What to do...

[mommy2caroline]

...when baby starts protesting being in a back carrier?

My 12 month old has been resisting lately when I put her on my back, even though I have been doing it since she was about six months old. While I am cooking and doing other things in the kitchen is the main time I am having a problem. She will cling to my legs (not walking yet) because she wants me to pick her up, but she wants to be in my arms, which obviously doesn't work while I am trying to cook. My compromise has always been to put her on my back - she is close to Mommy, and I can get a meal prepped and cooked. I think she is bored - if I just hold her in my arms she is instantly animated and cheery, pointing to things and trying to get me to give them to her (she is obsessed with this little spice container of dried minced onions, lol!). But giving her things to hold while on my back does not work. She wants to interact, I guess, which she can't do on my back.

Other moms have sugested I put her in her high chair in the kitchen so she can see what's going on, and give her something to do on her tray, or even pull her up next to the counter so she feels like she is part of the action...

Any ideas on how to help her like being on my back in the kitchen? Or at least to be happy doing something else... although I'd prefer to keep her on me for the closeness.

[lisad1]

Around that age, I started pulling a chair up to the counter so Anna could participate in what i was doing. It wasn't the easiest solution because she could make quite a mess, but you could tell she was so excited to be doing what mommy was doing Sometimes I can use my ring sling with Anna on my hip while I am cooking and then I just pass her under my arm to my back for the times when I am going in the oven or cutting things. Maybe she would prefer the view from your hip?

Other than that, I just know that Anna goes through periods where she doesn't want to be worn but they never last very long. Good luck!

[Quirky]

That's tough! My 15 month old has been walking for quite a while so I CAN put her down...she just doesn't want me to, nor does she want to be in a baby carrier inside the house. She'd much rather be in arms. And at 26 pounds she's killing me!!

Can you have your older dd play with her and distract her on the floor? Bring out some great toys? Put her in a high chair and sing to her? Try a high back carry so she's higher up and can see more?

This is one of those "whatever works" situations IME....you want to try to meet her needs but you also have to meet the rest of the family's need to eat! : This is one of those times you have to balance things out. If that means sometimes that she gets held and you eat breakfast cereal for dinner, that's OK, and if other times she's in her high chair with something interesting to do while you get dinner made, that's OK, too, and you can snuggle during or after dinner.

[mommy2caroline]

Originally Posted by Quirky

This is one of those "whatever works" situations IME....you want to try to meet her needs but you also have to meet the rest of the family's need to eat! : This is one of those times you have to balance things out. If that means sometimes that she gets held and you eat breakfast cereal for dinner, that's OK, and if other times she's in her high chair with something interesting to do while you get dinner made, that's OK, too, and you can snuggle during or after dinner.

Thanks for this reminder - you are right!

I did try her in the high chair a couple days ago, and she liked it. She played with kitchen utensils, ate a cracker, and interacted with her sister (who unfortunately can be too rough when they play on the floor together... she's learning, though).

I will also try her on my hip in a sling when I am not doing anything dangerous, like using knives or cooking over a hot burner. She does much prefer to be on my hip, since it is almost the same as being held in arms.