is this normal at 16 months

tineka

My son is extremely clingy. He only wants me. The ony time he will give my husband the time of day is if he is going outside. We co-sleep and if he is in the middle of the bed he crawls to me until he is right under me. My co-workers think it is because I breastfed until he was 14 months. Is there anything that i can do to make him more independent? Is this normal for this age.

MarSamWhitney

I think its normal. My LO will ALWAYS reach for me, and she pretty much spends equal amounts of alone time w/ my H and I.  Im going to assume its because I'm awesome and I carried her in my womb and all.

MarSamWhitney

To answer your question about how to make him more independant- I was thinking the same thing. But, I think I am just going to ride it out. Im sure its just a phase.

freeatlast2014

I BF until 14 months and my DS isn't really clingy...so I wouldn't think that alone would contribute. Like MarSam said, I think it's a phase. JT is only that way with me when he's around people he doesn't know...but with the way they change I'm sure this could be a different story next week!

debperdoo

I think it is normal = ds has been very clingy lately.  At bedtime, in the night, or early in morning he only wants me, during the day when he gets clingy (usually shortly after he wakes up, or when he is tired) he will split who he wants me or dh, during the week he even tends to cling to one particular person at daycare more then others. 

ffejsGirl

1st your coworker is an idiot.

2nd it's pretty normal for this age. DD is very very clingy to me or H. Mostly in new places when she doesn't know people. H is the main caregiver while I'm working weekends and she will only go to him by the end of the weekend. Then at the end of the week, while I'm home all week, she only wants me. It's just who she's used to more.

As far as baby not going to your H, I would attempt to give them more alone time. A day out to the park or something on the weekends. For the most part it is just a stage though.

kcisthebombdotcom

ALL kids go through a clingy phase. Some do it at 6 months, some at 2, some at 12. LOL. It's a normal part of child development (and would be weirder if your child didn't go through that kind of phase quite honestly).

Your coworker is a dumbass. You can try to encourage independent play by gradually increasing the time you spend away from her while she's interested in something else, but likely it will improve with time on its own.

pixieprincss

Your coworker gets a child development FAIL. This sounds like a 100% normal phase. It will pass with time, though offering  gentle opportunities for the guys to hang out together is a great idea, and is just a reality of life. We are big babywearing fans (DH and I both wear)  because it helps us go about with life while filling up DS's "attachment tank". He sometimes needs an hour in a new environment before he's comfortable and ready to explore it on his own. I let him go at his own pace. Sometimes life happens and has has to be into an environment that he's wary of, but that is different from arbitrarily forcing those moments.