- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
February 2012 Moms
Sept07b2b
member
Independent Play
Sept07b2b
member
So I've seen a lot of people on here talk about the importance of indepdent play, and how they've taught their LOs to play independently. How does one teach their LOs to play independently?
I put DD on the floor with her toys and then try to go to the other room to get something done. She will play with her toys for like 5 minutes before she is crawling into whatever room I'm in and then pulling up on my leg. Or she'll start fussing. If I'm sitting in the same room as she, it's even worse. She'll just crawl over to wherever I'm sitting and pull up on the chair or couch and fuss until I pick her up.
Am I supposed to put her down somewhere and close the door and leave? I imagine a lot of LOs play independently by nature, but I'm totally lost on how to teach a LO to play independently if it's not in their nature.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Independent Play
We started first thing in the morning. When he's up for the day we would do a diaper change and then I put him back in his crib and put a box of toys in the crib with him. I would intentionally face him away from his door (so he couldn't see me) and give him a toy I know he loves. That way he's zoned in. He pulls either every toy out of the box or a specific one.
I get a good 30-45 minutes of peace. Sometimes I go in there and sit and just watch him. I don't play with him I just observe. My son isn't crawling but he rolls and is starting to walk. The crib works because he'll just sit there. And he started to stand up in the crib so I tie toys to the side of the crib so he gets distracted and starts playing again.
I also play children's music which he loves. We do this at least twice a day. I'm a Working Mama.
Skyler will play for a good while when she is in her exersaucer and I am out of sight. She will spin around and play a good 15-20 minutes, longer if the TV is on or she has a snack. I also fill her pnp with her activity table and other larger, non-choking hazard toys and she will happily play in there for about 20 minutes. It usually works much better when I'm out of sight if she sees me she may continue playing, or she will whine for a second, but if I leave the room again she stops. Lots of times I will put her in the living room where I can see her from the kitchen, but she can't see me and she will stay occupied for a while.
If I am in the same room, she will only play about 5-7 minutes alone. If DH is in the room with her she will play longer alone. If she isn't contained by the pnp or exersaucer she will crawl into the room I am in to see what I'm doing. Even if DH is playing with her she will leave him to find me.
If I'm home, Aria has to be touching me almost constantly. It's been this way for a good 4 months.
I've been trying to help Aria learn to play independently. Usually, it starts with me sitting on the floor with her while she plays. After a while, she'll get "brave" and venture across the room on her own. Then I'll move up onto the couch, and she'll come and "check in" every once in a while. (meaning she'll crawl over to me at mach 5, want to climb in my lap and hug a minute, then wriggle away to play some more)
I don't ever leave Aria in a room to play on her own, unless she's in her crib or PNP and I'm only going to be a minute or two in another room. (to start her bath, or change clothes for example) It's not that I think it's bad to leave baby happily playing in a babyproofed room... I'm just a big wuss and get too worried about her. (plus, I can't say that any room in my house is 100% baby proofed. Or even 90%. The closest we get is probably 75%. Mommy fail, I know.)
212 Facebook Admin.
This for us! He started saying Mama a couple of weeks ago and he'll definitely say that when he's looking for me. One thing I found is when he wakes up in the morning, instead of getting him immediately I leave him in there at first for 5 min and now he can be in there up to an hour talking and playing by himself.
www.theclothmenagerie.com
ETA his play room is directly between the living room and kitchen so anytime we are in either room we can always fully see him and everything he is doing!
I have tried to "teach" her to play independently, and have tried the gradual approach of letting her be all over me, then sitting her beside me but still touching while playing with a toy, etc. Most of the time she doesn't even make it to the sitting beside me point without fussing and launching herself at me. Probably 90% of the time she is awake, I am touching her in some way. I am waiting for the day that she is emotionally able to branch out from ME and play independently for longer than 3 or 4 minutes once or twice a day if I am lucky. I debate often if it is my responsibility as a parent to teach her that skill or if it is something she will acquire on her own with age, time, and physical ability (she can't crawl more than a couple of feet at most so I think she feels incapable of getting to me if she needs me when I am not touching her). She frequently becomes hysterical if I leave her on the floor for a second, even right beside me, in order to do something. It has taken 10 or 15 minutes to calm her down before after leaving her on the floor right beside me for 3 minutes or so to get something done. It's a hard place to be in, and I hope it gets better soon. I don't really see what else I can do to "train" her to get better with independent play at this point. I feel like it is something I try to get her to do and very much encourage every day, but it rarely happens. When it does, I savor every moment!