independent play

bundymommy · February 2013

How well do everyone's LOs play by themselves? DD has a really hard time playing by herself. She thinks that someone always needs to be playing with her. I think part of it stems from the past several months, where she and DH were living with his parents (due to work situations) and she got A LOT of attention from the grandparents. But part if it started earlier, because she really has never been good at playing by herself. Even at a few months old she needed to be entertained all the time.

I keep trying to encourage her to play by herself, but honestly there is only so much whining and crying I can listen to in a day. And when I am trying to feed the baby and she keeps trying to crawl all over me I get so frustrated with her!

buckyfan30 · February 2013

D's is starting to like independent play more. He likes to help do chores a lot, so he will usually stop playing and follow me. If we're in the living room and he knows I'm not leaving the room he will look at books and toys alone.

Gilliebear · February 2013

G excels in this department. She plays well alone and with others. She plays alone and once in a while will come up and sit on my lap with her toys for a minute or two then she runs off to do the next thing. Its just her and I the majority of the time and she is an only child so maybe thats why?

rayandbrit · February 2013

My 17mo old needs a constant companion. When it's just her and I at home she's literally on me the whole time (I've been on the couch a lot lately with morning sickness), she'll wander here & there, but for the most part has to be physically with me or on my lap.

luckily, when my 3 year old is around, Dd#2 is content to follow her around & loses interest in me. My first was never clingy & always content to play solo. Wonder if it does have something to do with having siblings?

ladybugpjb · February 2013

B has always played independently. I actually have the opposite problem, and am trying to work on playing together. He likes being around other kids, but doesn't know how to play with them.

Jelliebean1982 · February 2013

My kids are both really good at playing alone although they both need to be in the same room. If I go into another room they will follow. That must be hard with a newborn baby and a clingy toddler. Hang in there! The first few months are exhausting but once the baby can crawl it gets so much better.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha · February 2013

My girls are both pretty good at playing independently. They definitely prefer to be in the same room as I am, though, which can be a real challenge when I'm trying to cook dinner in our itty bitty kitchen.

Mommy2CB · February 2013

Gilliebear:
G excels in this department. She plays well alone and with others. She plays alone and once in a while will come up and sit on my lap with her toys for a minute or two then she runs off to do the next thing. Its just her and I the majority of the time and she is an only child so maybe thats why?

This is how our DS1 is! I'm excited to give him a brother in the coming months and for them to be able to play together once DS2 gets a bit older haha

melissa0726 · February 2013

M is pretty good at entertaining herself for 15-20 minutes at a time. She usually wants me in the same room, or at least access to get to me. She does NOT like playing alone if I pull down the gate between the kitchen and the rest of the first floor when I'm trying to cook.

The very best way to get her to play alone when I need a minute, is to give her something that she doesn't normally have access to. Kitchen "stuff" works well here. She'll stack and organize tupperware, boxes of pasta, paper plates, etc.

Rotating her toys has worked wonders. I find that the less toys she has access to on a regular basis, the better she is able to focus and enjoy the few things that she does have in front of her. And when I pull out the "old" toys, they are fun and new again!

independent play

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