How much time do you spend playing with your LO

SnowflakeBride06 · May 2011

I know this sounds funny but I am trying to balance the time I spend doing errands/house chores with the amount of time I spend playing with my LO

We do a play date/activity once a day and she naps 1x in the am/1x in the pm and thats when I try to get stuff done. The rest of the time we play with toys, take walks, play outside etc.

How do you balance it?

emathis2 · May 2011

We do a playdate or class every morning from 9:30/10 until about 12/1. Then we come home and he has lunch and then naps from 1:30-5. We play outside first thing in AM and in the evenings too but sometimes I wish we had more time to just play. The activities and his 3.5 hour nap eat up a lot of the day.

wnk1029 · May 2011

My little guy is 18mo old, so it's just been recent that he's been getting used to playing on his own more often. We tend to "take care of business" (errands, chores, etc) in the morning. He likes to help with things like dishes or laundry, so even though it isn't really "play," we try to make it fun. If we have extra time in the morning, we generally spend it reading or playing outside.

With everything we need to do taken care of in the morning, we can spend the afternoon after his nap playing. Sometimes I'll actively play with him, or sometimes I'll grab a book and sit down on the floor next top him and read while he plays (depending on his mood), but I make a point to make myself available for him to play with for at least a couple hours a day.

littlelamb99 · May 2011

You will always feel guilty and think you should be playing more with your little one....it's the mother's guilt that you're experiencing!

I think you're doing a great job!!

Geek_Girl · May 2011

Most days he'll be up around 7, so he has breakfast from 7-7:30, then from 7:30 - 8:30 I put DS in his play room so I can get some things done w/o him being under foot. I 'let him out' (LOL) from 8:30ish until about 11ish and that's when we do a lot of our playing, errands if we're going out (we're heading out shortly). When he goes back in around 11, I have a few minutes before I start making his lunch. Afternoons are a toss-up depending on what the weather is like, how long he sleeps for his nap, etc. Usually he's put in his play room while I'm cooking dinner unless DH is available, then they play until dinner is ready.

kcisthebombdotcom · May 2011

My son plays independently quite a bit, especially since I have an infant to tend to. However, he is a really independent child and always has been, so I've never felt guilty about it. He's happy and that's all that matters.

Honestly, I just play with him whenever he wants me to. He's good at letting me know if he wants to read a story or play toys with him. If I'm feeding the baby and I can tell he's getting bored playing alone and wants some attention, I just sit on the ground with him and feed the baby with one hand while I play with him with the other.

I work part time, so times like now the kids are with my parents so they both get one on one attention all morning. I think that works out really well. Every afternoon, we do an activity as well.

Want a personalized experience?

How much time do you spend playing with your LO

Re: How much time do you spend playing with your LO

Choose Another Board

Search Boards