Iain has always been rather aloof for the most part. When I have snuggled him he turns to face outwards instead of inwards, if that makes sense.

Recently, as in the past few weeks, he has been getting more and more demanding of sensory input. He LOVES to have his hands stroked and I have done that always along with the back of his neck, head, etc. He will play with your hands forever if you let him. Now it is his feet. He will pull off his socks and bring your hand to his foot for a "rub". It is so cute! Again, he wants it to go on and on. I do not mind as I am rather enjoying his way of snuggling now. It is not like he has not snuggled before but never like this. He will now press his face into my chest and snuggle where I am so used to him needing to be upright and facing outwards, even as a young baby.

Anyone else with a kiddo who likes his or her feet and hands stroked for hours?

Andrew too turns his face outward instead of inward.

Andrew always pulls my arms around him and likes me to hold him, and he too just started the foot rub thing. Doug was stuck rubbing his piggies all last weekend!
It is cute, isn't it?

Iain definately looks like a "lover" in your sig pic:)

It is cute. I am so glad to see that someone else has a kiddo who has done the facing outwards for snuggles thing... it has been odd. This morning he was a barnacle again and did not want to be put down. He also wanted his hands stroked this morninng. Wonderful if I was not in a screeching rip roaring hurry to get to daycare and work...

lol at the "lover" comment

It's always when your in a hurry or busy that they want rubbed...or too cuddle!

Hobbes and Zoee both like having their feet held. They would put their feet in our hands just for us to hold them.

Do they still do it? Iain is 27 months old now. Walker and Curran went through a stage of fascination with this too but not to this extent nor at this age.

Today I had to peel him off of me like flypaper and hand him to our daycare teacher where he became a barnacle on her... no crying, just REALLY clingy.

Hobbes still does the clingy thing not so much the feet thing. When he is having what we call a low period, he is clingy. Zoee still likes her feet held at times.

Evan is a total sensory seeker too, Leigh. His kinesiologist and his OT have been great at incorporating those needs into the preschool classroom for him. He needs the sensory input to re-allert his nervous system.

Leigh,
Gavin always has to sit on me facing out to eat and be held to go to sleep. Very rarely will he face in to snuggle. He loves being strked too--cute, huh?! Chelsea was the exact opposite--she couldnt be close enough to me or on top of me enough, face smushed into me burried! Major snuggler!! LOL I use to get annoyed sometimes because I wamted some space sometimes (like when I was asleep, or trying to at least) and now I miss it. At 4 she really doesnt do it much anymore!

Carla, it is great to know that others have had a child snuggle "backwards" so to speak. Everyone I mentioned this to looks at me like I have 3 heads... lol

He is a supreme snuggle monster right now but I just figured out why. It could be what has brought on all the need for "massage" in him too but he has always loved to be stroked, just now it is really a lot of it. I can take it. He is my youngest and last and growing far too fast. Soon enough he will prefer to do other things than snuggle with Mommy. **sigh**

It is interesting he is super duper sucky at daycare after naptime too.

Babies who liked to be rubbed, snuggled with and held close are seeking proprioceptive input into their little bodies. This is a calming mechanism for them. I saw that someone mentioned. its always when we are in a hurry or busy. This is a big sign that there bodies are out of synch and that is what they need to calm thenselves and ground themselves. There are lots of ways to incorporate what these children are seeking. And it is great when they can tell you and show you what they are seeking, because alot of children can not pinpoint what they need. any advise needed just let me know. I am an occupational therapist...JIll:)