Disclosure: This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Huggies. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
by Linda Castillo
Everyday is full of surprises, learning opportunities, and even some parenting challenges when you are a mother of a rambunctious two-year old. In particular, my daughter has been so clingy to me and especially so on the weekends. She may as well be referred to as my little chicle because she is stuck to me! Other mother’s have told me that their toddlers went through the “clingy stage” and my little one is definitely in that stage now. When I am home she wants nothing to do with her dad and almost every sentence out of her mouth begins with ‘Mommy’.
As a mother who works full-time and spends a good two plus hours commuting a day, I really don’t have the opportunity to spend as much time with my little one during the week as I would like to. So my weekends are all about spending time with my family, especially my daughter. And while I am happy to be with my baby girl it can be overwhelming at times when she is constantly under my feet all day and she only wants me to do things for her. To save my sanity and to help me get through those particularly ‘clingy’ days, I found the that following works:
- Take a break. I like to get out of the house and take an hour walk. And even though my little one may cry to come with me, it is hard but I leave her with her dad so that I can have some much needed away time.
- Change of scenery. When she is in melt down mode and particularly clingy, I like to go the park or take her to the library.
- Praise their independence. I always let my daughter know when she is doing a good job. I know it is building her confidence and reassuring her that she can do things on her own too.
- Stick to a routine. A routine helps keep structure to your toddler’s day and as a parent you can benefit from the predictability of a scheduled breakfast, lunch, nap, playtime and bedtime routine.
- Take the observer role. If your little one is playing alone contently or with their sibling, let them be and avoid interrupting them. I have the tendency to interrupt activities but I think in the end I am just reinforcing the fact that she will expect me to entertain her. I need to take a step back and just let her be.
- Embrace the clinginess. Right now my daughter wants to spend every second with me so I chose to enjoy every moment. After all kids grow up so fast and I don’t want to miss any of it.
See how fellow mom, Zuleyka Rivera, Huggies spokesperson, and her son Sebastian deal with a parenting challenge on the new webisode below. You can keep up with the webisodes that are uploaded monthly and can be viewed on the Huggies Latino Facebook page.
It’s easier to deal with the challenges that come along with parenting when you have a great diaper and wipe products. Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers with New SureFit Design have worked on my active toddler keeping her dry. And I rely on Huggies Natural Care Wipes with New Triple Clean Layers to not only clean my little one’s booty but also to wipe her face, hands and cleaning up many other toddler messes.
Grab a pack of Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers with New SureFit Design and Huggies Natural Care Wipes with New Triple Clean Layers and join Zuleyka as she puts Huggies to the test. Visit Huggies.com/tuprueba for more information on the new Huggies products. Or join in the conversation on Twitter at @Huggies and #HuggiesLatino.