Exersaucer Time

Congratulations! If there is one thing I have learned is that if they're entertaining themselves then tht is great. My son could keep himself entertained as well and I hardly ever hear the words "i'm bored" come out of his mouth. She'll let you know when she's tired and ready to move onto something else. Keep up the good work!

Married raising 4 girls and 4 boys.

Independent time is great for children as well as social play. As long as she is happy playing by herself it is fine. children will go through many different stages in life of being independent and social, as long as it makes her happy it is good for her. lol enjoy the personal time, it wont happen often!

I don't think it is to long. My daughter was very content by herself alot. We still did play time togather. I think that as long as you get some play time with her in a day then it should be fine.
T.

I say, the more they can learn to enjoy themselves on their own the better. My daughter, to this day (she is now 6) can entertain herself and sometimes prefers to have some time on her own. It is great that you are in the room, so she can feel comfortable and you can sort of "share a silence" together and both be doing what you want to do. I would say that as long as your daughter is engaged in what she is doing, she is fine. It is hard when they are young because you want to analyze everything. The bottom line is, you are doing a great job. You are obviously an engaged parent who interested in her child, so you will do just fine. Hope that helps a little.

Hi J.,
My son, now 17 months, was in an exersaucer around 5 months of age...as he got older he enjoyed being in there for longer periods of time. I would get him out as soon as he started fussing. You're doing great by making sure you're close by in case she needs you or just can feel your presence. I'd say let her explore and sit in it as long as she's interested.
No harm will be done I assure you ;)

I think that if the child will occupy herself for 30 minutes or more at that age, you have a very intelligent and well focused child. Most babies will get bored and start crying or vying for your attention by then. If she is enjoying herself, and you are able to supervise for that length of time, then I don't see anything wrong with it. Plus, it's a "doing" activity rather than parking her in front of the cartoons.

I agree with the others let her play as long as she's not fussing. I did this with my daughter as well and she's now 3 and no matter where we go she can entertain herself and is perfectly happy to do so.

As long as she is happy I would let her play. When she becomes fussy you'll know that she's tired of being in it.

It is great that she wants to play in it alone but remember, keeping her in there for excessive time can lead to problems such as being bow legged. Or if she is petite, and her legs barely reach the bottom, it could lead her to think that standing her on tip toes is what she needs to do.

This is just some advice a friend gave me and when I asked the pediatrician about he, he confirmed. As good as they are, they can also be bad if you let things lead up to too much time in one.

I did the same with my baby who is almost 11 months now and he is fine! He is both very independant and also likes to play with others.

J.,
The exersaucers are great. They are a great way for her to engage in play, while you accomlish a few tasks hands free. I used to bring our megasaucer in the bathroom while I showered. I could see her, she was safe and secure. They are a great way for her to build her leg muscles, and move around, interacting with all the items on the tray.
Enjoy the momemts of safe play.
E.

Hi J. a, this is Jen M. As long as your baby is happy and content, you may think about lengthing the time with alone play. It's only a problem if she starts fussing or crying. Children vary in degrees of companionship. Some are perfectly fine on playing by themselves, while others prefer more together time. I think with time and a little practice, you will observe what category your child falls into. I have 3 children and all of them had different need. I had my clinger, my adventurer, and my dreamer.

My nephew is the same way, I wish my kids would have been. My suggestion is to let her play independantly for as long as she will. She will let you know when she is ready for a different activity.

Personally, I would be jumping for joy if I could find something that would entertain a child of that age for that long. She is still learning by playing in the saucer, and it is good for kids to learn how to entertain themselves, as long as it is not TV. I say take advantage of that time, she will let you know when she needs something new.

Hi J.,
From all that I've read, 30 minutes is a perfect time for babies to be in their exercausers. Any more than that, they'll probably need some physical contact from you or a redirection. She's getting exercise and is fully engaged. Everyone is happy. My son loved his exercauser and we limited him to no more than 30 minutes. Take that 30-minute break! :)

Physcially, it does less for her development than playing outside of it, but it will not damage her to be in it for short bursts at a time. Where parents tend to go wrong is by letting their child spend too much time in one instead of learning to move as they should. I once cared for a baby that lived in one at home, and he had trouble walking bc he was used to leaning forward in his, so he had to relearn how to stand. On the OTHER hand, they are a great way of capturing them and knowing they are safe while you get a chore done. If you want to spice things up a bit, let her play with it from the outside as well (just be right there to assist and keep her safe). She'll soon want to pull up on it to play! Have fun!