Your Baby Week 28
It may seem like your little one is now getting into anything and everything. Crawling, scooting, rolling, it doesn’t matter how, if she sees something she wants, she will find a way to get it! This is the time when your baby-proofing will be put to the test!
Feel free to encourage her new desire to move, but don’t worry about pushing her too much. Children develop their motor skills at very different paces. Before you know it she will be moving so much you’ll be wondering how to get her to stay still!
Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety is a part of childhood. Teary goodbyes and tantrums are things many parents are used to experiencing when they try to leave their child with someone else. If your child has begun to develop these behaviors, remember that it is a normal part of childhood development.
Understanding what your child is going through is a key part of being able to cope with it. It can be especially hard for some parents because it may seem like one day you could leave your child with a caregiver with no problems and the next they are screaming every time you try to leave. So what’s going on?
Between 4 and 7 months, your child will develop what psychologists refer to as “object permanence”. Object permanence is an understanding that people and things exist even when they are out of sight. At this age, however, your child may not have a concept of this. So, at the same time she has come to an understanding that there is one you, she doesn’t yet have an understanding of if and when you will return when you leave. Not surprisingly then, she will do everything she can to keep you from leaving, namely, by kicking and screaming.
Making the tough goodbyes easier
Even though this may be a gut wrenching time for you and your child, there are certain things that you can do to make the goodbyes easier. Though it’s difficult, try being calm and consistent. Some parents have a goodbye ritual in which they say a loving but firm goodbye. Stay calm and reassure her that you will be back, explain how long you will be gone, and give her your full attention when you leave. But when you say you are leaving, mean it! Coming back in to comfort her will only reinforce her behavior and make things worse.
You can also practice by leaving your child with a caregiver for short periods of time, longer than 15 minutes but no longer than hour or so. This gives her enough time to calm down, so when you return she won’t believe it is because you are responding to her tantrum. It will also teach her that when you leave, you will be coming back.
