I’m using my blog for my own personal gain tonight…
Ok parents,
Who dealt with a super clingy toddler while getting ready for a new baby?
When we had E, both of us were working. So K was used to being comforted by either of us. It made our transition easier because we could easily divide and conquer. I got E because I had the goods to feed her. Husband took K. Everybody was happy, happy, happy.
Now I am staying home full time with both kids and my E is super attached to me. She loves daddy, but does not want to be rocked down by daddy. It is hard for both of us to listen to her fuss when daddy holds her, but she hurts my belly with her toddler wiggles. Plus I feel like she needs to start seeking daddy for comfort to get ready for Baby F.
The toddler bed transition has been a little difficult. We used to just lay her down, but now she can walk out. She is also finishing teething all four eye teeth. So she still lays down when almost asleep, but wants to be comforted for a while first.
Thoughts? Did you have a clingy kiddo that only wanted mom?
In other news, E got her first haircut today:
Just a bang trim, but she still looks like such a big girl.
Mama Miller Parenting 
I dealt with this (and still do) with Alex. I started giving him his ‘special’ spot next to me where he can read/play with cars while I am busy with Nick or Zoey. It makes him feel like he isn’t being left out. And when I was pregnant it meant that he wasn’t hurting me since he was next to me. I also bought him a stuffed monkey that he could cuddle while I was busy cuddling his brother (and now his sister) it seems to work well with him most days. Good luck Mama! Hope you find something that works for you!
She eventually settled down for daddy, but my mama heart just wants to grab her up when she is fussing. She stays busy most of the time, but wants snuggle time to go to sleep. I’m losing my lap space!
I am also started to do the same with Nick now that he seems to be showing signs of jealousy. As a stay at home mom, I spend a lot of time alone with them and we needed to find a system that worked for us!
I’m hoping to get a few busy activities together for them. I just worry about trying to get all three to bed when husband works nights. I won’t be able to hold her as long as she wants.
Alex co slept with me until recently so he was used to being cuddled. I put the rocking chair in his room and just having me in the room seemed to be enough. If you are going to try that though start now before you have the baby so that she doesn’t connect the change with the baby. That’s what I do now when Hubs isn’t here in the evening, put the boys in their beds with their movies and sit in the rocking chair with Zoey
I don’t have a TV in their room, but I occasionally let them fall asleep on the couch in the living room with me in my chair and have daddy move them when he gets home. That may be an option while we’re transitioning.
I have 2 super clingy kiddos. The only thing that worked for bedtimes for us was when we finally transitioned into putting him into a crib. We co-slept, but when the new baby arrived, I just had to let him cry it out in the crib. It sounds so bad, but honestly it was literally 2 nights of crying and then BAM he slept through the night and woke up a lot happier. Only you know what is right for your kiddo. It’s hard!!
I’m trying to keep putting her back in the toddler bed. It is hard that she is teething and can easily get out of the toddler bed. We still have several weeks. I’m trying to distance myself at bedtime now, so she won’t associate her annoyance with baby.
Wish I could help! I’ll be keeping an eye on your transition, though because we will add a third eventually. As pithy as this might sound, you will find a way to work through it!
I just hope we find a way that still allows me a tiny bit of sanity and sleep. 😉
Ain’t that the truth!
My youngest is a clinger and ALWAYS ends up in our bed and wants to be held even though he weighs as much as my tiny 6 year old. It’s so annoying (and yet sweet at the same time – I have to add that in there before I sound like the worst mom in the world, but seriously, it is annoying too!). My other two were never really bad unless sleepy (my oldest could have cared less that I had a new baby when his sister was born – he was 17 months old; my daughter is the only girl so once she saw the attention she got from being a BIG sister, she was ok with the baby) so again, this is a whole new thing for me. Here’s hoping we both get some relief from this very soon! I have no idea what to do about it, especially with a new baby on the way for you, but maybe just try to do some one-on-one things with her as you can and then have daddy try to do more “fun” things with her and maybe she will switch sides for awhile? 🙂 GOOD LUCK!!!
Thanks! My goal is to preserve at least a tiny bit of sanity (you may laugh now) and sleep. 😉
My 2nd has always been more clingy and needy. I can’t remember if it got worse when I was expecting the 3rd or if he was just his normal clinginess!
What is the age difference between your second and third? We have 2 years and 3 months between our first two and I’m due a week after my second turns 2.
There’s 2 years between my first two kids and three years in between the last two.