In the February issue of Parenting Early Years, there's a great article about separation anxiety, and how it can come and go over your child's toddlerhood.

Read Separation Anxiety, Age-by-Age

From the article:

"Separation anxiety can happen almost overnight, which makes it shocking to parents," says Sarah Abbot, associate director of the Family Resource Counseling Center in Los Angeles. What's more, it's often not just a one-time, babyhood phase for many kids. The tears and fears related to being apart from Mom or Dad can resurface in the toddler and preschool years, posing new challenges for parents and warranting different solutions. As disheartening as that may sound, it can be very helpful to remember that separation anxiety is completely normal, even healthy. "From the earliest years of life, we should want children to encounter ordinary adversity becauase it's practice for building resilience," says Aaron Cooper, Ph.D.."

The article then goes on to describe ways you can minimize your child's (and your) angst at several ages.

Babyhood
Introduce your baby to other people she can trust at an early age.
Keep your goodbyes short and cheerful.
Don't sneak away.

The Peak: Toddlerhood
Develop a goodbye ritual.
Give him a task related to you leaving (shutting the door, etc.).
Explain when you'll be back in language he understands ("after snack time" instead of "three o'clock").
Let him know that you always come back for him.

The Relapse: Preschool
Let them know it's okay to feel nervous.
Give them some extra one-on-one time.
Stick to a bedtime routine.
Don't cave in and let their behavior regress (sneaking into your bed at night, potting training reversals, etc.)

Reply to this message to share your separation anxiety stories, and how your family coped with them.

Did any of the above methods work for you?