Am i the only one...?

My daughter is 7 months 3 weeks and a nightmare right now. She wants to be held ALL day long. If I leave the room, she cries her eyes out. As soon as I pick her up, she is smiling and laughing. She goes to day care 2 days a week and does the same thing with the babysitter. But we can be in the mall, outside, anywhere else but a house and she will sit in her stroller or the cart for hours on end and is totally happy. Is this just a stage? What do you do to make sure that they aren't too spoiled with the picking up? I don't want to have a baby that can't be somewhat independant. She has always needed a lot more attention than other babies, but she is getting to the age now where she should be able to play by herself and keep busy without crying all the time. Also, she no longer wants her bottles throughout the day. She does eat a lot of baby food, 3 times a day. She is much more interested in the food than the bottle. The last week of so, we have had to force the bottle down her. She has a cold, so maybe her throat is bothering her or she can't breath while she is drinking. Plus she has a tooth coming through. do I have anything to worry about, as long as she is eating? I just worry that she is going to dehydrate Any stories or advice?

Hi Phillipa, My son is 15 months old and he has been going through a very similar thing for the past 3 months. He doesn't want me or his dad out of his sight and we can't leave him with a babysitter at the house. He is fine at Daycare as long as his favorite teacher is there, otherwise it is a constant crying fest. Before this stage, he was very independent and still is in a lot of respects, he is starting to get out of it, but still a little whiney. My best advice is just let her know that you are there if she needs you, but don't give in to her crying and pick her up everytime. She needs to know you are there, but she doesn't need to be held constantly. She is testing her limits and trying to figure out how much control she has. As for the bottle, I would try giving her a sippy cup. If she is eating, she should be fine. However, Dylan doesn't want his bottle during the day, and will only use a cup. At night before bed, he takes a bottle, but I think that is more for the cuddle time. Hopefully, your daughter will outgrow this phase, and she will be your happy baby again. Good luck! (for the teething, try teething tablets they are a life saver!) Hugs, Heather B