Alan Sroufe, professor emeritus at the Institute of Child Development, talked about the ‘clingy child’ in a January 10 Slate Magazine article: Carry Me!! How to Handle a Clingy Kid by Melinda Wenner Moyer. In explaining some of the clinging behavior of a young child, Sroufe gives the action an evolutionary context. In further discussion, Sroufe mentions the aspects of stress-relief. Overall, however, he says, ‘If it’s stress making them clingy, “far and away the best thing to do is let them be clingy,” Sroufe says. “They will cling as [much as] they need, and then they’ll want to get back to exploring and playing and being with other toddlers and all of that.” You may read the whole article here.