Coping with a Clingy Toddler

Why don’t they all cling?

But how about all those 2-year-olds at the birthday party who weren’t clinging to their parents – who were happily off socializing with other kids?

“As a parent, it’s natural to compare your clingy child to others of the same age who are more independent. But, the last criterion you should use when you’re thinking about your child’s clingyness is her age,” says Pruett. “More important is her temperament. Is she an independent kid who has no trouble dressing on her own in the morning? Or is she more interested in intense emotions, loving the intimacy of those clinging moments with you? There’s a huge variation in the temperamental drive toward autonomy, but every child is born with it.”

“Trying to rush children into premature autonomy is like trying to toilet train them too early,” Pruett explains. “It can backfire. If you wait for your child’s natural maturational skills to come about, the process will be much easier.”

More about Toddlers

From United Parenting Publications.