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There are many amazing, awesome parenting tools to take away from Babywise . Obviously, my personal favorite is the sleep scheduling. But I also am SO thankful for the concept of independent playtime. Allowing your children to learn to play on their own and entertain themselves has endless benefits. Not only are you able to get things DONE during that time period but long term it helps the child to have a longer attention span, be less likely to struggle with separation anxiety, and have the gift of enjoying time alone. I've utilized independent playtime with all of my children and start at a very early age. Here are my personal "How To" tips for successfully implementing independent playtime. Start Early Even in early infancy, I will set up a play mat in my baby's nursery. I will lay them on the mat (mine has overhanging toys) and sit a little distance away from them. I will be perfectly quiet and will be out of their line of sight, but still able ...
We are BACK from Ireland! Since I didn't get any sleep for 24 solid hours I'm pretty beat so thought it'd be a good day to post a blog entry I did as a guest post awhile back regarding how to start independent playtime late! With both of my children I started independent playtime when they were very young. First I started with them on a playmat in their bedrooms and I'd sit in the same room but out of their sight for just a few minutes at a time. Slowly it progressed to longer time and eventually they moved to the pack and play. I would set a timer and they'd play happily for 20 minutes two times a day, then as they got older, 40 min one time a day. I have seen many benefits to independent playtime. It really has helped my children play well on their own, entertain themselves, and especially not have issues with separation anxiety. Since I am a stay at home mom I am with my children majority of the day, everyday. The only time they really are without me is w...
Babywise discusses the value of independent playtime on page 210. "Planned daily playpen times allow a little one the opportunity to develop: a) mental focusing skills (the ability to concentrate on an object or activity at hand and not be constantly distracted) b) a sustained attention span c) creativity (Creativity is the product of boundaries, not freedom. With absolute freedom, there is no need for creative thinking or problem solving) d) the ability to entertain himself or herself e) orderliness" I know when people think of Babywise they typically think of a sleep schedule, since it's "claim to fame" is that children on a Babywise schedule sleep through the night at around 8-12 weeks old. While this is true, Babywise offers much more than just a schedule. I'm a HUGE believer in the importance of independent playtime. As a newborn, independent playtime is brief and is on a playmat. I still stay in the room with the baby but they ...
~I'm one follower away from 200 and a super exciting giveaway! I've ordered the prize and when I showed Zach what I got he said I should keep it for myself...it's that awesome ;) ~ Brittlynn's 6th week of life was from January 10th through January 16th (meaning she turned 6 weeks old on Jan 17th). It's crazy to me how MUCH things change week to week! Again week six had many changes in the life of Miss Britt: Sleep: I always tend to start with the sleep huh? She started to fall asleep on her own at the start of naps! She'll often do a fussy cry for up to 20 minutes but we've learned it's better just to let her cry it out (cio). She also started sleeping for longer periods at night and would go from 11:30-5:30! I would give her a "snack" at 5:30 then put her back to bed until it was her real wake up time at 7:00. When babies wake that early you have three options: don't feed them and try to hold them off, feed them but put them back to b...
