Does My Son Have Seperation Anxiety?

J.,
I have a 19 month old that we just broke of his pacifier this week too. It was tough at first and made him more emotional but now that the week is over, he is learning to calm down more quickly. Your son probably has a little separation anxiety that is made worse by not having his usual "comforter", the binky - sort of a double whammy. Don't worry. Kids go through this stuff. I saw my 3 yr old go through all sorts of bizarre stages and I've finally learned it really is just a stage and it's always worked out. Of course, it's still really hard while they're going through it. As my friend with a 13 year old keeps telling me... just appreciate the fact that they still need you and want you to hold them.

Most definitely. This is a stage that comes and goes a few times over the first few years. Make sure you talk to him and tell him where you are going, and keep talking to him in a calm voice as you go into the other room. It should pass soon, it's mostly about making things bearable so you don't have a kid attached to you at all times. Also, if you have to leave, possibly giving him a picture of you to hold will make him feel a bit better. Hope things get better!

It is very usual for a child at this age to go thru stages like this. They go thru stages where its only mommy, then only daddy, then no one and then repeat. They are trying to learn to be independent, yet they are still dependent on you both. My son was the opposite, he clung to daddy like there was no tomorrow, even when he went to work and I stayed home with him, which was all the time, because I worked out of my home. It made me feel bad too, because I wondered what was wrong with me that my own son was rejecting me, but I see now, it was just his thing with his daddy. Let me tell you, daddy would leave with a puffed out chest! ;) Both my daughters now are mommy's little girls and sometimes refuse to be with daddy. My 2, soon to be 3, yr old has really outgrown this and gets very excited when daddy comes home. Its a tough stage, especially if they are clingy, but it has nothing to do with the binky, he would be this way, even with it. My 2 yr old was. Good Luck!

If it's a significant problem for you I did recently learn from some pediatrician's in our area that they are encouraging pacifiers just at night for kids up to 4 years. I guess it helps them breathe & sleep better. If you aren't totally against letting your son keep his pacifier, I'd suggest trying to give it back to him just when he sleeps. He might just not be getting enough "good" sleep & is clingy for you.

i bet he is going through stranger and seperstion anxity. he will grow out of it but if he does not i would talk to your doctor about him may having a problem with leaving you. my doc also told me that needed to help them by leaving them in a safe enviroment with out you for short periods of time adding more time as you go. till he is comfy with being n his room or in the house with out you.

I don't think that its strange that he just wants Mom; my son is the same way and he spends a lot of time alone with his dad. But if I am there and I leave the room he cries alot too. Do you think that your son is getting the same amount of attention from your husband as he does from you? I know that parents tend to do things differently and my husband tends to ignore my son if he is behaving badly or he cries but I tend to pick him up and soothe him. So, I am sure my son prefers to be soothed than ignored so he probably likes me more than my husband! Also, babies tend to gravitate towards Mom more than Dad probably because of the bonding in the womb so you will always have an extra special place in your sons heart. My son is going to be a year old at the end of the month and my doc. says that separation anxiety sets in normally around 8-10 months and we are sure that that is the problem with my son I am just not sure how long it is supposed to last. I guess if it keeps up and it worries you I would talk to his pediatrician but it may just be that your son prefers to be with you right now so make the most of it as that doesn't last long enough! He may also be a little stressed because he just lost his binky, which he will get over eventually even if it doesn't seem like it!