Velcro babies…
This is what I have been calling the twins lately. Because so many moments are filled with them reaching up to be held… and throwing tantrums when they don’t get their way. Like legit… sprawling out on the floor. (Is it not too early for this?? Lol).
I have been down this road before, with my oldest. So I know that it doesn’t usually happen because a baby has been spoiled, or held “too much”… it’s generally just a phase and is a healthy part of their social/emotional development. That said, there are usually “triggers” that bring about the clinginess… maybe starting daycare, a new sibling, etc. I can assume one of many things, but the most obvious is that THEY ARE ALMOST ALWAYS WITH US. And they don’t give a d*mn about boundaries. Rude. Lol.
The truth is that the twins haven’t spent a whole lot of time away from us since they were born. They were in daycare for about a week and a half before the pandemic entered the picture, and we have had them home ever since.
We created a COVID-safe bubble with my parents a few months ago so they have helped with watching the twins (and this has honestly been AH-MAZ-ING), but there hasn’t been anything recently that I can say is THE reason for the stage 5 clinginess… lol. The reality is… in the midst of their clingy meltdowns I’m much less concerned with the why… and just trying to figure out how - logistically - we can hold two babies that are vying for our attention - while tending to our oldest, or cooking, or working, or anything else we might need to do outside of sitting and holding a baby. And I can’t say I didn’t contemplate bringing back the baby wrap a time or two more recently than I would like to admit…. lol!
The twins seem to bust out the whining and clingy behavior with me more than my husband. Literally I won’t hear a peep out of them when he is with them, but the moment I enter the scene - there they are… hands wrapped around the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs or pitter-pattering to me at high speed. Sometimes we pick them up, sometimes I have to distract them with something else (e.g. a snack…), or, depending on what we might be doing they have to cry for a bit. And… it sucks, I wish I had nothing to do but hold and cuddle them, but that’s obviously not the case. Sigh. I know this is just a blip in time and if you are going through the same, hang in there!!
Best believe this is at the top of the list for their upcoming wellness check-up with the pediatrician because whew… the snack distraction isn’t going to work forever, nor do we appreciate blowing through those things like water! HAHA!
Let me know in the comments below if you are going through the same thing, or what you can recall about the time you did! And also share some tips on how you manage!