Hi all
I'm desperate for some advice please.
I have recently started to look after a little one who is 14 months old. She was born prematurely so is still tiny and cannot crawl yet. She is the most adorable baby if I am sitting right next to her or holding her, but the second I walk away (even if it just to the end of the room) she screams the place down, not just whinging but full blown screaming. She will not go to sleep unless she is rocked to sleep (which I am happy to do), but as soon as she is put down her eyes fly open and the screaming starts again and it does not stop until I pick her up again. If I do actually manage to put her down without waking, she lasts about 5-10 minutes before shes awake (she will sleep for at least an hour if I'm holding her) and is then constantly crying because she is still tired.
I look after two other lo's who never usually cry, but now they are getting upset at the constant screaming and have started to join in! It is so difficult to do anything that it is affecting the care of my original two lo's and it is not fair on them.
After speaking to her mum it transpires that mum had virtually carried her around in a sling since she was brought home, she is still breastfed to sleep at home and sleeps in the parents bed. I have explained that I feel her lo should have been prepared for sleeping without the feed before starting at my setting and have suggested that she should also be doing some sort of seperation technique at home but it is falling on deaf ears.
Mum also let slip that another cm had said no after a few settling in days, so I feel annoyed that she didn't inform me of the issues before choosing me.
I am trying really hard to do seperation techniques, peek a boo games etc, but my question is, is it actually possible to conquer any of this in my setting if the parents are not willing to try and do the same at home? I feel that the lo is just going to be really confused making her even more upset when she is with me.
I am beginning to think that a nursery might be a better option as they will have more staff for constant one on one attention.
Any advice would be so much appreciated!