It’s a big world out there and your child needs help to feel safe and comfortable to deal with so many new experiences.
It may look easy being small, but even the most fearless toddler can quickly feel overcome with anxiety and fear when faced with what may seem like a very ordinary situation to anyone else. His own independence, and confidence in being without you are one of the hardest tricks for a toddler to crack. You may call him a big boy to his delight, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be clingy and sometimes make a fuss when he’s separated from you.
Help him to be without you
Work on getting him accustomed to being left with someone else if he’s not attending a nursery or staying with a childminder. He’ll need time to get to know and trust a new face, but time spent now will pay off later. Clingy phases – which can crop up from toddlerhood right through to when he starts school – are best dealt with by giving extra love, comfort and security. Once he learns that you will come back, he will settle again.
Reduce the stress
Seemingly irrational fears can spring up out of the blue – the dark, next door’s dog, slamming doors. Help him to avoid the things he finds fearful, and be quick to comfort and reassure over things that do distress him. It helps to try to find real reasons why he may be feeling stressed. If you can reduce these fears, he’ll relax and find his least favourite challenges in life easier to handle.
Slowly does it
Introduce changes in his life gradually. The world can be a scary place to a toddler and he can’t cope happily with too much change at once – whether it’s a new childcare arrangement or a different bedroom. Stagger change and you’ll give him the chance to get used to it, and the confidence to explore and enjoy new things.
