Anxiety in Children and How to Deal with It

Recognize Anxiety in Children and How to Deal with It

Lindlatecba - For mothers who work, leaving the child at home to go to the office is certainly hard. Seeing your child crying and whining not to be left behind by his mother, often creates a dilemma: go to work or accompany your child at home?

Separation anxiety or fear of separation, naturally experienced by toddlers. Until the age of 6 months, children still want to be carried by anyone, until near the age of 8 months where parents - especially the mother - become a favorite figure for the child. In this phase, the child starts to be reluctant to be carried by other people and always sticks with his mother. When the mother has to go to work, the child refuses to be left behind. The presence of a caregiver doesn't seem to make children feel calmer at home when their parents go to work. How to deal with it?

1. Give time for adaptation with caregivers

In order for children to feel at home left at home with caregivers, a good relationship between children and caregivers is needed. If your caregivers haven't worked with you for a long time, give your child time to adapt. How long it will take depends on whether the child is easy to get along with other people and the caregiver's ability to care for the child. Avoid immediately leaving your little one with your caregiver when you first meet. First of all, let the child play with the caregiver while you are at home. After the child felt comfortable with his caregivers, he could only be left alone.

2. Wait until the child feels comfortable with the new atmosphere

If there is usually a father and mother at home, now you have to be at home with a baby sitter or household assistant. This new condition will cause discomfort, especially if it happens suddenly. Take your child often to play with other children with caregivers. When the child starts playing, watch from afar. This method makes children accustomed to activities without their parents.

3. Start slowly

To test whether the child has started comfortably or not, try the following trick. First, say goodbye and walk out of the house. If the child starts crying, leave it alone, then come back when the child stops crying. In this way, the child will realize that he does not need to worry because you will always return home. Avoid going back into the house when the child is still crying, because he will use his crying as a weapon so you do not have the heart to leave.

4. Make a routine

Make small activities every time you leave your child at home. Like breakfast together, play for a while, hug, and say goodbye. Avoid making this activity shorter or longer so the child becomes accustomed. With this habit, the child will be able to guess what his parents will do, so he is not surprised to see his parents leave.

5. Avoid leaving the child suddenly

Leaving the child suddenly and secretly will surprise him. This is what makes separation anxiety more difficult to eliminate. Leaving children secretly can also reduce the child's trust in their parents whose effects cannot be considered trivial. 
 
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