Separation anxiety - 11 month old

Make-it-3

skintchick wrote: »

We never really bothered with stair gates. I had one on the top for a while to stop her crawling down them but I always let her climb up so she could learn how to do it safely. We moved house when she was 13 months and again we had one on the top but only put one on the bottom because of her friends coming round as the stairs here are in the living room.

As long as you're with them downstairs then you can just teach them about the stairs, but one on the top is IMO essential because if they fall all the way down they could really hurt themselves.

She has learnt how to climb the stairs with our supervision, but occasionally she stops halfway and leans back. She can't figure out going down though, tried face forward and that obviously didn't work!

Metranil_Vavin

sapphireeye wrote: »

PoorCharleyBear and DootDoot are completely right from what I've learned about child psychology at university, at a young age children fail to realise that anything exists unless they can see it. At first they just think that whatever's not there anymore (a toy, a person) doesn't exist, soon after that they start to realise that just because they can't see it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist and so they will start to look for it. At this sort of age your child has not yet learned that other people have their own lives and their own feelings and so in a way they think that you're just there to look after them so they don't understand why you're leaving them because you're already with them so why would you need to go anywhere else? As he grows up he'll realise that the world doesn't revolve around him and every person in his life has their own needs as well!

Attachment theory states that secure attachment is characterised by the child being happy in your presence and feeling free to explore but becoming anxious on separation and being comforted on your return. So what you're seeing with your child is a good thing because it shows that you are looking after him properly and he is responding to you by being properly attached!

Thanks for this sapphireeyes

It's nice to know that I am hopefully doing an ok job!

A first baby is total trial and error, I still don't really know what I'm doing..you just kind of do it!

Shame babies don't come with a manual eh? :D

Carrole

Hi Metranil,
Some tips to reduce anxiety.
Do start mild exercises like yoga and eat well balanced diet.
Share your problems with your friends and family and avoid caffeine and other stimulants.