Anxiety separation in children can quite often lead to the whole family feeling distressed and guilty every time you need to leave your child in the care of someone else. I think everbody who has a child, has experienced a little separation anxiety, but for some kids it can be a harrowing experience to leave their familiar surroundings and principal caregiver and go to school or a daycare facility.
What is Separation Anxiety
Anxiety in children when separated from their main carer happens when a child starts to become aware of the difference between their main carers – usually their parents, and their secondary carers – usually babysitters or daycare centre staff.
The age a child may start to experience anxiety during separation is usually around eight months and may last until school age. Some kids may not experience any separation anxiety as they feel confident that their main carer will come back.
When a child is suffering from anxiety separation disorder, they will cry and cling to their primary caregiver. In milder cases a child will settle down once their loved one leaves and may get upset again once the carer comes back and they remember they have been left.
How to Help Anxiety Separation in Children
The main thing is not to get upset when leaving your child. This will only make the matter worse. Make sure there is a lot of reassurance that you will be back to pick them up.
Tell them where you are going and what time they expect you back. If your child is too young to know time, give them an indication such as “Mummy will be back after you have lunch”.
If its your first time at leaving your child somewhere unfamiliar, take them for a few visits beforehand and stay with them so they get to know the place and feel comfortable.
Always do a thorough check of the person you intend to leave your child with. If your child doesn’t settle within good time, you may have to look at alternatives like asking someone your child is familiar with to look after them.
Anxiety Separation in children is something they should grow out of but if it continues as the child gets older, you should seek advice from a professional.
Sometimes, when I notice separation anxiety in children, I analyze the mothers as being very possessive. They regard their children as a part of themselves and they get anxious when separated from their children. Therefore, is childhood separation anxiety primarily a child problem or a parent problem?
I totally believe that anxiety in children starts at home. Quite often when a parent leaves their child with someone else-especially the first time, the parent will show signs of anxiety and worry, its only natural. This anxiety would have to convey to the child.
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Anxiety Separation in Children can be both caused by the parent and by the child. A parent leaving a child with someone for the first time can be worried and most children are very aware of their parents emotions. That then causes anxiety in the child. The child can also experience anxiety because the parent is leaving them, especially for the first time. The child expects to leave when the parent does and when that doesn’t happen, becomes very worried. Your tips on how to help on that are great for parents.
Very good advice in this article for parents to help them overcome anxiety problems in children. I can still recall my first day starting school and how traumatic if was. The tips in this article will help to educate parents and teachers into have a better understand of separation anxiety that can happen to children in many situations.