Roomtime troubles...
My daughter is 13 months old and I'm trying to get her to play in her room alone for a little while each day. But she just screams at the baby gate as long as it takes for me to come get her. I've been seeing if she'll just fuss for a little while but she freaks out from the moment I put up the gate until I take her away from the room
( Read more... )
For starters, I've come to think that it's easier to teach your child stuff that will benefit them when they're older from the very beginning. For example, I know a four year old that won't play alone. It's much harder, and rougher on the child, to break habits at four than it is to teach a child something at one.
Secondly, even though I know that babies need attention, she got to the point where she wanted me to play with her CONSTANTLY. I couldn't even read a book or cook dinner without her climbing on me or grabbing my legs. I love playing with Amy, of course, but I just can't do it 12 hours a day. And I can foresee this being a serious problem whenever there's a new baby, especially when I'm nursing, unless I try to teach her to play on her own now. May as well get the struggle out of the way now instead of then!
And finally, it helped me add structure to her day and that has made a lot of difference in her overall behavior. I think she's generally calmer when she knows what to expect in a day. I've worked the roomtime into her daily routine, so after her breakfast she plays with me awhile or takes a bath, then she goes to her room at 10:00. At 10:45ish I go in there, have her watch me pick up her toys (we're starting that young, too..hopefully she'll start to help soon! =), cuddle up and flip through a book, and then put her down for her nap at 11:00. After lunch she has the whole afternoon for free play around the house, and that's when we go outside, take our walks, visit, and fun stuff like that.
Since I made that post she's just about gotten used to playing in her room. She throws a fit for a minute or two when I leave her in there, but after that she plays just fine, unless she sees me walk by her room - which is tough to avoid because it's right across the hall from the bathroom! But each day she cries a little less and seems to have more fun exploring her room, so soon she won't fuss at all. (Playpen time was a struggle, too, at first, but now she loves it and it's been a livesaver)
I still use the playpen when she gets really wound up - for some reason putting her in there calms her down! She usually needs a little time in there in the afternoon or evening, and it also is handy for opening the oven and going to the bathroom, etc.
So even though it was a struggle for a little bit, it's working out fine. Now, hopefully, when she's four, or whenever she's a big sister, she won't mind playing alone.
Reply
Leave a comment