A little background, my little one is almost 8 months. She is breastfed but also takes a bottle at least once a day from my husband. She depends a lot on me for support, physically and emotionally. I am also a SAHM but I regularly take her out to the store or to visit daddy at work on his break. My husband works with his father so our little one sees him at least twice a week.

Well our daughter is not taking well with family. She does really well at the store and always watches others without an issue. But now, when we go to family events, she was usually great until others try to hold her. Over Father’s Day weekend we went to my father in law’s house with his wife and my husband’s sister and our daughter did great until everyone wanted to hold her. She immediately began to cry. Instead of giving her back, everyone decided it was time to pass her around while the offer presented itself. I wasn’t too happy about this, but I allowed it to proceed for several moments before taking her back. Fast forward to this past weekend, the same family members stopped by the house. They immediately went to grab her but I intervened and told them it wasn’t the best time bc I knew it would immediately cause her to scream and cry. The family members hung around for probably 10 minutes but now even without holding her, all she did was cry. The longer they stayed the more riled up she got, to the point where we couldn’t even continue talking bc she was crying so much. The second they left, she was fine, smiling and acting as though nothing happened. I honestly think she was worried they were going to grab her again and take her away from myself or my husband.

But now I don’t know what to do. It’s now a problem where family feels rejected by her. I understand their hurt feelings but I don’t know how to explain it’s a normal behavior. I also don’t know how to redirect this. Others have recommended the “cry it out method” but it honestly seems to be making everything worse. If we force her to be held by people she doesn’t want to be held by, what if she starts to form a negative association with this people?

We have another family function in several weeks and it’s a big one! I’m talking 2 hours away with +20 very loud people. I’m stressing out over how this is going to pan out and I don’t know what to do.

Has anyone else who has breastfed and was a stay at home mom encountered this with their little one? Is this normal for babies? What were some alternatives you found to work besides the “cry it out” method?

Honestly, I just wish family would be a little more understanding. Ugh, help.