Before I had Jackson I thought that separation anxiety was a myth, that it was something that parents who had trouble parting with their kids made up. I thought a lot of things before I had kids and most of them turned out to be false. Though with Jackson separation anxiety was rarely a problem. From a young age he was used to spending time with his grandparents or his Dad or a family friend. I still worked outside the home a few days a week and he was used to me not being there all day, every day.
5 years later, Jack is still a kid who easily goes to his grandparents, who rarely gets upset when his parents head out for the night. He loves spending time with his grandparents and generally doesn’t mind having a baby sitter. Grace on the other hand can be a little clingy when people come to watch her, even if it’s grandparents, she will quickly cuddle into me as if to say “don’t give me to her”. She doesn’t like being left alone to play in her pack n play and if she is playing quietly and happens to see me, she will start screaming. Which makes it really hard to go to the bathroom or drink a cup of coffee.
I was recently sent the CuddleBright Experience which is designed to make separation easier for kids and parents. The CuddleBright Experience includes: CuddleBright Lovie, A Cuddle Before I Go board book, CuddleBright parenting guide and the CuddleBright keepsake heart.
When I took the CuddleBright Experience out of the box Grace immediately wanted to play with the lovie and Jack gravitated towards the book. We sat and read the book together, Jack enjoyed the story and the keepsake heart that was tucked inside. He understood that the heart was for parents to take with them to remind them of their kids.
A Cuddle Before I Go reassures kids that even though mom is going to leave, she will come back. In the story Mom gives the baby the Lovie and takes the keepsake heart with her. Giving both parent and child something to connect with while they are apart.
Jack still has his Lovie from when he was a baby and it has gotten us through a lot of tough situations from simple bumps and bruises to having to be brave when flying; his blankie has been a lifesaver more times than I can count. The attachment that kids form with lovies is pretty amazing and they really do help with so many things.
I started giving Grace the CuddleBright lovie whenever I was going to put her in her pack n play, it took a few days but the past 3 days I’ve been able to eat breakfast and get some things done around the house while she happily plays.
I can’t believe that I had forgotten how much help Jack’s blankie is, apparently even seasoned moms need a reminder of what works. The CuddleBright experience is a simple solution to helping children and parents cope with separation anxiety.
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