Attachment Issues

I am also 23 SAHM and I have a baby girl who is almost 9 months. Your issue sound like what I was going through and still am it's just a phase they go through a little bit of independence. I used to rock my baby to sleep she won't let me do it anymore. She's on a schedule still but she just plays until she gets tired. Falls asleep drinking her bottle, just don't lay them down until your sure they are asleep.
At night a bath helps to relax, I don't like to let her nap after 7 p.m. She is usually in bed by 10p.m. I used to have trouble sleeping myself because she needed her night feeding. I stopped doing that around 6 months. She is a wild sleeper so I don't leave any toys or anything in her bed. She whines a bit so I turn her baby monitor on my end as low as I can because i'm a light sleeper. She has had some bad nights when I have to wake up when she was cold or she is also teething, so I just comfort her and she goes back to sleep, I don't usually turn on the light because she may think it's okay to wake up. She wakes when my husband kisses her in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. but I just leave her until 8 a.m. she sometimes plays and sometimes cries a bit but goes back to sleep.

Is it possible she is teething?

Ferrel G,
I have a 15-month old little boy and we have gone through the same thing you are describing. He goes through times every couple of months where he has seperation anxiety from Me and my husband. He wakes up screaming wanting us to come into his room and hold him. I talked to our pediatrician who said it is just a stage and we have to let him cry it out for a few nights. We go in the first time to make sure everything is ok (no fever, give him his pacifier, cover him up, get him a drink, etc.), then that's it. He cries for about 3-minutes and then figures out we are not coming back, so he goes back to sleep. If you keep going in to comfort them, they will continue to wake up and think they need you to go back to sleep. It is very hard, but you have to be strong and they will be better sleepers for it. Hope this helps.

I can feel your pain but in a different way. I used to co-sleep with my daughter and when we switched to her crib, she started getting upset with me and my husband. She would cry and we would go pick her up and rock her back to sleep (even if it took until midnight). Finally, when she hit near six months, we decided to do a softer version of Ferber's technique. I think babies are smarter than we give them credit for. Your baby may know by now that her screaming or crankiness will result in more love from you.

Am I rambling? Anyway - I am also a SAHM. So, during the day, I flood my precious princess with love and attention and when her routine bedtime occurs and she cries, I go in as scheduled, but no more. This has been going on for over a week now, but she seems very happy and secure.

If you have to let her cry a tiny bit, it will be okay. It hurts us more than it hurts them.

This is such a sketchy subject, but I hope I at least let you know that you are not alone in your struggle.

Even with the steady routine that you have her on, the move just put a huge rift in it. She had her space where she slept before and now it isn't the same.

As far as attachments beginig at around 7 months old, I'm a SAHM to 5 children. I've never experienced that with any of them. The only times I've experienced the excessive need to be held was when there was a shift in their routine. And more often then not, it was due to a move. It happened with 2 of my children.

As far as what could possibly help, try music or something that you know normally helps to soother her. I'd like to recommend Baby Einstein or Little Einstein. My children are very fond of it and it helps to relax even the oldest, and he is 11. If that doesn't help. Go to your local Wal-Mart. In the furniture area they have a collection of CD's. Many are of different regions around the world and some are simply soothing noises in nature and stuff like that. Those may help as well.

I do belive in letting my kids cry it out (with in reason), however when my 1st son was around the same age he figured out that if he screamed we would come running. And scream he did. Nothing was wrong he just didn't want to go to bed. We had to let him scream it out and after a few weeks he quit.

Also, have you considered that she might be teething? That's when I usually see the biggest attachment/personality changes in my son.

I wouldn't let her cry it out, unless you feel that it's simply a temper tantrum. Maybe if you put her in her bed, and you sit in a chair beside the bed to talk, sing, and pat. My youngest child had to be held all of the time, and she acts like a very happy, secure child now. She's almost 8 years old, and thinks that she can take on the world. She still wants me around her the majority of the time, but what I mean to say, is that the attachment didn't really "spoil" her. In fact, if you go to google.com and look up The Natural Child Project, you will find some information about your issue, and why the extreme closeness with your baby is a great idea. I don't know if I've been helpful, but just remember that every baby is different, and they go through crazy changes just like we do.

Your baby girl is probly just a little anxious about the new home i know that when we moved both of my boys seemed to have restless sleep. They would both wake up in the night and want to get in bed with us but i was consistant with them and they are now used to it.

Every baby is diffrent and moving could have caused some of her behavior. However, babies learn after awhile if I cry they will pick me up. I have been through this twice with my own babies. The best thing you can do is be consitant, the routine, fimiluar things, check diaper, think when was last feeding,does she have a fever? and if you did all that then its ok to let her cry, this will drive you nuts for the first week but in time will get better. She will learn that when it is time for bed, that it is time for bed eventually waking up less.