Alone Time

I wanted to make a post about how we do independent play or "alone time" with Mary. I've gotten a lot of questions from different people that I usually answer by telling them about independent play. Anything from, "how do you get Mary to play so well by herself?" to "how can I get things done around the house or for myself?" I always find myself talking about independent play. It is probably one of the best things I've ever done with my kids. Basically it's just giving them time to play alone. Simple.

We started with Mary in her pack n play with some toys for about 10 minutes when she was 6 months old. We used a timer so that she would know that we came in when the timer went off, not when she started crying. Sometimes she would cry when I left at first, but I'd heard such great things about independent play, so I wanted her to get good at it. Eventually we worked up to an hour of independently play and by that time she was loving it. I'd say, "It's time for you to have some alone time!" And she would run to her PNP and wait for me to turn on the music and put her in. Now she has alone time in her room for about an hour to 1.25 hours every day depending on what I need to do and how well she's enjoying her time in there. I'm planning to start this in the next week with Noah. I think starting earlier with him will reduce the learning curve. He's not really a crier anyway:)

I think there are a lot of benefits to doing something like this so I thought I'd share it. It has taught Mary SOOOO many things it's hard to count. She plays well by herself. If she can't do something she has to wait until the end of alone time to ask for my help, which has increased her patience. It's helped her learn to stay put. Especially now that it's in her room. I say, "I'll be back when alone time is over. Stay in here. Have fun!" and I leave them room. And she stays! Sometimes I will hear her door squeak, but by the time I walk back there she's moved away from the door and is playing again. It has also given Ian and I some time together some evenings when we just needed a break. And since having Noah it allows me to get some time just with him in the mornings and also allows me to put him to sleep for naps without her yelling "BABY BABY BABY NIGHT NIGHT!" the whole time. She's used to playing in her room alone, so when I need to put Noah down I just tell her to say night night to Noah and that I'll be back for her when I'm done.

I'm looking forward to the added benefits this will have with 2 children. Some other moms have sung the praises of independent play with 2 or more kids. This is outlined in more detail in Toddlerwise I think. Maybe Babywise II? It's been a while. Anyway, I highly recommend this practice!