https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:37:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484200 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 10:06:49 +0000 petitenoisette 2484200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sunshine: Sounds like you do exactly what I do/hope to in the future. </p> <p>@looch: @Torchwood: I honestly don't think it is good for children to feel that they should have their parents attention at every moment of the day/be able to demand that they play together whenever the child wants. If the parent and child are having fun together playing, of course! But if the parent is really wishing they could check their email real quick or do some dishes while they keep on their kid happily playing independently, I think that's great. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484196 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 10:03:18 +0000 petitenoisette 2484196@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I mean whenever we are all home and she is awake I am there watching her but I really try to encourage her playing independently. I am not too into the idea that parents should spend a ton of time playing with their kids. I want her to be able to play independently and in the future hopefully with her brother(s) and/or sister(s)! </p> <p>My favorite thing to do is to watch her play and I obviously have set up many things for her to play with, but I can't even really put on a number on how much I'm actively involved because it's a few minutes at a time over the course of the day. </p> <p>I'm sure this will change a bit as she gets older and can do more activities - like I'm sure we'll do playdough together and stuff like that but she's just 12 mo now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484157 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 09:28:36 +0000 snowjewelz 2484157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since DD transitioned to 1 nap, barely an hour at night! I get maybe 10 minutes in the morning? Weekends definitely way more, but we're not always just home playing, but our whole day pretty much revolve around her! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484149 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 09:20:54 +0000 josina 2484149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Probably an hour at night, more on weekends. I have made a rule for myself for lent, no phone from the time we get home till DS goes to bed so I am more available and actually paying attention to him. Hopefully I can keep it up! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484107 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 08:45:08 +0000 Mrs. Sunshine 2484107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't really anymore. And I'm cool with it. She's playing with her sister or pretending to nap while I do my make up (she does request "bedtime" songs for that, which I do sing) she helps me with chores and we talk while we do other things. I play outside with her usually 1 to 3 hours a day but I'm still observing at least half the time and not actually playing. And I'm surprised to say that I dont feel bad about it. Her whole first year of life I spent totally focused on her but I feel like we are much happier this way. We kind of do life together instead of me stopping life to focus only on her. We share plenty of laughs and funny stories and there are days when we spend the entire day doing kid stuff but I don't really feel like I play with her much anymore. I've never really spent much time playing with her baby sister and she still seems to be hitting milestones and being happy at the same rate as DD1.</p> <p>ETA: I play peekaboo with DD2 and chase with DD1 and we have tickle fights and we dance and whatever. What I'm saying is I don't purposely sit on the floor with the intent of just playing with them anymore like I used to with DD1. And everybody is happy and fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2484042 Fri, 04 Mar 2016 07:22:00 +0000 looch 2484042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, I struggle with this! When I am home on the weekends, I want to do everything together as a family, but the reality is the laundry needs to be folded and I can't play with my son at every moment.</p> <p>When I was at home full time with my son, I had a massive amount of guilt if I didn't spend every waking moment of time with him, even if it was just looking at each other. It wasn't good. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483923 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 22:23:15 +0000 Torchwood 2483923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I mentioned this on my blog yesterday. I was feeling guilty for playing on my phone, so I put it aside and payed attention to LO. Over 10 minutes and she never even glanced my direction. I play with her when she wants me to, but she's more like me and prefers independent play. (My mom says that when she tried to play with me when I was a toddler I would basically tell her to go away.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483913 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 22:10:30 +0000 catomd00 2483913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>During the week we play together for 1-2 hours after work. On weekends, pretty much all day. We do chores after bed or during nap to maximize time with her. She does enjoy playing independently a lot and will just plain ignore me even though I'm sitting right there with her. I guess it's a good thing... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483842 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:44:59 +0000 wrkbrk 2483842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: Maybe an hour a day now that I've gone back to work. :'( On Saturday or Sunday though - several hours!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483763 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:19:27 +0000 Corduroy 2483763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Down on the floor time? 5 minutes probably. We have very little time on weekdays and LO2 doesn't let me set him down. It just doesn't work out.</p> <p>My "time in" with LO1 is our walk home from daycare. LO2 is in the Ergo so he's happy. LO1 and I take a fairly leisurely stroll where she leads the way. We stop and examine lots of things and talk about the day. It's a short walk but door to door we spend 30-45 min. Once it's light longer we'll add our post-daycare park trips back in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483573 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:03:08 +0000 lioneyes 2483573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we read together in the morning and afternoon on the couch for like an hour total, but the rest of the time we are at home, he likes to play by himself. we spend most of our time out, just wandering around with the stroller, chatting, for the majority of our day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483568 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:00:52 +0000 regberadaisy 2483568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wished it was more. :/</p> <p>@Adira: same </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483561 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:55:27 +0000 Adira 2483561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work full-time, so probably about an hour each night. On the weekends, it's more like 3-4 hours each day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483550 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:50:13 +0000 Andrea 2483550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The girls play together and rarely ask me to join, lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483541 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:44:09 +0000 Cherrybee 2483541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been working on this recently because she started acting out for attention. I spend an hour every evening and about 3hrs, split into segments, on a weekend day. Its helped with the behavior, but massively increased her clinginess. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483522 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:29:20 +0000 youboots 2483522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It kind of depends on her mood. She will play independently for over a hour at 12 mo. She just likes to have me in the room. She does not always want to play with me so I let her do her thing. But I'd say 3-4 hours a day solid 1x1 time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-time-do-you-spend-playing-with-lo#post-2483479 Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:10:40 +0000 Bao 2483479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Actually sitting down on the floor, playing with toys...cuddling on the couch reading books, with no distractions, coloring with them etc. Do you feel like you spend enough time playing with your LO? </p> <p>I sometimes feel like I get caught up in other things and don't play with LO as much as I should. It's something I'm working on...being home all day though kind of gets to me. I do better after I've had a little space! </p>