Constantly want to be held!!

I think I have created a major problem for myself. When my boys are awake they want to be held CONSTANTLY!! They don't want to sit in their swings, in their exersaucers, in their bumbo seats, lay down on their playmat...ANYTHING!! All they want is to be held. It doesn't matter if I try to talk to them at the same time or not. It makes it very difficult to do anything around the house and I find myself counting the minutes until it's nap time again. To make matters worse, when I hold one I can't hold the other one as this makes them cry as well. I feel like pulling my hair out!!!

How do you break this bad habit? How do you get them interested in other things besides being held by you?

TIA
Stacy

 

How about swaddling, maybe it will make them feel like they are being held? Or swaddling them together?

 

Put them down together. Misery loves company. My oldest twin came home 2 weeks for my youngest. My mother was constantly holding him, so he got used to it. When Jamie came home, Mom left. Well, I try to make sure that the boys are always together, unless they get off schedules. Then we get a little extra one on one cuddle time. But it helped a lot to put them together, let them cry. That doesn't mean I don't play with them. I simply don't get the housework done as much as I would like. Eventually, they will develop a taste for freedom and each other more than just being held. They still love to cuddle tho.

Now we are just starting the jealousy issue if I do pick one up and not the other. It's not fun.

 

Mine did the samething when they were little, mostly it was the grandmothers who wouldnt put them down and they got into a habit. They would literally have to stand up with them for hours, it was really frustrating. I finally just put them in their swings and let them cry, it didnt take long for them to realize that they arent going to be picked up and started playing with their toys. Then it got to the point where they knew that dh and I arent going to pick them up everytime they cry, that they just started crying when their grandmothers were around. It was really annoying b/c with us, they were happy babies, when the grandmothers were here, it was miserable. I finally told both of them DO NOT pick the babies up unless it is an emergency but rather sit on the floor with them and play with their toys. Find something else to keep them interested besides being held. It only took one day for the girls and now they play with their toys and everyone gets to enjoy them again.

Like the pp mentioned, we are going through the jeolousy phase now and its not fun either.

 

We just got back from spending a week with Grandma & Grandpa and I have the same problem. I am about ready to pull my hair out! I have no answers but a lot of sympathy!!

 

I had a similar problem with Mia, luckily Lily was always very laid back. I found out however, that she was like that because she was hungry. I had a lot of issues with my breast milk, or lack thereof. Once I switched over to formula, she calmed right down. Are you breastfeeding? Obviously people have strong feelings regarding BF vs formula, but if you're ok with it, you may want to try supplementing a couple ounces of formula after BF and see if that helps. When Mia started taking bottles, she was a whole new and much happier baby..

 

For us it was just a matter of time. We had NO HELP at all, so they were only held one at a time since I am with them alone all day every day. By 4 or 5 months, they became able to play by themselves on the floor while I cooked or emptied the dishwasher, etc. What a relief! Trust me, most of us know exactly what you are going through