Clingy baby

Baby is now 9 months and 4 weeks old, according to the counter by Baby Center. And according to the weekly tips and update that they send me regarding baby’s weekly developments, it is said that it’s normal for baby to be extra clingy at this stage. True to what’s said, baby has been very upset whenever we left the room. He would cry with big drops of tears down his cheeks which is very heart-wrenching to watch.

The tip given by Baby Center is not to rush baby into being independent. Instead, it is advised to let baby take his time and this may actually be a faster way for him to be confident and independent. There are two ways that I try to make my short absence from him less traumatic.

Firstly, I try to turn my absence into a game of hide and seek. If I need to go into the kitchen and he’s on his walker in the living room, then I lead him slowly towards where I’m headed and pretend to play hide and seek. Each time I “hide”, I take a slightly longer time before I appear again to peekaboo at him. He loves playing hide and seek and over time, he gets ok with my absence for a longer period of time. It also helps that even if I’m in another room, I make it a point to stay within his line of sight so that he knows I’m still somewhere around and he’s not absolutely alone.

The other way is to distract him with a favourite toy. I hand it to him and sit with him for a while to get him involved in play. When he’s really into it, I make a dash for wherever I need to go, be it the bathroom or the kitchen. I also make it a point to keep talking so that he hears my voice even when I’m out of sight. Sometimes I doubt he hears me when he’s totally absorbed in his toys!

Whilst some may feel that a clingy baby is a hindrance to things, I find it rather endearing. Of course if you’re being held back by baby from going to the bathroom, then that’s a different story altogether!