Hey Mamas, want to start encouraging independent play for your babies? Read on to discover my go to tips and tricks!
As a single mom, I’ve had to get creative about keeping my daughter entertained when I have to get some things done. We all know motherhood is an extreme sport and kiddos love being the center of attention ALL THE TIME. But if you’re trying to cook dinner, vacuum the house or get something done that requires a little bit of focus… It’s helpful to have a few go to tricks in your arsenal to keep your little one preoccupied.
This post is all about independent play for babies!
Benefits of independent play for babies
Encouraging independent play has many positive benefits to help your child develop skills like creativity, confidence, independence, and problem-solving!
-Creativity: Independent play will help your child develop their own style of creativity and allow their imagination to blossom freely. It can be amazing to see how your children are naturally drawn to play!
-Confidence: When babies have the opportunity to accomplish tasks without mom or dad interfering, their confidence will increase and they will learn how they can be successful on their own!
-Problem Solving: As parents, we can be tempted to show our kids how they should play with toys. But there are benefits to leaving our babies to their own devices and letting them figure things out on their own. Independent play allows babies to solve problems without the interference of mom and dad.
Benefits for parents
Parents can certainly benefit from encouraging your child to play independently as well. Some ways independent play will help out mom and dad include:
-Having moments to yourself: Parenthood can be stressful and sometimes all you need is a moment to destress, decompress, and relax and drink your coffee while it’s still hot.
-Frees up time to get household work done: Just because a little person is calling the shots all the time now doesn’t mean that housework magically goes away. Helping your child become comfortable with playing independently can create opportunities to get one or two chores done during the day.
-The joyful experience of watching your child grow: Parenthood is such a gift and it’s so cool to see how your child grows, learns, and interacts with the world. Everything is so new to them!
How long can babies play by themselves?
There aren’t any specific guidelines to follow for independent play but here is an idea to get you started.
- 5-10 minutes once or twice a day for a newborn
- 10-20 minutes two times a day for first months
- 15-30 minutes two times a day for the sitter
- 30-45 minutes one to two times a day for a little crawler
- Up to 60 minutes for 15-20 month old, supervised in the playpen
- 60-90 minutes for 18 month olds
- 60-90 minutes for toddlers, preschoolers and children
This chart doesn’t need to end all but hopefully it gives you a jumping off point!
To develop properly, your baby needs to have plenty of love and attention from you. But The reality is that parents have to get things done sometimes. Of course, you want to make sure your little one has a secure attachment to you but don’t feel bad if you need to set them down sometimes. Your child playing independently has positives of its own!
1. Set aside plenty of time where your baby has your undivided attention
As moms, we mean everything to our babies, and giving them lots of attention is vital for their mental and emotional health and development. They deserve to have your undivided attention most of the time. But it’s not a bad thing they learn early on that the world can’t revolve around them every single second!
Having lots of playtime with momma will help them feel fulfilled with the attention they need. And will help them transition to independent play more easily.
2. Rotate their toys
We all know from experience how quickly kids can get over toys and be onto the next thing.
Instead of giving them access to all of their toys all the time…Try choosing 5-7 toys at a time for your child to play with and put the rest away for 1-2 weeks. When they get their toys back, they may seem brand new to them. And it may help them have a greater appreciation for them when they have access.
This will make a big difference in their independent play because their toys will be able to keep their interest longer, and as they grow they may invent new ways to play with them!
Here are some of our favorite toys!
- 🥕【100% SAFETY GUARANTEE】Made of sturdy New Zealand natural pine wood with water based paint. Smooth edges and non-toxic materials ensure your baby’s safety.
- 🥕【MONTESSORI DEVELOPMENT】Your child will improve their size sorting and logic skills as they think about how to put the carrots back into right holes. Also, our toys are great for learning developmental concepts such as fine motor skills and problem-solving capabilities.
- 🥕【FUNNY CARROTS DESIGN】Seven different sized wooden carrots and holes match each other. Realistic carrots with felt leaves and farm land with cute animal patterns always catch babies’ eyes.
- 🥕【PERFECT GIFT FOR KIDS】Perfect birthday gift for preschool toddlers. It is not only suitable for sorting games but also for imaginative games such as farmers’ markets/kitchens, great fun and educational.
- 🥕【WARM TIPS】Please wipe clean this toy with mild detergent and damp cloth. Don’t soak it directly in the water to avoid paint flaking. Please don’t place it under the sun for a long time to avoid paint discoloration.
- [8 PAGES, ENDLESS FUN] – Our innovated busy board for toddlers has 8 pages to play, featuring multiple varieties of toddler activities, can keep your little one busy for hours. This toddler busy board is designed in varying difficulty levels to be challenging but not too much to keep your toddlers interested. Including zipper, shoelace, belt, button, clock, calendar, shapes matching, threading 1 2 3 numbers, A B C and 1 2 3 hook&loop letter, jigsaw animal puzzle and etc.
- [PLAY WHILE LEARNING] – Keep your baby entertained while they develop essential skills like dressing at their own pace, improving fine motor skills and finger dexterity. The Octopus button page help improve hand eye coordination. Clock, calendar and season weather page is for cognitive skill. Shape matching page and fun jigsaw puzzle improve recognition and imagination. Toddler can learn spelling and numbers through the hook&loop letters board and interesting number threading game.
- [SOFT & PORTABLE TODDLER TRAVEL TOYS]: Our sensory toys for toddlers 3+ year old is made of soft fabrics and felt with no hard corners, reliable for your little toddlers to play. Busy board with handle, portable for toddlers to carry and flexible to fit in most diaper or school bags. Great toddler activities sensory board to keep them occupied while on car, airplane, travel or settings needing quiet.
- [EASY TO OPERATE] – Design for little hand to use, this Montessori toys is well constructed and in suitable size for toddlers to hold. You can also work on educational board together with your kids and teach them spelling, counting and matching. Great toddler activities for preschool learning. Also a good alternative to screen time.
- [DECENT GIFT & SATISFACTION]: Esjay Montessori busy board for toddlers gifts is made with quality and care, reliable enough to hold up to toddler’ s use. The covers are printed with cute dinosaur pattern and animal alphabet, makes it a decent Christmas and birthday gift for boys and girls.
- 【Best Complete Musical Toy Sets for Kids】A perfect inspirational set of toys to get kids moving, grooving, and feeling the beat, Explore the world of music and rhythm with your little angel. Kaqinu 23 Pices shaking, tapping, beating and blowing instruments study the initial musical concept, And they can Increase hand to eye coordination, promote fine motor skills and stem learning, increase their hearing stimuli and have some fun.
- 【Non-toxic and 100% natural wood materials.To avoid it hurting baby when playing, this wooden music toy was no harmful water paint or chemical smell, which is Cpc Certified / Astm Certified. A strict quality control was used to promise a extreme safe playing environment for kids.
- 【Unique design of wooden Percussion Instruments】 Base on Scientific Approach, Kaqinu nature wooden instrument set with 23 pcs would be a hot spot in kids party. Your kids and their little friends can enjoy an interesting corner with this set. They can play on turn , play the instruments together and play separately,a great bridge to enhance friendship.
- 【 Educational Early Learning Musical Toys】: A perfect inspirational set of toys to get kids moving, grooving, and feeling the beat, discover the potential and sensitivity in music and audio, study the initial musical concept, creates more interactions between the parents and the kids from playing toys. Great and creative birthday gift for kids, boys, girls and toddlers.
- 【Easy to Carry & Storage】All Kids can have fun with our 23 pieces wooden musical instruments in this set. Package comes with high quality clear compact zipper bag, convenient for your precious ones to collect toys, easy to carry when going out. Anywhere you can find a musical class., as most instruments of our musical toy set is easy to carry, and they can also let your kids keep busy for much hours.
- Set of 10 colorful blocks for baby to sort, stack and drop through the shape-sorter lid
- All blocks fit inside bucket for storage
- Easy-carry handle for take-along play
- Introduces baby to colors and shapes
- Helps foster fine motor skills and problem-solving for infants and toddlers ages 6 months and older
- Fruit and Veggie Grocery Store: including 1 storage box with various fruit and veggie toys, 2 toy cutting knives, 2 toy cutting boards, and 12 foods. The hollow design of the basket enables it to store many toy fruits and veggies, so you should never worry about messing the toys. The size of the box is 11*9.2*2.5 inches. Christmas gifts toys kids toys boys toys girls toys toddler toys
- The Delicious Foods Include: eggplant, apple, pumpkin, carrot, watermelon, onion, lemon, tangerine, strawberry, pineapple, pear and banana. Making your child’s childhood a perfect play kitchen experience, just like playing with food at home. Christmas gifts toys kids toys boys toys girls toys toddler toys
- Premium Design and Quality: This pretend play toy is made of real wood and colored with premium pigment, so it won’t break easily. The toys are attached with nylon buckle so they are reusable. When kids cutting the toy, it will make the crack sound to give kids realistic feelings. Christmas gifts toys kids toys boys toys girls toys toddler toys
- Learning and Fun Education: Our kids wooden food toys are designed for kids’ learning fun. Your kids can simulate the real feelling and “click” of cutting fruits and vegetables, which is good for kids to develop their hand-eye coordination and hand dexterity. Christmas gifts toys kids toys boys toys girls toys toddler toys
- Ideal Gift: This Perfect Wooden Cutting Toy Set is an ideal birthday or holiday gift for kids.Our toys are a great alternative to screen time. Add the Fruits & Vegetables Play Time to round out the pretend play experience and give kids an engaging option for screen-free fun. Christmas gifts toys kids toys boys toys girls toys toddler toys
3. Find interesting things around the house
Admittedly, one of my go-to ways to keep my child entertained in a pinch is by finding them (safe) household items to hold and explore. Baby toys are great, but it’s often the random things that do it for my child. Everything is new to them so the things that are mundane to us are extremely interesting to them. My daughter will sit happily with a wooden spoon for quite a while.
Some things I reach for:
-Old remote (cleaned and with no batteries)
-Kitchen utensils
-Tupperware
-Water bottles
4. Create a safe zone
Babies are curious little adventurers and they want to explore everything. Creating a safe/child-proof area for them gives them space to roam around as they please. And gives you the peace of mind to know they won’t be getting into things they shouldn’t.
You can either have childproof areas in your house to let your child roam or invest in a baby fence area. We ended up investing in a BanaSuper Baby Playpen because my daughter was still managing to boink herself off furniture and I wanted to create a safer place for her to play. It’s sturdy and is a nice size.
- 【Large Coverage】The sizable 70.9″*78.7″*26.4″ panels cover over 38 square feet, providing ample space for 1-2 children to play safely in the activity center. This setup can help babies learn to crawl or walk, while adults can also enter the enclosure to play or rest with their little ones.
- 【Sturdy & Safety Material】The thickened HDPE material ensures long-lasting durability. The rounded edges and smooth surface protect your child’s delicate skin.
- 【Safe Panel Design】The panels are designed without any spaces in between, eliminating the risk of tiny limbs getting stuck. The reinforced 26.4-inch height panels prevent babies from stepping over.
- 【Secure Clearance】The 2.36-inch clearance allows babies to see their parents, providing a sense of security and preventing them from crying while playing.
- 【Non-slip Design】Each playpen panel comes equipped with PVC suction cups and non-slip rubber pads on the bottom, making the structure difficult to tip over or move, ensuring the safety of your kids.
Another great option is The GENTEACO Foldable Baby Playpen cause it folds up like a lawn chair for easy storage.
No products found.
We also got a Montessori Wooden Climbing Set play set up and my daughter absolutely LOVES climbing on this thing. This play set is recommended for children aged 1-3.
No products found.
5. Youtube shows
Screen time should always be kept in moderation, but it’s certainly a resource you can use in a pinch. When I need to do a quick spruce of the house or edit a blog post… I’ll turn on a show for my daughter and let her watch from her pack-and-play in the living room. Some of our favorite shows are:
As time has gone on I’ve watched my daughter engage with these shows more and more, learn new sounds, and grow in development! Another amazing Christian kid’s show is “Superbook”, but it is suited a little better for older kids.
6. Put them in something that gets them moving
One another amazing way to keep your child preoccupied is by getting them something they can be mobile in. This little car was a lifesaver for me when my daughter was 4-9 months old, I could get the vacuuming done, unload the dishwasher, etc.
It provided her with some freedom to roam and explore the house in a safe and stimulating way. You just have to make sure to be childproof so they don’t reach up and pull anything down on their heads. When my daughter got to be about 9 ½ months old, she started realizing she could pull on things and get herself out. But it was an amazing resource for months!
- Safe sturdy platform for pre-walking wild ones
- Safety enhanced with rubber feet that “brake”
- Seat pad is easy to remove for machine-washing
- Extra-high seat supports baby with 3 height positions
- Activity center is removable for floor play time
- Baby’s jump is rewarded with fun music, lights and sounds of this exotic animal-themed activity center.
- Seat spins for 360-degrees of play with activities all around: bat-at sloth, butterfly spinner, flamingo roller ball, lion mirror, see-saw leopard, bobble giraffe and music & lights toucan
- Take-along toy piano toucan with 20 minutes of music and lights removes easily for travel and play
- Easily adjusts to 3 different heights as your baby grows, plus a machine-washable seat pad for easy cleanup
- Helps strengthen gross motor skills and engages developing senses of sight, hearing and touch
7. Let your child explore the world at their own pace
There’s such an emphasis on kids reaching certain milestones by particular times but many people fail to realize that learning is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Society’s standards are way off from reality for many children and that is okay.
Let your child be free to explore the world at their own pace and create a healthy environment for them to learn and grow. Kids are individuals and God made us all to be different, to have unique strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Public schools tend to criticize those who don’t fit perfectly into their square peg of what’s expected when it was never supposed to be like that in the first place.
Don’t let society pressure you into thinking that you’re doing something wrong as a parent if your child is not developing as fast as society deems is correct. You’re doing great mama and your child is created the way they are for a specific purpose in God’s great plan!
I hope you found this post about encouraging independent play in your babies helpful!
This post was all about encouraging independent play for babies!
You May Also Like:
9 Ways To Be A More Patient Mom
How To Teach Your Kids About Money
How To Set Weekly Goals In 11 Life Changing Ways
