Candie Hastie-Hunt
My baby goes in a playpen if my older daughter is awake and when I can’t watch them both, and my toddler has the lounge to roam around in which I’ve baby proofed. They both have access to a small selection of loose parts and toys and they choose what toys they want to play with. I rotate the loose parts every few days to keep a sense of novelty, but I always keep their favourite toys out that get played with every day. A big thing I’m learning is trust - to trust that my son will move his body the way he wants to and trust that when he needs help or needs me he will let me know. I’m learning to trust that he can start to problem solve. If he’s trying to get a toy just out of reach, he will learn to try rolling over to get it, or to start
using his legs or arms to push or move himself to get it. Giving him the freedom to move and explore helps him to self direct his play. It can be so tempting to step in and help our babies - say if they’re rolling over but they’re stuck halfway, to help them over or if they’re grizzling, to just hand them a toy - but by waiting and watching to see what they will do, it’s giving them time to start being more independent. Instilling the habit of self directed play isn’t a quick fix and takes time and patience to cultivate. But it will be so worth it in the long run! 5 minutes of play can build up to 10-15 minutes of self directed play where your baby or toddler is choosing what and how they learn.
ISSUE 304 . February | March 2022 21
