Pedemy · For parents
Separation anxiety — notes
Note the pattern below and bring your questions and current medicines to the visit. This record does not diagnose or choose treatment.
Use these notes with your child’s clinician. This tool does not diagnose illness, prescribe treatment or confirm that home care is safe.
Emergency help now
Call local emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, blue/gray lips, collapse, a seizure with failure to recover, or a child who is very difficult to wake. Do not delay to complete this tool.
Contact a healthcare professional
Ask for help if anxiety prevents school, sleep or age-appropriate activities, persists beyond expected development or starts suddenly after a frightening event. Listen to concerns about a particular setting; do not assume every refusal is ordinary separation anxiety. A baby younger than 3 months with a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher needs urgent medical assessment, even if they look well. Do not delay assessment to try medicine or complete a diary.
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Care reminders
- Distress at goodbyes is common in babies and toddlers and does not mean a parent has failed. Tiredness, illness and unfamiliar settings can intensify it. The pattern and effect on daily life matter more than one difficult drop-off.
- Practice brief separations with a trusted caregiver. Use a short predictable goodbye and explain return in child-friendly terms. Do not sneak away. Agree with the caregiver how to comfort the child and share updates; increase practice gradually.
- Ask for help if anxiety prevents school, sleep or age-appropriate activities, persists beyond expected development or starts suddenly after a frightening event. Listen to concerns about a particular setting; do not assume every refusal is ordinary separation anxiety.