I have had a lot of interesting behaviors through the years but this one is nerve wracking. I have a 2 year old girl who is soooooo attention seeking and needy I may lose my mind. She is constantly under foot all day (even after one on one play/reading to ect) She wants my focus on her all day every day. If I'm attending to another kiddo she acts out because my attention is diverted. I give her the same attention as everyone else. I have started bye bye outside this past week because she acts over the top obnoxious when her mother comes to get her. Mom is annoying so it's a win win there. My days are full of dcg just doing whatever she can to get my attention. She even acts crazy when my own kids are around just to gain more attention. Any advice?

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Try to find a toy or activity that she likes and sit with her for a minute. When she seems focused and having fun either walk away and encourage another child to play with her.

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I have had a couple of things work for me. One was ignoring and not rewarding the behaviour, especially if it was negative attention seeking. Another was to give words to the child seeking attention to ask for it. “If you want attention please ask me for it”. Then when the kid says “I really want some attention” you can give her it or let her know when you CAN give it to her. It helps them to stop manipulating to get what they want and flat out ask for it. Once the child knows they can ask for it and they will get it, the annoying behavior stops..or at least it did for me.

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