Independent Play Time - SAHM September

Independent play time is an important part of our schedule that we've worked on since the girls were around 6 months old. It starts in the play pen (or play yard) with a few toys and for a minimal amount of time - a great chance to clear out dishes from the sink or Swiffer the kitchen floor. Slowly the time amount builds and what started out as 10 or 15 minutes can grow to 30 minutes or even longer.

When they are younger, I found that I could be in an adjacent room where I could still see the play yard and my daughter would still play independently. This was important to me to not only let her gain the independence, but also get more comfortable with the idea myself. As she lengthened the time where she could play in the play yard, I could continue to add to chores that I could get done during the time that she was playing independently - and eventually it could even turn into a long enough period of time that you could get something essential done like take a shower.

For us, starting independent play time (IPT) early on really helped, because it eased the transition into the next phase of IPT once your child becomes a toddler... room time. Room time is a challenge all its own, as your child grows, they begin to explore their surroundings and want to expand their boundaries. Making sure their room is child proofed and a safe surrounding to have your toddler in for short periods of time independently is the foundation, once that is completed... you can begin your transition from IPT in the play yard, to independent play time in your child's room - or as we call it around our house, "room time".

Room time for us started early, before Cupcake's 2nd birthday actually... she was well adept at keeping herself entertained for up to a 45 minute period for IPT and was ready to drop her first nap. (When I had been taking my shower.) At this point, we decided to transition to toddler room time during her original first nap time and it has worked out great as far as time of day for us.

We started the transition over Christmas break while my husband was here to help with it. Once you begin the transition, it is like "starting all over again" - starting out with a short amount of time and slowly adding to it. We started out sitting in the room with her for the first week, then trialed room time for a short 5-10 minute period in the beginning - with one of us sitting outside of the door. That went well, so we slowly started adding to it and could move to other areas in the house on the second level. (Her baby monitor would be left on in the room of course, to hear the activity that was going on... and you could also use a video monitor during this time if you had one as well.)

Eventually, room time turned into the time on our schedule when Mommy was able to go take a shower, and also conveniently lines up with Peanut's morning nap time. (See my post on daily schedules for more about lining up a baby and toddler schedule together.

I'm very glad to have found out about the concept of independent play time and room time through our Babywise groups... these have worked out great for us and are an important part of our schedule each day. Do you do IPT or room time at your house?

Here's the link to the SAHM September video on Independent Play Time:

Ohhhh Room Time - How I love and loathe you, all at the same time...

So we do something at our house with our toddler called "room time"... it is basically independent play time in her room to gain independence and also works well in the mornings for Mommy to take a quick shower. We did a sleep training method with Cupcake called "Babywise" by Gary Ezzo, and the idea behind room time or independent play time comes from the follow-up book - "Toddlerwise", also by Gary Ezzo.

Basically, as your toddler gets older you put some structured independent time into your daily schedule to bolster their independence. Ideally, I believe they suggest you start working on room time (having previously had independent time on a blanket or in a play pen previous to this) around ages 21-24 months. I had to start Cupcake slightly earlier though, because with the arrival of Peanut... and Cupcake's new found ability to climb out of a crib and play pen around the same time - I had to come up with some way to take a shower on a daily basis. Cupcake had always excelled at independent time in a play pen, which I used when she was younger to do chores during the day or make dinner... so I figured - what the hey, we will give it a go.

We started the week after Christmas, so that Daddy was home to help keep watch and ease her into the transition. You start with a lower time limit, around 10-15 minutes and the goal is to work up to a time length as long as 45 minutes of independent play time in their room. In the book and on other blogs you see an image of a well behaved child, quietly playing with some non-electric toy, in a pin neat room for the entire length of independent play time.

This is not my child.

Cupcake is a... spirited toddler. And very creative. She can find the delight and humor in the most simple of things. Like throwing clothing that used to folded neatly in her dresser drawers into the air while yelling, "Wheeee!".

So while I delight in the fact that Cupcake has taken well to independent time in her room in the mornings, and worked up to the 30-45 minutes that I need in the morning to get in the shower... I also never know what I'm going to walk in to when room time is over. Some days it is not too bad, some toys here and there - books strewn through the room... other days... it looks like a hurricane of Q-tips and clothing has swept the room.

Let's not leave it up to me to give you a written description though... They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for a week I brought the camera up to her room after room time to capture what room time means at our house.

1/25: This day's theme was apparently "Q-tips"...

1/25: Looks kind of annoyed that I crashed her party!

1/26: Room time must have been so exhausting this day, that I came in to find her taking a bit of a rest!

1/27: Pretty tame day...

Then we had a few uneventful days... she was saving it all up for the finale...

1/30: The Grand Finale... empty drawers, Tah Dah!!

"Nevermind cleaning up this mess, Mom! Let's get straight to reading books! "
(We have reading time after room time.)

I will say, she's getting better. Messes are not as frequent - and this was a particularly "spirited" week when I took the pictures. She's still a few months away from being 2 years old... so I think as she gains a bit more age, it will keep getting better and better. For now, I will keep perfecting my folding skills...