Believe it or not, your baby might understand what you're going through. The whole world is new to him and he's got a blinking mobile in his face when he wakes up, the buzzing household in the background while he plays, and a dizzying array of toys to contend with. For a small person, the world can be awfully big and busy.
Babies can benefit from a little "Independent Playtime." Babywise II recommends introducing even small babies to this peaceful time of focusing. Placing your 2 or 3 month old in an infant seat or playpen with a few toys or an interesting picture is a good way to start. Gradually work up from 5-10 minutes with a young baby to 45 minutes to an hour with a one-year-old.
This is a great way to counter the hyperactive culture we live in, where even children are bombarded with nearly infinite choices. When a baby is free to roam the house looking for amusement, he has no incentive to focus on a single toy or task through to completion. By giving him an age-appropriate amount of time to concentrate on just a few toys, he will learn this skill.
If Baby protests playing on his own, Tracy Hogg recommends in Secrets of the Baby Whisperer to join him encouragingly for a few minutes, but not to pick him up. This can be begun at any age. If Baby is relatively young, "Playpen Time" is suggested, but when Baby becomes a toddler, you can replace "Playpen Time" with "Room Time."
This is a beneficial habit for Mom too. When Baby no longer needs a morning nap, she'll still have two chunks of "solo time" for tasks that are hard to accomplish with preschoolers underfoot. Structure in the day also helps kids to feel safe. As pointed out in http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/, kids are often happier after a little solo-time.
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