7 month old tantrums and seperation anxiety!!!

[Samanfajxo]

Hi I hope someone can help or at least relate!

I have a 7 month old little boy. For the last month or so he has been having terrible tantrums...
He started crawling about a month ago and is genrally a really happy baby who can entertain himself well. The problems start when hes either tired, getting dressed/changed or cant get his own way. He will scream and scream (not cry, just sort of scream!) He throws his head back, goes stiff, kick his legs about and really fights me and my partner. Theres no pacifying him when hes like this and we often just have to leave him in the middle of the floor to calm down. Im at my wits end - hes 7 months old and already has temper tantrums!!

Another thing were strugglig with is seperation anxiety. One of us has to constantly be with him as he will tantrum if hes left with anyone else, even if we just pop to the loo whilst visiting friends/family. If me and my partner are in the room with him and he sees one of us leave he will scream and cry until we come back and he has us both with him!
Its getting ridiculous now, and I juat dont know what to do! Can anyone offer any helpful advice for the tantrums and seperation anxiety!?

Xx

[weezypops]

Aw, I would say it's just frustration, not proper temper tantrums (in that he's not trying to manipulate, he just doesn't understand why he can't have his own way). I'm sorry to say it but it all sounds pretty normal for his age. You just have to be clear and consistent but loving and eventually he will understand. Distraction can sometimes work but often you just have to try and get through it!

With separation anxiety it's normal too - it's all to do with him understanding that the world is a bigger place and being genuinely scared that you will not come back. So again, he's not doing it to be difficult, he is genuinely afraid. They say that continuing to talk to them when you leave the room, or popping back every now and then to show you are there can help, though I've always found this to have mixed success. Likewise peekaboo type games start to help them understand that you don't disappear entirely when they can't see you. Generally though, I would say just leaving gradually rather than dashing off can help, and keeping them distracted, so make sure someone else is chatting to them when you leave etc.

it's a really tough stage but it does get better, honestly! Just try to keep in mind that it's a developmental stage, not a behaviour problem!