After a while she tires and falls asleep. Dad thinks she is adjusting, but she is withdrawing, waiting, searching for her security. This, then, is the infant's world and how a baby may experience divorce - based on the best knowledge we have of child development. The infant also begins to be aware of other people, recognize faces, and knows who the special, safe person is in his or her life. This is the one who tucks in, feeds, cuddles, comes when the baby cries.
Separation anxiety stems from the child's inability to hold on to an image.
When a person is gone, he or she doesn't exist. When the child is away from his mother, he can't picture the mother sitting at home waiting for him or her. Separation anxiety may be a problem for any child between 9 months and 3 years. The stronger the attachment, the more difficult the separation. Thus, a child who has been in day care since infancy may show separation problems when moved to another teacher or when the routine changes.