Independent Playtime {Poll Discussion Post}

I have said it before and I will say it forever, one of the best things about the Babywise system is Independent Playtime. The benefits of Independent Playtime are numerous, including helping your child learn to focus, be a problem solver, be independent, and to be happy with him/herself. There is also the major perk of giving you a section of time each day that you can have to yourself to spend as you wish. That may sound selfish, but a mom has to take care of herself–no one works 12-14 hour days year round, day after day, and survives. You have to have moments, and Independent Playtime can be a daily moment that benefits everyone.

 

Independent Playtime {Poll Discussion Post}

Please take a moment to answer the questions below. Doing so will help other parents now and in the future. It is very helpful for me when compiling answers if you at least number the answers you give. You can also copy the questions and answer them. If the question does not apply to you, simply put “N/A.”

 

1-What age did you start Independent Playtime? 

2-Where do you have your child do Independent Playtime?

3-What length of time does your child do Independent Playtime typically? What is your child’s age?

4-How was your journey starting Independent Playtime? For example, was it smooth, did it take some time for your child to get used to it, etc. 

5-Any words of advice or encouragement?

 

 

4 thoughts on “Independent Playtime {Poll Discussion Post}”

  1. 1. With my first two kids I tried doing independent play in a playpen at an early age but I found it just too difficult to enforce and with guaranteed naps, I decided it wasn't important to me. But I did enforce it around the time that they stopped sleeping in the morning – between a year or 20mths?2. In their cots. I would just put toys in the cot for them to play with at naptime.3. For the same amount of time as the morning nap would be. Anywhere between 1-2hrs depending on what my day entails. She is 22 months at the moment. 4. Described in the first point. Found that all 3 of mine transitioned to playing without too much hassle. Each went through a short season of objection but fairly quickly accepted that this was the new way of doing things. 5. Just that Independent Play is a great thing and I and they would struggle without it. It boost their confidence playing alone and encourages independence, dealing with boredom, creativity and problem-solving. It also makes way for older children having room time, which my 6yo and 4yo still do. Sometimes I feel it's cruel leaving them alone, but I really think it helps them be at peace with themselves.

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  2. 1. I'm honestly not 100% sure. I think we tried for a while once she could sit up, but we were pretty spotty about it until she was 12 months old. Now we make sure she gets it at least 3 times a week, if not more.2. In her playpen.3. We started with 15 minutes, then worked our way up. Now it's usually 45 min to an hour. She is 18 months old. (We are thinking about having her do 2 30-45 min independent playtimes soon.)4. It was pretty rough. There were some times where she just sobbed for 15 minutes before I gave up and rescued her. Then there were times where she cried for 5-10 minutes before settling down to play quite happily for another 45 minutes. Even now when we've been doing it consistently for six months, she still has times when she cries for a while before being content to play.5. Be patient. It took a couple weeks for her to stop sobbing for 10+ minutes at the beginning. I've never let her cry longer than 15 minutes, because I know that if she's going to cry that long, it's just not going to happen. (Your kid may be different.) But I do let her cry for that long because I know she's safe. She's not going to hurt herself in her playpen – and she has toys and books to play with, plus her burp cloth (her chosen comfort object), so she's really okay. Also, I love independent playtime! It gives me a chance to shower, read a book, make phone calls, bake, or get some deep cleaning done. It's good for my sanity, so it's good for her sanity, too. 🙂

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  3. 1 – 17 months with my 1st and 12 months with my daughter. I replaced the morning nap with IPT. 2-Where do you have your child do Independent Playtime? – Crib until about 20 months, then we switched to Room Time 3-What length of time does your child do Independent Playtime typically? 1 hour. My kids are 4.5 and 3. I started with 5 minutes then quickly made our way up to one hour. They have been doing 60 minutes for a long time. 4-How was your journey starting? I remember feeling guilty in the beginning. But IPT is one of the best things about BW! It can be so beneficial in a mom's schedule. When I was pregnant and too tired to get up before my son, I used IPT as a chance to shower and get ready. Later on it morphed into special 1:1 time with my son that I would have otherwise lost when my daughter gave up her nap. Now that my kids are done napping, IPT is what follows rest time which gives me a big chunk of time in the afternoon to get things done, even though no one is sleeping!5-Any words of advice or encouragement? Just do it! You won't regret it! The books go into detail about the benefits for your child. There are great benefits for mom too. Don't feel guilty!

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  4. 1-What age did you start Independent Playtime? 1st Child- 10 months, 2nd child- 12 months2-Where do you have your child do Independent Playtime? Started in pack n play then moved to room around 18 months. 3-What length of time does your child do Independent Playtime typically? What is your child's age? Started with 10 minutes, worked our way up. Now youngest is two and a half and does usually an hour.4-How was your journey starting Independent Playtime? For example, was it smooth, did it take some time for your child to get used to it, etc. 1st child had no issues, second child cried a lot so I would just do 5-10 minutes but I would make sure to wait till he took a break from crying before I would go back and get him out. I was making sure I ended it on a positive note. It took about a month before he outgrew the crying and quickly increased his playtime after that.5-Any words of advice or encouragement? Start small,even if they are doing well, then build up to longer. Remember there might be a second training period when you move to their room.

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