I am not sure if the behavior/discipline board is the right place for this post, as I am not sure if I am dealing with a behavior/discipline issue or something else. LO is 13 months old and a very sweet, chatty, and silly little boy. Up until about 10.5 months old, he was fearless, going to others without any hesitation and also a relatively "chill" baby.

Since that time, he has become extremely clingy (which I know is normal for the most part as attachments continue to develop) and will not leave my arms if we are out in public, even to go to my husband or other familiar people. At music class, for example, he crawls into my lap and buries himself-- he seems to enjoy himself, but only if in my arms. We often joke that "if given the chance to crawl back inside of me, he would," but it is becoming a bit of an issue.

Also, he has been crying a lot. He cries when on the changing table (turning over the whole time), while being placed down on the floor, while getting into the carseat (this has been a long-standing issue, but it's gotten significantly worse now that he's in a convertible carseat), and when separating, both in the morning at daycare drop off and in the evenings with pickup. He is extremely vocal and perhaps this is all normal. Of course, though, I am concerned that something is hurting him.

I have learned my lesson that no two babies are alike and it's not even worth it to compare my LO's behavior against another baby's, but I can help but notice how easy going some of the other babies we socialize with are. They explore, crawl/walk around, giggle in public, and just seem comfortable. Our LO seems like he is on the verge of being upset quite a lot, and while he is more himself at home, he is a completely different person while out and about.

We are going for his flu booster shot tomorrow and I have requested a quick chat with our pediatrician. He is extremely old fashioned (what we like about him) and I have a feeling that he will tell me this is a phase and that I should give it a few more months, but I am worried that we may not be addressing our LO's needs if he is this consistently upset.

Any advice/thoughts/support will be appreciated. I just feel like I want to make my LO more comfortable but also want him to develop a secure base on his own. I question whether or not I am doing him a disservice by tending to his wishes or perhaps that I am not doing enough.

If you have experienced something similar, when did things change, if they did?