Separation Anxiety in children is to be expected as babies and toddlers adjust to the world around them. They have determined that their parents or caregivers are a source of security, and therefore being deprived of that security distresses them. Concern at being separated from Mom or Dad is typical in toddlers up to about three years of age. The anxiety demonstrates that the child has formed a healthy attachment to the caregiver.

The behaviors that result from Separation Anxiety in children generally include crying when the parent or parents leave and clinging to them when they return. The anxiety usually lasts for a few minutes, but it may resurface when the parent returns, as the child remembers how upsetting it was when the parent left in the first place. Children may also become very quiet and refuse to interact with the people around them, even if they are familiar with those people. In some cases, a child may