toddler doesn't like it when papa and mama cuddle

[omamasmama]

hey all.

our daughter is going to be 2 in january. 

recently we've noticed she doesn't like it when papa and I touch each other in an affectionate way. 

when we hold hands or hug she tries to pull us apart and makes a sad face and sometimes says, 'no'.

she is very much a mama's and a papa's girl. 

we both work part time so we are both home with her quite a bit. 

is this normal? 

thanks for any advice. 

[pumpkin]

DD does this. Sometimes she just wants to join in. Other times she just doesn't want us touching.

[mzpuff]

Seems normal, maybe she is just a little jealous and wants all the cuddles and hugs for her?

[mommy212]

No ideas, but mine (1 yr) does the same thing. He BAWLS, tears and everything, when we cuddle or kiss or sit too close to each other. Even brief hugs. Doesn't matter if he is involved or not lol. Kinda drives us nuts because he is rarely home but at the same time that maybe be the reason... good luck!

[Marissamom]

my 18 month old won't let DF and I hug or snuggle without wanting to be between us. I think she just feels left out. 

[Caterina]

Our DD sometimes gets upset when we're cuddling (or especially when DH is playing with my hair in bed in the morning) and we just tell her that people show each other they love each other by touching or cuddling, and we love each other in our family. We invite her to join if she wants and continue with it. But she doesn't usually cry about it, don't know what we'd do if it bothered her that much. She usually says stuff like "No papa touch mama" and tries to bat his hands away.

[waiting2bemommy]

my ds used to do this wll the time (granted are a "blended" family, his "dad" is not his bio dad). He actually outgrew it by the time he was almost 2. NOw occasionally he will have a moment of jealousy about who gets my attention but it is more likely to be regarding his sister than his dad!

I found one thing that helped was if I knew we wanted to sit on the couch and watch tv or something I would spend some time cuddling or playing in a physical way with him, tickling him or carrying him around upside down or whatever. Sometimes that at least held him off for a bit. I could tell him, "Remember we just had our snuggles, now daddy is lonely and it's his turn" or whatever. For us trying to include ds often just made him madder, so....

[SomethingAnonymous]

Yep.. my 16 month old screams when I touch his dad.  I'll give his dad a hug and he screams and comes over and pulls us apart, and then usually wants to nurse. lol

[Carhootel]

my ds does that too! We usually just make light of it and put him in the middle and laugh and tickle and make it a fun warm experience. Sometimes we'll also make a game out of it like 'give momma a kiss... now give daddy a kiss.... now daddy gives momma a kiss....' and all just little pecks so ds can see that it's ok. Doesn't always work, but at least it does most of the time... I guess from all the responses it's normal and (i hope) a short lived phase!

[cyclamen]

Originally Posted by Carhootel 

my ds does that too! We usually just make light of it and put him in the middle and laugh and tickle and make it a fun warm experience. Sometimes we'll also make a game out of it like 'give momma a kiss... now give daddy a kiss.... now daddy gives momma a kiss....' and all just little pecks so ds can see that it's ok. Doesn't always work, but at least it does most of the time... I guess from all the responses it's normal and (i hope) a short lived phase!

Yep my 17mo has been doing this for a bit, and we do the same thing.  We just keep hugging and cheerfully tell her, "See, dada is hugging mama.  You hug dada!"  And she's will usually join in with hugs and kisses once we remind her.  Now if we are standing and hugging, she will fly over and shriek and hug whose-ever legs are the closest.  I hear from two other mom friends that their kids do this too.