My 2 year old DD is at me all day to pick her up. At first it started out with her wanting me to do little things for her all the time instead of her dad, but now it is everything!!

I have a 9 mth DS and she adores him but is now starting to show signs of being jealous. I am very careful not to favour one over the other - a bit hard when he needs me to feed him, carry him etc.

I have always included her in everything to do with him and it has been very successful until now.

She has a stomach upset at the moment - for the last week - but she isn't sick except for the diarrhoia.

I am going away on Monday morning for two nights and leaving her at home with her dad and her nana - who she adores. As you can imagine I am a bit apprehensive.

Getting to my wits end now. Need some urgent advice.

She has to start letting her dad help more!!!

Time to get a bit tough!

I had a similar problem at this age with the Big Man and turned it around on him by asking him, in a suitably incredulous voice "aren't your legs working? Let me check them" then tickling his legs until he giggled and was distracted.

Then I'd just say "come on then" and we'd walk over to where he had wanted me to carry him

He still goes through "phases" of wanting to be carried (and at 23 odd kilo that's no picnic!) so I just tell him he'll get tickled and he runs away *lol*

Good luck with it!


Oblique
and The Big Man (3yrs)

"Feeling crazy may be a mark of sanity in my situation" Anne Wilson Schaef

When my sone Trent wants me to pick him up, I say this to him first "OK, I'll pick you up for a cuddle, but then I will have to ut you down coz mummies back might break" LOL that's true though, well it feels like it anyway! "oi my baaaaack!"

Yep- my 2 1/2 year old DD does this too. "Pick uuuuup! Pick uuuuuup!" is all I hear from her! Drives me batty sometimes!

Just recently I've tried approaching it from a different angle. I pick her up when she asks, and then go and stand in the corner where she can't see anything and I don't talk or anything. It's pretty boring for her and now she asks to get down after a few seconds! Only works at home obviously- when we're out I try and distract her.



Zoe

"Stinker" 03/06/01
"Me-will" 06/08/02
"Weeman" 07/09/04

yup my DD who is 2 1/2 does that too........ i just wanted to let you know that i think it must be a normal part of development since there are so many responses with kids the same age doing it........ but i know it can drive u crazy sometimes..... (i'll keep a watch here for any more replies from people with ideas of things to try too )

Another one here - DS 28 months always wants to be carried. And if we don't he hangs on our legs and if that doesn't work, sits down and cries.

I like your idea Oblique, it sounds really simple and sweet.

And yet another one here! Lucky for me he's a bit of a lightweight at 15kgs ;p And isn't it just soooo wretchedly hard to do anything with a toddler on your hip Oh well, hopefully it's not too long a phase...

Juzz<BR>xoxoxoxoxox<P>DS Mitchell James, 9 July 2002<BR>

DS is getting better at the mummy up business but I will try oblique's idea very cute.

I didn't realise how much I was picking him up. When it was time for a nappy change I would pick him up to tak him to his room. Now I say nappy change and get him to walk. He is walking heaps more at home and it is starting to help when we are out.

I don't make a big fuss when we are out cause it just turns into a major tanty. He has a little back pack which has been a great tool to get him to walk when he is out. I put basically nothing in it and put it on his back he thinks he is pretty cool.

If he asks to be picked up at home I do and just stand there, i stop what I am doing and he wants down pretty quickly. (the corner idea gave me a giggle, I might try it!)

It is a very frustrating stage and hard for me being pg. Good luck with breaking the habit.



<a href="http://www.snugglepie.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.snugglepie.com/ezb/93160.png"></a>

Me; 33
DH; 34
DS; 22 months
MC 8/04 + 12/04