Dealing with a Clingy Toddler

That is exactly what i am going threw with my two boy's my oldest son is going to be four in october my youngest son is going to be two next month and now i have a 2month old little girl who i also have to look after and i work full time and there is no man in my life at all to offer support he is in iraq ,when he was home i would cry cause i felt that the boys didn't love me cause all they wanted was daddy now that he has come and gone they never want anything to do with him i don't have a solution to the problem just wanted you to know your not alone .

Hello B.,
My daughter also turned 2 on the 27th of April and I have a 3 mth old. My 2 yr old does it in spurts, she only wants mommy and she will literally come to me and sit on my feet and look up at me crying saying please please please.....I think it is just a phase or somedays she wants a little bit more of me and I just give it to her. If my husband is home he will tend to the baby while I give her a bath if not I will bathe them together....I put the baby tub in the bath with her it doesn't give her a lot of room to lay in the tub and play but she enjoys taking a bath with her sister and helping me bathe her.

As far as trying to get her to let daddy do it. Have him turn it into a game something that just her and daddy do....I don't know like flying her around the house and ending up in the tub...or waddle like a duck to the bathroom...LOL

Especially for the crying what I am doing to my daughter and I know you don't want to do this but you need to ignore her if she is crying at you. You have to teach her to use her words, if she wants something from you she needs to tell you instead of crying at you. I am going through this process right now because she thinks that if she crys at me that that is going to give her what she wants...

One more thing my daughter does......When it is time for bed and she doesn't want to go.....she crys for daddy......
Buttons......even though they are only 2 they know which strings to pull and which buttons to push.....:0) they are smart cookies

Good Luck!

I would't worry about this too much either. My son is two and he has gone through these phases. he is 33 pounds and will not let me sit when he wants to be held! Isn't that interesting? He too is in daycare, and these have been phases that lasts a couple of weeks and then go away.
My husband and I have always shared duties when it comes to bathing, diapers and bedtime. Even so, my son went through a BIG phase about 3 months ago where everything had to be done by mamma! My husband started to get hurt by this, but I assured him it would pass. Now, my son is going through a dada phase! If I try to change his diaper, he screams "dada diaper". However, I am not upset by this!!!
I was most worried about the beditme thing. We both went into his room and he immediately started saying "bye bye" to daddy. I said goodnight to him and explained that he should show daddy his new books. When I left the first night, he cried himself to sleep in daddy's arms. The second night, he cried for 2 minutes, then he was over it and daddy and him had a great time. I wouldn't bother trying this until he seems to be breaking out of the phase. In other words, wait until he lets daddy change a diaper or give him a bath first. You will have to put up with some fussing or crying at first, but it shouldn't last long.
Until then, just hold him! Leaving him to cry will only reinforce the seperation! Sometimes, you just need mom! During these phases, I had to have my husband pick up dinner on the way home because I couldn't get any major cooking done.

My daughter turned 2 at the end of March and she is extremely clingy with me as well - she even tells my husband "go way daddy". I think it's just a phase. I work full time, and when I get home she is stuck, literally, to my leg all evening. I’m 5 months pregnant, so right now she’s an only child. I think all children go through this stage. Just ride it out, try to spend as much time with her as you can. As much as you want to give equal attention to both kids, I remember reading somewhere that the older child will have memories of being “rejected” by a parent than the younger one, especially when so young. Yes, it’s important to bond with the 5 month old, but they won’t be “scarred” if Daddy does alot of the cuddling, bathing etc. Your oldest will feel the impact of "Mommy rejection" the most.

Also, try getting your oldest to be a “big girl” in helping you with the baby. Really make her feel included with all the activities you do with the baby. Bath them together, sit on the couch together etc.

I figure children are young for a short period, so I’m trying to enjoy all the Love my daughter gives to me...before long she’ll be telling me that she doesn’t want me to kiss her in front of her friends!

~J.