An Illinois mom was left perplexed by the behavior her baby began displaying in recent weeks.
On October 13, Jenna Smiley (@jenna.smiley), 30, posted a video on TikTok with a question for other parents. With his 10-month-old baby on his lap, Smiley said: “If we’re together lately, that’s all he wants to do, just cuddle. He won’t play with a single toy in this room. games. All he wants to do is cuddle me. Is that a thing?
Smiley said News week that she noticed that her son had recently become very affectionate. “He started to like crawling into our laps for cuddles during playtime and he would start giving us cuddles and kisses,” she said.
@jenna.smiley
It’s not just Smiley who receives this level of attention. Her son is also affectionate towards her husband, Justin. “His dad is his best friend. He does the same thing to him,” she said.
The first-time mom added that one of the best parts of sharing her motherhood experience on social media was finding common ground with other moms. “We all go through the same phases, the gentle ones like this and the hard ones.”
News week spoke to midwife Lesley Gilchrist, who explained the 10-month-old’s behavior was not unusual for babies that age.
“Children develop a strong emotional bond with their mother through care, affection and shared experiences,” she said, adding that this could make it seem like a baby was favoring one parent rather than another.
“To help [a] the child understands that both parents are responsible for taking care of him, [parents] can provide age-appropriate choices, be patient and consistent, and create a routine that works for both,” Gilchrist said.
Smiley’s clip has received over 100,000 views and 2,680 comments, with many parents sharing their own experiences.
“My son would wear my skin like a snowsuit if he could, he’s so attached,” one viewer wrote. Another said their son behaved this way when he was teething or getting sick.
Other users encouraged Smiley to cherish this milestone. “To him, you’re better than any toy in this playroom,” one commenter said.
Smiley acknowledged that she should enjoy the moment, saying, “It seems like the happy medium between a baby learning to be independent and a toddler who just wants to run around. It’s a really good reminder to moms that all the phases are thus ephemeral, and simply slow down, soak up what they are and enjoy the cuddles while they last.
