Stms with toddlers

jjones59

My lo literally refuses to play by herself. I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do with a newborn if she won't play or do anything without me being there with her.

Xath

Let her get bored. It might take a few bouts of tears, but if you just do your routine she'll find a way to amuse herself.

ns1

I feel ya!  DD loves to have my attention.  I've tried to let her / make her play on her own more, but then I also get all sappy thinking about how I need to cherish this time with her and give in and play with her more.  I'm just hoping things will work themselves out when this next LO comes along.  I look forward to hearing some ideas though!

klbetzing

How old is she? My DS started playing alone around 2 1/2. Some times a good cartoon or movie comes in handy:)

busterbeagle

Have you ever tried sensory bins? They are a guaranteed way to keep my DD (who will be 2 next week) independently occupied for 30 minutes at a time. There are a ton of ideas on Pinterest. We also rotate toys so she only has a few options at a time, and the novelty keeps her engaged with things longer. I plan on wearing the new baby a lot so I can have free hands for DD, but I still worry about having enough of me to go around when he gets here.

cnbean

My DS goes through phases of being happy to play by himself or not. Right now he wants me right there with him. But just about a month or so ago he was fine to play while I did my thing. He has been hitting some developmental milestones lately and it has kinda thrown a monkey wrench into our routine. I'm hoping that he'll start playing more by himself again soon.

MrsT2008

I'm fortunate, DD (26 months) is so good at playing by herself. But she does seem to sense those times I NEED her to play by herself and those are the times she insists on attaching herself to my lap/being underfoot. I'm hoping she does okay once baby arrives.

jjones59

DD will be 3 in May, and I know that she's in daycare all week and likes to have our time together but there are times when I'd just like to go to the bathroom or take a shower in peace. There are times now where I bring her toys to whatever room I'm in hoping she'd want to play with those...sometimes it works and others it doesn't. 

Xath

Also, do you have a toddler-sized baby carrier?  When DS1 gets extra clingy (well, before I went on light activity restriction) I'd put him in the Ergo for a bit and then he'd quickly get bored and go do his own thing.  

JoelleOK

My DS gets extra clingy when he cuts teeth.

rainydayluck

DD just recently got good at playing solo, right around when she turned 3. She will now go upstairs and read books by herself or play in her art box. She still prefers for one of us to play with her, but she's much better at playing solo for more extended time.

MissLadyTay

We had to actively train my son to play by himself, which I didn't realize you had to do. I had to set a new, exciting toy out and walk away. He would be torn between playing with it and following me. But eventually he has gotten good at playing alone in his room or the living room while we do other stuff. Now he'll sometimes play alone for up to an hour before he comes to find us. He's almost three.

MrsT2008

aimee223 said:

sesame street always buys me an hour...

haha, yeah, when all else fails, Disney Jr is our go-to when I need to get something done without her being my shadow.

MrsT2008

MrsT2008 said:

aimee223 said:

sesame street always buys me an hour...

haha, yeah, when all else fails, Disney Jr is our go-to when I need to get something done without her being my shadow.

and by "when all else fails", I mean this is my first line of defense when I don't have time to get her into something else.

Junebug060609

This is one area where DSs autism may actually come in handy. He is, and always has been, very good at keeping himself entertained. Granted it isnt in traditional ways, but aside from him maybe wanting to sit with me and baby while I nurse, i dont foresee much of an issue. My concern is kind of the opposite. I need to keep up with interacting with him to get more progress with him developmentally...and i fear the time constrants and physical toll of having and nursing a newborn may hurt that.