Is My LO spending too much time alone?

Ms.Jade · October 2012

E will craw into her room and just sit and look through her board books or play with a toy or empty the clothes out of her laundry basket all alone. She will play this way and not even look for me for 30 minutes or more if I let her. I've babyproofed the space and have taken to turning on her video monitor so I can see her if I'm in another room, but is this normal. Should I go in there? Anyone else's kid do this?

Chunstad · October 2012

Same as AA. In the morning after he wakes up, he'll go to the other room and play with his toys for quite a while while I'm puttering around in different rooms putting things away. I'll go check on him, and he's playing happily. I think we're lucky, we can get stuff done! However, forget about it in the evening. He is clingy!

LCass · October 2012

Chunstad:
Same as AA. In the morning after he wakes up, he'll go to the other room and play with his toys for quite a while while I'm puttering around in different rooms putting things away. I'll go check on him, and he's playing happily. I think we're lucky, we can get stuff done! However, forget about it in the evening. He is clingy!

Same here, except it's not in a different room usually. She just takes herself over to her books and toys in the living room and entertains herself for quite a long time in the mornings usually and every now and then in the afternoon. Evenings she needs interaction. It's important that LOs learn to play by themselves and not rely on being entertained all the time.

Nita2603 · October 2012

Well, I worked hard to get Alastair to do some independent play....now my mother is on top of him. She must have tried to give hima bottle about twenty times while I pumped today. He kePt swatting at it and crawling away, but she kept going after him. For everything. She is not watching him, she's stalking. He is annoyed.

Seeing this, I have no problem believing that I was potty trained at one.

aliciaroset · October 2012

this is great!! it's awesome that she's good at independent play. My DD is the same. You can go sit in there and just watch her play so she knows your there but it's great to encourage her to play alone. It'll help her develop focus!

jonnygurl76 · October 2012

NO!! it is excellent if your LO can entertain herself for that long, independent play is so good for them (and you)!!

anasazi17 · October 2012

A is the same way, she will just go off and play with her toys for good stretches of time. I used to interrupt he independent time because I felt like I should be engaging with her...I have since stopped, and just let her play.

She just needs to know where I am, if she can't see or hear me she tends to wig out.

kagl08 · October 2012

jonnygurl76:
NO!! it is excellent if your LO can entertain herself for that long, independent play is so good for them (and you)!!

This! My DD was the and is the queen of independent play. I, like Nita, worked my butt off to get her this way (although she is very independent by nature too) in anticipation to having 2 kids 13.5 months apart. I LOVE that she can play independently. It's amazing. For a long time I worried DS wouldn't be able to play alone but now he is imitating his sister and is so good at playing independently too.

My views on this subject are if 1) LO is happy 2) LO is safe 3) You are within reach of your child should something go wrong and 4) You check on LO in intervals to make sure he/she is ok, then where is the harm? It's very healthy IMO.

My DD will play in her crib for upward to 2hrs in the morning when she wakes up. She's singing, playing, humming, reading and just having a ball all alone. I have a video monitor, so I am always watching and listening. It's amazing and I embrace it because one day I probably won't be this lucky again. Stick out tongue

Ariana2O11 · October 2012

He loves his board books. He'll sit and flip through the pages looking at the pictures for a good 20 minutes or so.

Elsa1984 · October 2012

Gator will play in her room quietly for 2 to 3 hours by herself without so much as a peep.

pennysuedog · October 2012

Nita2603:
Well, I worked hard to get Alastair to do some independent play....now my mother is on top of him. She must have tried to give hima bottle about twenty times while I pumped today. He kePt swatting at it and crawling away, but she kept going after him. For everything. She is not watching him, she's stalking. He is annoyed.

Seeing this, I have no problem believing that I was potty trained at one.

Oh, I'm laughing. I can see it in my head.

Nita2603 · October 2012

pennysuedog:
Nita2603:
Well, I worked hard to get Alastair to do some independent play....now my mother is on top of him. She must have tried to give hima bottle about twenty times while I pumped today. He kePt swatting at it and crawling away, but she kept going after him. For everything. She is not watching him, she's stalking. He is annoyed.

Seeing this, I have no problem believing that I was potty trained at one.
Oh, I'm laughing. I can see it in my head.

Yeah, I bet. The worst thing, though?! After months of pestering me about speaking German to him, she now speaks broken English to him. If I hear 'Alister, will you battle?' one more time today, I may snap. I have told her several times to please speak German only around him. I mean...really?! Cannot make the effort to try to speak English around her son in law or her family, but around the baby it's just what we wanna do.

If I get time later and Aidan doesn't flip his lid again for hours, I may post a rant/account about yesterday's shopping trip. If it wasn't so infuriating, it would be funny. You guys may laugh.

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