Separation anxiety with 16mo old?

😇behavior

Anonymous User

4 months ago

Our 16mo is cared for by her two moms and her nanny. Since being old enough to express preferences she has been very upset when left alone with anyone else - this includes relatives and friends whom she’s happy to see, happy to play with, happy to be cared for by as long as one of the moms is around. But she gets hysterical when left in their care without moms present. We are going to a wedding in July & want to leave her for half a day with a babysitter. We have someone who can spend a few days with her before then, to get her acclimated. How do we tee this up for success? For the first meeting with the sitter, how long should a mom hang with them before trying to leave them on their own? We generally don’t do screen time, but Miss Rachel puts her in a trance— should we let the sitter use that? Help!

Anonymous

•

4 months ago

We haven’t ever had really intense separation anxiety with our kids but our oldest has had periods when he’s struggled at daycare/school drop off. What worked for us was doing a quick goodbye. The more I dragged it out (to make sure he was okay) the more distressed he would get, which naturally created a bad cycle where then I felt I needed to stay longer/he got more upset. I also think it’s totally reasonable to rely on Miss Rachel if that’s the thing that comforts her. And maybe there are other fun distractions like getting ice cream that help create a positive association. Or combining when you’re gone with a play date? I’m sure our son would love to hang out while you’re gone! The most important thing is that she’s in good hands so that you can live your life! It will be painful at first but she’ll adjust with time. It just might be painful ❤️

Anonymous

•

2 months ago

I will die on any hill for Ms Rachel, and yes, if she gives your child comfort as a familiar face while you’re gone, go for it! Also, Ms Rachel has shared a lot about how she’s incorporated best practices into her content. It’s intentionally slower, she looks into the screen and pauses to make it more like FaceTime and interaction with the child. Your child is in good hands. Enjoy the wedding!