Pack-N-Play Time has become a household favorite recently! I discovered this trick when Aiden was under 2, but didn't do it consistently enough, but it is a life saver if you do schedule it in! Eli is now a champ at pack-n-play time and even asking for it!What is pack-n-play time? Like I said, a life saver (or sanity saver, i'd say!). It's a great way to get your kid to learn how to entertain themselves and play all by themselves without needing someone to constantly play with them. I love my boys, I love playing with them, but this is a critical skill I think they (and I) need to have for all of our sanity!
I started as early as 10 months with Aiden because that is when he got mobile. Start out about 5-10 min, put them in another room (out of sight) with their favorite toys (add a different one to the mix every day so they don't get bored), and I like to turn music on so they don't hear me and want out. Then I set the timer and see how long they can last! My goal is to work it to 20-30 min where they get undistracted playpin time, and sometimes 2x's a day.
Doing it w/ 2 boys now is so great because I can get good focus time with Aiden to work on school works, and do stuff that Eli isn't big enough to do yet. It's also a great way to keep him happy while I'm cooking instead of just plopping him infront of the tv.
For Eli the first couple of days were rough. Meaning, he cried and screamed the WHOLE time he was in there (10 min.) for 3 straight days. But I kept being consistent and when I was about to give up I decided to try one more day. That 4th day he cried for 2 min. and ended up deciding it was more fun to actually be quite and play... he lasted 20 min! We do it about every day now and when I say "Eli it's time for playpin time!" he yells "YAY! Playpin Time!" and runs to find his favorite toys, throws them in and waits next to the pack-n-play! lol. He's up to 30 minutes right now 1x a day. I only do it 2x's if Ross isn't home while I have to get dinner going.
Just wanted to share a tip with you if it's needed. Let me know if you try it and if it works for you! Remember, it takes a few days of being consistent to get them to realize it's not punishment and it's FUN TIME! Just keep trying! Once they outgrow the pack-n-play you can move it to "room time".
1 comment:
I know I'm not a mom, but I've never thought that little ones would perceive a playpen as something negative... when we were growing up my grandma would watch us all, and it wasn't uncommon for her to plop my younger cousins or brother in the playpen for half an hour to an hour at a time...
Of course the older ones would kind of stay nearby and watch/play with the kids while they were in there... but they never seemed to mind. I guess it's different when there are older ones around to entertain them.
I'm glad you let me know it's not normally that easy for kids to get used to the playpen! Now I will be prepared. :)
Post a Comment