Adventures in Parenting I, or "She's 3.5 months old and a Daddy's Girl already".

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

I take care of my daughter when I get home from work pretty much constantly until bedtime, to give my wife a break from it. The following pattern has emerged during playtime.

[ol]
[li]We play for a while, fun games involving ticklish feet and rattles etc.[/li][li]She starts ignoring me and goes for her mobile or a stuffed animal or the mirror[/li][li]So I get out a book and read or fold laundry or whatever while keeping one eye on her[/li][li]After no more than 30 seconds of reading, she goes from “happy playing” to “screaming freakout” instantly[/li][li]I look back, and she grins slyly as soon as she has my undivided attention[/li][li]After 5-10 seconds, go to step two (the ignoring me one). Repeat for hours.[/li][/ol]

Is this some kinda early form of separation anxiety? Or has the process of wrapping me around her little finger begun early? :smiley:

A further note: She expressly does NOT do this to my wife, who had to witness it before she could believe how little I was capable of getting done while watching the baby.

#2

Consider yourself wrapped. And consider what the teenage years are going to be like!

What happens if you DON’T start doing something else…just keep staring at her while she ignores you?

#3

Get a sling or a Baby Bjorn!

#4

Mostly she keeps ignoring me. :smiley: Sometimes I get a smile, though.

Have one, she hates it at this point in her existence so I only use it when I literally am down to “do laundry” or “re-use underwear”.

#5

Neither of the above. She’s playing with you. Isn’t it fun? :smiley:

Seriously, she’s learning cause and effect, and she’s kind of getting a rush out of making Daddy turn and look at her. Don’t do that. It will piss her off, sure, but then she’ll start trying to get your attention other ways. Maybe she’ll chortle, or buzz her lips, or start waving a hand around. Whatever it is, as long as it’s not as annoying, jump up and give her lots and lots of Daddy Love and attention for it. It won’t take her long to figure out that this is a way more fun game for both of you.

Honestly, children this age are a lot like puppies. They learn best if you ignore the behavior you don’t like, instead of punishing them, and they respond to praise like a desert flower to a rainfall. And also, you can’t spoil them (yet), so give them all the attention you want.

Have you tried ripping paper for her yet? She’s still a little young for it, but soon it’ll be the height of comedy. Or try pulling Kleenex out of a box with a fancy stage magician flourish and tossing it into the air. Or go slapstick. Our daughter loved it when her daddy “bonked” himself in the head and crossed his eyes. Silly daddies! :smiley:

#6

Ahahaha. Our Little One (almost 14 months) has been a daddy’s girl from almost the day she was born. At our 2-month doctor’s appointment, I expressed my worry and frustration that the Little One wasn’t doing social smiles yet.

“What do you mean?” my husband said. “She smiles at me all the time!”

That darn baby was smiling up a storm at him, and never at me! :slight_smile:

At this point, when she wakes up in the morning and I go get her (my husband usually sleeps in) she says “Daddy daddy daddy?” (Her second word, after “Dis!”) When I leave the room and Daddy’s around, she’s, like, whatever, but when Daddy leaves it’s all “Daddy? Daddy!” She still only says “Mommy” when she wants milk. Thanks a lot, Little One!

Anyway… it’s super cute. You’ll love it! (Although there was one week where she was a little sick where she was especially clingy, and my husband was a little annoyed because he couldn’t get ANYTHING done!)

#7

Here I was thinking “that isn’t supposed to start until she’s about 14”, but then it occurred to me that maybe you weren’t talking about her phone, but one of those things that hang from the roof?

#8

Yes, the latter. =P She’s particularly fond of the turtle dangly thing, but the elephant also gets some time. Screw Mr. Lion, though.

#9

Yeah, Mr. Lion’s an asshole.