What do you do with your LO's all day?

[notsonervousmum]

Just curious as i'm paranoid i'm not doing enough with my 13 month old DS! Even at this age he's quite happy to play with his toys independently for a good 30 mins with me in the same room. It would be good to get an insight into how other people do things. (incidentally, i'm not a SAHM [unfortunately. Much as i'd love too, we can't afford it] but i'm on long-term sick leave for a torn tendon in my shoulder so i'm likely to be off for a while yet!)

[notsonervousmum]

Anyone?

[firststeps]

I have only started to realise that it is ok to do other stuff than play with my lo all day!!!! I usually use the morning to get jobs done round the house while he potters around the rooms with me, I use his lunchtime sleep (2 hours if I'm very very lucky) to have lunch, do some more jobs and go on mumsnet - like now, then we usually go out in the afternoon til tea time (park, shops, food shopping) then I play with him til bath and bed. I used to be paranoid that I should be playing with him all day, but he seems to be happy doing what he's doing, and I've found change of scenery is the best thing for both of us, so if we've been in the house a couple of hours and starts to get a bit grumpy we usually go out somewhere

[FawkesyFimbo]

When my ds was your ds's age this was our week:-

Monday -- Music Group
Tuesday-- Mother & Toddlers
Wednesday-Library
Thursday--Friends Round Either At Ours/Theirs
Friday--Mother & Toddlers

I also have a dd who was at school, so after his lunch and a nap it was time to pick her up, and we usually played in the park before coming home.

[SANA]

this is a intresting thread, I work 4 days a week & find on my days off that i feel really guilty if I am not doing something with DS ( 19mths)& i think i have made things hard for myself as I am so tired somedays I wish he would just go off & play by himself. On my day off we usually do something, last week we went to the zoo & then to the park in the afternoon & tomorrow we r going to messy play & then out to see some friends. I normally do housework after he goes to sleep & I am lucky that my DH helps alot. if your LO is happy then I wouldnt worry about it!!

[notsonervousmum]

Wow FawkesyFimbo! Now i do feel terrible!! I took DS swimming today, which he seemed to enjoy, and we had a play date for an hour earlier, but that's basically it now for the week. We live in the middle of nowhere in countryside, so any outing has to involve a car which is difficult at the mo due to my shoulder injury.

SANA - when i go back i too will be doing 4 days a week, and before i went off sick i found it a real struggle to get all the housework done and be the perfect partner and mother. I desperately wanted to do things with DS, planned like mad, then felt terribly guilty for being tired (par for the course after doing 4 x 12 hr shifts!)

[shhhh]

dd is 18 months and we do the following (I'm a sahm BTW):

Monday: Weekly shop around Tesco (which given the attention etc she gets usually takes over 2 hours..!)

Tuesday: Baby gym

Wednesday: Baby music

Thursday: Housework but dd usually "helps" and flits in and out of rooms while I do what I can.

Friday: Visit friends or go for a walk or to the park etc.

During the week inbetween outings and dd napping we usually play together or she plays alone (I'm 28 weeks pregnant so can't do so much) or we have "music time" at home which involves nursery rhymes on cd or MTV and dance time !! ..!

Like other have said, if your ds is happy and you are happy then chill..!! I just think on the days when I feel I don't give dd enough attention etc that there are lots more parents out there who never interact with their child..

[handlemecarefully]

I have a 4yr old (just started Reception) and a 2.6 yr old.

Get this - it is not necessary to 'do' lots of things with your child. As long as they seem reasonably happy, stimulated and they are assured of your love that's fine.

DD is at school now but ds is at home. He often just has to tag along with whatever I am doing (dog walking in the woods, errand running etc). He also plays happily on his own for longish periods.

We don't do play groups (I find them tedious)...but he does get social interaction with his peers from being left at the creche whilst I go to the gym, and he attends a play session at Pre School (without parental supervision)

In terms of focussed attention on him, he might get up to an hour of intensive one and one per day (reading to him, playing with him directly)...obviously I don't ignore him the rest of the time and I try to involve him in what I am doing in an engaging way but basically he is just fitting in with my agenda. A couple of times a week he goes to the park etc.

He is developing normally and is a contented little boy.

I truly don't mean this to sound brusque, but I think it's a first time mum thing to worry (unnecessarily imo) about this sort of thing (I know I did first time around)