How much do you play with LO?

--halo-- · April 2011

I feel like I don't know what to do with Jackson some times. If he's not crying, sleeping, or if I'm not feeding him, changing his diaper, or doing housework I feel like I should be engaging him. I feel guilty if I lay him on his playmat and walk away to do something that I want to do. I suppose he needs to learn to play on his own?

I think I also don't know HOW to play with him. I feel like I just use the same toys over and over and and I'm not sure what I should be doing to engage him. I read to him maybe once a day, and I give him crinkle toys and toys to fling around and chew on.

I feel really stupid asking this question, but how do you play with your baby? What do you do? Do you usually just let LO play by themselves or are you always interacting?

babyonthebrain2010 · April 2011

I play with him all of the time, but I also leave him by himself in his PnP or on his mat so he learns to play by himself.

I read to him.. show him all of his toys/books and basically just talk to him. I like to take his stuffed animals and do puppet shows (like Rory from Gilmore Girls when she goes "I told you to take out the trash" ...anybody remember this?!) and I sing to him all of the time!

if you're ever at a real loss just keep him in the room with you narrate to him everything you're doing. "I'm putting away dishes, this is a bowl!" that sorta thing.

4boysohMy · April 2011

I was thinking this same thing today and he's my 4th. The three year age gap between DS3 and DS4 has obliterated my newborn skills.

cme79 · April 2011

We use the exersaucer, play gym, practice rolling and sitting on the floor and bumbo, walk around the house looking in various mirrors and windows, read books, stroller rides through the house, and then of course I do whatever I can to get giggles out of him - nap, bottle, - and then we do it all over again.

lrn327 · April 2011

I was thinking about this the other day too. DH and I both work so we only see LO in the mornings to get him ready and then for three hours each evening. He usually has a quick nap in there somewhere too. So, we don't get a lot of time except on the weekends. Given that, we never leave him to play by himself. I sort of worry that I should be giving him some time to play in his PNP or jumperoo by himself, but I just can't get there and honestly not sure I want too just because I don't see him as much as I'd like. When we play though we usually have a great time. We definitely do the jumperoo but also practice standing, sitting, and rolling a lot too. We take LOTS of walks in the stroller and the carrier. Lately, we've been painting with him too! I bought non-toxic tempura paint (crayola) and construction paper and we let LO dip his hands and feet in it to create art. His daycare does this almost every day and he really seems to enjoy it. We actually made his thank you cards for his baptism this way. I haven't yet, but I am going to buy some instant pudding and through that in a ziplock with milk and let him smash it around on his highchair tray. I know you can do this with cornstarch and water or paint too and the ziplock keeps everything nice and clean.

LovesMM · April 2011

Pfft. That's what I bought toys for. She plays I sit on my ass.

But for realzies, I play with her on the mat she goes in the jumparoo, we take little trips every day.

watermellens · April 2011

I do a little of each - play with DS and let him play alone. He doesn't particularly like me being in his face all of the time and he gets antsy when he's held for too long.

He plays on his playmat on his back, some tummy time (which he only tolerates for short periods); he LOVES the jumperoo and when he's in it I usually sit at the dining room table next to him and bump, eat, talk to him, etc. He sits on my legs on the couch and he "stands" on my stomach, which he's really starting to love. We take trips usually after his first nap so he's in the car almost every day or we'll take a walk. And ditto BOTB, if he's hanging and you're cooking or doing housework, just talk to him and narrate what you're doing.

Sonadora · April 2011

I do both. I try to let her play by herself as much as she will, since she doesn't really like to play alone.

When I'm playing with her, I sing, a lot. I try to read books a few times a day and I often get down on the floor and play on her mat with her.

xxbabycakesxx · April 2011

by himself in the exersaucer, bumbo and walker (im always in the room though)

with me- jolly jumper, tummy time (on mat that sings the ABC's, on bed or other regular playmats), read different books (board books, soft plush books, my books), sesame street number flashcards, FP car thing, baby einstein car thing, leap frog tad and scout, dance around, sing nursery rhymes, baby massages and stretches. oh there are times we sit and watch tv or he sits on my lap while im on the computer (i'll read to him what im reading on the net).

id say 90% of the time im there playing with him.

shaw · April 2011

I work during the day so I play with him all evening until bedtime. We talk about food during his eating time and practice saying mmmmmmmm after he takes a bite. He joins us at the dinner table for our dinner time and we include him in conversations. We do tummy time and naked rolling time. I make goofy music videos of him and the dogs and them show them to him on the computer. I put toys he can grab on a blanket and airplane him in to pick them up. I sing to him and tickle him. He rides the dogs. He practices sitting and face planting on the couch. I laugh hysterically and try to get him to laugh too....etc...

lrn327 · April 2011

shaw:
I work during the day so I play with him all evening until bedtime. We talk about food during his eating time and practice saying mmmmmmmm after he takes a bite. He joins us at the dinner table for our dinner time and we include him in conversations. We do tummy time and naked rolling time. I make goofy music videos of him and the dogs and them show them to him on the computer. I put toys he can grab on a blanket and airplane him in to pick them up. I sing to him and tickle him. He rides the dogs. He practices sitting and face planting on the couch. I laugh hysterically and try to get him to laugh too....etc...

I love that you make the music videos! Too cute - I'm going to try this too.

julesmarie80 · April 2011

This is great, thank you! I was wondering the same thing. I feel like I can never remember any songs to sing, or anything to do with him.

lulu3061 · April 2011

babyonthebrain2010:
I play with him all of the time, but I also leave him by himself in his PnP or on his mat so he learns to play by himself.
I read to him.. show him all of his toys/books and basically just talk to him. I like to take his stuffed animals and do puppet shows (like Rory from Gilmore Girls when she goes "I told you to take out the trash" ...anybody remember this?!) and I sing to him all of the time!
if you're ever at a real loss just keep him in the room with you narrate to him everything you're doing. "I'm putting away dishes, this is a bowl!" that sorta thing.

Same here. Plus we have "Dance Party USA" every day where I turn on different music and we dance around the house...he loves it and I get to listen to music that I like at the same time. I'm also in a moms group that has at least one activity every day so I can do that also. Plus, we go for a walk every day and I just tell him stuff like "see the silly squirrel, look at the big white house", etc.

missmuffin87 · April 2011

this thread makes me kinda sad. i work three jobs. some days i get home and she's already in bed. all i do is chores at home and on the weekends we always have family obligations and everyone else wants to hold her. the moments i have with her are not enough. if you have the ability to play with your LO enjoy it - talk, sing, dance, cuddle, laugh. if i were with hazel all day i would never put her down. those moments are so precious.

LaLaaaa · April 2011

I could have written this post myself, lol. I always wonder if I'm doing enough to stimulate her. I play with her in her jumperoo and playmat, read to her, sit and snuggle with her. I sing to her all day long and practice standing and tummy time. But there are times I leave her on the playmat to play by herself too. She really loves it and I usually do dishes or laundry while she's playing.

I think if you're the type of mom that thinks and worries about this kind of thing then you're doing just fine, lol.

--halo-- · April 2011

Thanks for all the ideas! I really do play with him a lot, but like LaLaaaa said I wonder if I'm doing enough, or if I'm doing the right kinds of things.

I feel like becoming a mom was really natural for me as far as nurturing him and having the instinct to love him and take care of him, but sometimes I don't know HOW. Tongue Tied

cupcakes710 · April 2011

I always worry about this too! I know I should and could be talking to her more, using more words and narrating what I'm doing. I keep trying to work on this more and more.

I also sometimes feel like I'm not interacting with her enough.

And then there's also the problem of getting her to nap which takes up a lot of my day and when I'm doing that, I'm trying to be quiet so she can actually fall asleep...

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