How to overcome separation anxiety?

The moment you step out of your baby's field of vision, they start screaming? Congratulations — you are most likely in your little one's sensitive period, known as "separation anxiety"! You will need a good dose of patience to understand this inevitable phase your baby is going through. Here are a few tips for overcoming separation anxiety.

What is separation anxiety?

Around the age of 8 months, your baby becomes aware that they are a person in their own right and not simply an extension of their mother. Yes, a great deal goes on in their little heads at this age! This period often manifests as a fear of strangers and a fear of abandonment.

How to overcome separation anxiety?

This is a phase that almost all children go through. It is therefore impossible to avoid, but it is possible to approach it with greater kindness and positivity — for your own wellbeing, but above all for your little one's. Here are a few tips:

• Always explain what you are doing. No, you are not talking to yourself, even if it may sometimes feel that way! Baby understands and senses what is happening.
• Trust yourself and the person looking after them: once again, your baby will pick up on your anxiety if you are feeling it! So leave calmly!
• If possible, avoid leaving whilst your child is asleep or has their back turned. It may seem like the right solution in the moment, but when your baby realises you are gone, it can be very hard for them!
• Reassure them as much as possible when they cry — they need to know that you are there for them and that you understand them.
• When the separation anxiety phase arrives, be patient and try to gently ease your little one into it: start by leaving them for a few minutes with their toys whilst moving a little further away, always keeping an eye on them without disappearing entirely. They will gradually build confidence in themselves — and in you!

The watchword is kindness, and we would add patience too. This phase can pass very quickly if it is accepted and navigated with empathy.