Just about every parent has a time when their child is clingy, some more than others are. I remember when my son started to go to daycare around age five months of age, he did not want to leave mom. At home, I constantly had to pick him up to keep him from crying. Unless he had someone giving him full attention, he wanted to be held. As you can imagine, this was exhausting yet, I did not want to be a bad mother.
Remember that this type of behavior from a child is very common, even expected. In fact, you will find that many children actually prefer one parent to another, although this does not usually last long. If you have recently become a single parent, it would be likely for your child to go through a clingy stage, as he or she tries to understand and adjust. Even in a two-parent home, having a clingy child from around five months to one year should not alarm you.
You will need to accept the fact that during this clingy phase, the child has more intense needs for some reason. It could be the difficulty of you going back to work, it could be the absence of the second parent because of divorce or death, or it could be a normal stage, which eventually, the child will grow out. Yes, having a clingy child when working and trying to be a single parent is exhausting. Typically, it means you are always adjusting your schedule and activities to meet the needs of that child. To help you get through this phase, I have provided you with some great tips.
First, accept the inevitable. Then, try to work your schedule so you are not doing too much. Although it will be challenging, you want to spend as much quality time with the child as possible, building a strong and trusting bond. If you have a friend or family member nearby, ask if he or she will come in after work to help you with dinner so you can have this time. In fact, this would be a great opportunity for grandma or grandpa to take the baby for an hour to give you an hour to unwind.
Second, although you might be a social butterfly with a full schedule, try to put off entertaining, social events, or other outings where the child could not go. Now, if there is something that you really want to attend, then you should. The key is to keep your social activities to a limit for the time being. In addition, do not be afraid to let your child cry for a little bit. While it might sound as if she were dying, I promise she is fine. You will need to trust parenting instincts on this one. However, if you are trying to fix dinner, it would not hurt your child to cry for a little bit while you take care of business. Simply put him or her in a swing, playpen, or highchair in the same room as you, which generally works very well.
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