attached he is! Lucky you! Keep enjoying it while it lasts!
Blessings, J.

My 1st born was like this.
Both of my kids were/are breastfed so that isn't the issue with my kids.
My DS, my 1st kid, was VERY clingy.
He had a hard time latching on in the beginning. So bad that he barely ate for the 1st few weeks. So once he would latch and fall asleep there was NO way I was going to move to put him in his bed. So we co-slept. So he got very clingy. Always looking for me and always wanting me to hold him.
After my maternity leave was up, I went back to work. My DS would NOT have it. I would go to work for 4hours a night, about 2-3 nights a week.
He would scream the ENTIRE time I was gone.
It was a long process to get him to stop being so clingy. I started leaving him with his dad for 10-15 min at a time, and started going for longer trips after a while. Now he's 2 1/2 and is totally fine when i do have to go out. He still Loves his momma, but isn't nearly as clingy.

9 months to 2 years is the typical clingy period do not be suprised if all of sudden he starts crying even when left with someone he sees on a weekly basis. This is perfectly normal for some children.

It's partly a lot of things. One he is a different child so he may be nothing like your other kids regardless. Two it is the age . He is starting to notice the world around him and it is a big place. Breastfed kids are not necessarily more clingy. All my kids were breastfed and my daughter is the only one who could care less where I was. My second son talked to everyone. He was my social butterfly. He never met a stranger. SO each child is different and enjoy what makes each one of your children unique.