2 Year Old Prefers Daddy

No, not a horrible mom. This is pretty typical with 2-year old daughters and their daddies. This is a very important time in her development because the type of relationship she has with her dad now will have some influence on the type of guys she will be attracted to as she gets older. Just know that this has nothing to do with whether or not you are a good or desirable mother; it's all about biology and development. In a year or two, you will be the center of her universe once again and wish for the days once again when it was all about daddy.

Wishing you all of the best.

Enjoy the break and let him experience what it's like to be so in demand. And never, ever, ever let a two year old determine your self-worth.

The same thing can happen with moms, the child feels the dad is chopped liver and will only go to mom. We had this happen in our house. The way that we "fixed" the situation was to have my son have alone time with daddy and I made it a point to not always pick him up when he was calling for me, but to include daddy in the mix. It took about a week to transition and now he goes to each of us equally. There were times that I just had to leave the room and let him cry, but daddy was there to comfort him when he was ready. This is a temporary thing, but is also very hard to deal with if you are the one being left out. Hang in there and just work with your husband to try to make it more even.

Please don't worry, little girl's for some reason tend to get real close to their dads' when they are so young. You are not a horrible mother, she will come back to you and you will want to eat those words. lol With daddy gone all day, and daddy's do give in to their little girls' more frequently. Don't feel jealous, or left out, This to will pass thats a promise. She's just learning about daddy, daddy spoils her and mommy makes her mind and behave. Don't ever think she doesn't love mommy, she does and before you know it she will come back to you and you will be begging your husband to take her.
Relax, enjoy. This will pass in time, a short time really. Enjoy while you can!

Its very common for kids of this age to show a strong preference for one parent. It doesn't mean you are a bad mom! In my house, it was the other way around, and my husband had a really hard time dealing with it. My son is now three, and once again he's happy to hang out with either parent (though I'm still the one he comes to if he's really upset.) Partly, I think he outgrew it, but I think we did some things that helped. The most important thing, I think, was making sure my husband had regular one-on-one time with my son. At first, this was done despite my son's protests, but after a short while he came to expect and even demand that one-on-one time. I think another part of the problem in our family was differences in discipline style (my husband was both more strict and angrier). We talked about it, and I agreed to be more strict and I explained to my husband the importance of disciplining without anger. For a short while, we agreed that I would do all discipline whenever we were both there, but now that we are on the same page, discipline-wise, we both do it. The one other thing that may have helped was that I started expressing how much I liked seeing Papa, and how much I couldn't wait for him to come home, etc. Good luck, and hang in there!

Shrug your shoulders and be happy she has a wonderful daddy to adore and don't let your feelings get hurt. She's not trying to hurt you. So don't take offense where none was intended. You do realize that she will be a pre-teen and teen someday and your feelings will get hurt A LOT more, right? Toughen up now!

As others have said, it is pretty common stage for children to go through. If it makes you feel any better...my three year old often cries for her dad when she is mad at me. It can really get to me since he spent a grand total of about 12 hours with her in 2009 spread over five occasions. He has never been a constant in her life, so the first couple of times reduced me to tears. I still sometimes have to leave the room and collect myself.

Everyone is right, you can't let it hurt your feelings. It is only going to get "better". As with every behavior at this age, you have to not give it too much attention or they will continue to do it over and over.

One thing though, make sure you and your husband are on the same page when it comes to discipline. Make sure that if you tell her no on something that he is too!

You're fine! :) My 3-year-old's new phase is asking about daddy when he's at work, then when he gets home saying he wants mommy and daddy should go back to work. Both of our boys go through "preference" phases and then no preference phases it seems. I would try to carry on as normal and not let your feelings be hurt (easier said than done) since she is just asserting herself and is not trying to make you feel bad. Try to do more alternately with one-on-one stuff if you can--if you stay home try to take turns taking her places on the weekends or days off so you each spend time alone with her as well as as a family. My 3-year-old now also calls me at work and says, "Mommy, you can't go to work. Mommy, I need you home!" Makes me so sad, but I know he's safe and having fun with daddy (who works evenings). It will pass. Hopefully soon.

You are not a horrible mother! This will change! Kids go thru these stages...it's totally normal! My 2 yr old also is going thru the "Daddy Stage"...she prefers to snuggle up to daddy in bed, which I wasn't prepared for but my DH was quick to point out that our older 2 boys only wanted to snuggle with mommy!

Please don't let this hurt your feelings. She does and will, always love you both!

Very normal. With my kids, it didn't change until they were grown. Why? Because I was a SAHM, and I was always available. Dad worked and was gone, so he was more of a special treat. Also, I was the disciplinarian.

S.,

When my dear daughter was 14 (just 15 now, that's YEARS not months) for whatever reason my husband and I had to drive separate to one of her volleyball matches. When my husband walked in the gym she ran across the court (they were just warming up not playing) and literally jumped in my husbands arms! When I asked her later what that was all about she said (jokingly of course) and said that Daddy was her favorite!
I replied that worked for me since she was attached to my hip the first 7 years of her life, daddy can have her!

My point is, don't worry. She'll come back. Enjoy the break for now and tell you husband to just take a deep breath.

Everyday, my husband comes home from work. (I am SAH) She will announce to the world that "Daddy's Home!!!' I, like you, was a little put off by that. Not that she is happy to see Dad, but rather, the reluctance to see me.
She is three, BTW. I suddenly realized that when I go to lunch with my sister, upon return, she is NOT excited...she cries. As if I left her.
Dont try and get in these little peoples worlds...just when you think you know 'em....they surprise you!!!

don't worry, it's normal, my husband worked nights and it was just me and my son all the time, so you would think we would be oh so close, nope, when he hit 2 it was all about Daddy. This will happen often, they will go through phases where they want one parent over the other and there will be no apparent reason for it. just enjoy the little down time you will get while Daddy gets all of the attention. you will be next, so try not to get your feelings hurt, i know it's hard not to, it nothing personal when they do this.

Sorry I don't have great advice for you, but I'm in the same boat. My son, also 2, has been a daddy's boy for months and months. He's usually ok during the weekdays when Daddy's at work, but on the weekends and usually evenings, I don't think he would notice if I weren't there at all! It still hurts my feelings, but I make sure not to let my son see it because I have a hope that if he doesn't know it bothers me, he won't do it for much longer. There are days (sometimes a few in a row!) where he flips to "Mommy, Mommy". After those days are over, I find myself hoping he goes back to his dad. They are exhausting!! Hope it gets better for you!

I think kids go through phases like this, too. Our twins are 18 months, and for while one wanted me and the other wanted my husband. If one was crying, he only wanted "his" parent. Then, this weekend, they switched preferences. Don't worry about it!