Is This Ok? - Haysville,KS

Wow, what a lucky Mom you are! Doin' it by the book and it's working! I see nothing wrong with her 'down' time. Just keep an eye on her daily inclination to climb out of the crib, and enjoy the peace!

It's perfect!! This way when she no longer actually needs naps you can continue the schedule and have her just enjoy quiet time in her room. She'll be used to going to her room for that time every day and just playing!! It will be so awesome for you especially if you have more children who need to nap at that time.

Great job!!
K.

I know you have gotten a ton of responses and I haven't gotten to read them all. I say enjoy it!! Hopefully it lasts, but most likely it won't. So enjoy it now! My son used to do this as well. He still does do this on his naps. I leave him in there because at least he is resting/having down time. That is still beneficial to them even if they never fall fully asleep. Congrats on having such a well behaved little girl!!

I think you are one lucky mommy! :) Maybe she just needs a little while to "wake up" after sleeping, and I would NOT mess with a good thing! Let her wake up, she will call you when she is ready! There is nothing wrong with her being able to entertain herself, that is a great sign of a healthy, well adjusted and confident kiddo! And we're not talking about hours of her staring into space, she is in there having fun!
Don't give up on a good thing, that is my opinion!

my twins are 17 months old when is nap time the boy usually stay awake for about 40 min playing and then he fall sleep ,my daughter she goes to sleep 10 min after i put her to sleep,sometimes in the afternoon when they have been running and playing around they get very fussy and i just put each in a pack and play with some toys and they like to be there playing i think is like alone time and they calm down and then about 30 min later they are soo happy.
i just think they need to alone time to rest.

If she's playing she's happy. Consider yourself LUCKY! My kids, to this day, don't play by themselves ever. They are 7 and 3 and want me to interact with them constantly. I can't get a thing done.

She's fine.

My baby has started to do the same thing. I just let her play. If she starts to cry again, i go in to soothe her (w/o picking her up) every 5 minutes. She usually goes to sleep. The two sleep books i read said this might happen and its ok, the important thing is that they are put down to nap at regular times and that they stay in the sleeping place for the appropriate amount of time for a nap. Maybe your baby is ready for less naps? or to alter the times? Maybe thats just how she soothes herself to sleep. It is a good thing that she enjoys being in her crib alone, Im sure you worked hard for that!

In my opinion, there is NOTHING wrong with letting a child lay and play happily in their crib. If she likes her alone time, let her have it! Neither of my kids were day sleepers, but I layed them down at the same time everyday and if they drifted off, fine. If they didn't, that was fine too. I actually enjoyed listening to them coo or sing or jabber to themselves. I found it so precious. They were obviously happy so I let them have their time.
You are not damaging your baby. Not by any means.
She is happy and secure enough to entertain herself and that is truly a wonderful thing. It really is. The cutest thing, I thought, was that my kids put a blankie over their "babies" (stuffed animals) and sang to get them to sleep. Sometimes if I glanced in they would tell me, "Shhhhh. Babies nigh nigh". As long as they were happy having quiet time, I never worried about whether they would actually sleep because they rarely did, but they were used to having rest time and it worked wonderfully.
It sounds like you have a happy well adjusted baby to me.
Great job!
Don't worry about her having her private quiet time.
I believe it's good for them.

Best wishes!

There is nothing wrong with letting babies learn how to entertain themselves; and it appears that your daughter has that down. It is also ok to let her wind her self down (she's playing quietly before going to sleep). If she isn't fussing and she's happy, let her be; keep an ear on her of course.

As long as you give her social time, as well as her quiet time...I do not see any harm. You aren't leaving her screaming or aggitated or upset. If she were any of those things, I would say go in and get her. If she is content and is sleepy, let her wind herself down.

Alone time is good, if she can entertain herself then let her- as long as she is not crying she is fine- just keep checking on her to make sure she is okay.

I think it is sweet and I used to let my kids play by themselves on their blanket- my son had his "pigs" which he loved and of course his "happy apple" that is how he learned to roll and crawl.

GOD BLESS
B.

If she's being quiet and playing, I'd leave her alone. My daughter still, at 3 1/2, plays for a little while before going to bed at night and for naps. It doesnt hurt them. If she were crying, I would go in, but if not, she's fine.

I think it's great! Is she still on 2 naps a day?? If so, it's time to go down to one. It seems like it will terrible only having 1 break as opposed to 2, but it's really not...it opens up your day a lot to do other ufn things!

If she already is on one nap, she's fine. Maybe push her nap time back a bit b/c she still does need a nap at some point during the day, but otherwise she sounds totally fab!

Be very grateful. She sounds like a doll baby :) She's contented and that's a wonderful thing.

Really stop worrying , if she is happy and content to sit and play in her crib then let her , if you were leaving her to scream/cry uncontrolably for over and hour then that would not be good.

My son does things like this, too. I think it's wonderful, and I would not discourage it. The only thing I would say is that, since you know she knows how to put herself to sleep and doesn't usually fuss, if she does fuss, I would go get her right away because it means something is wrong. We always know when my son is teething because he cries when he wakes up instead of just entertaining himself.

I have a 21 mo daughter that is similar to your daughter. She sleeps but wakes up and turns the light and fan on and just plays with her crib toys and is content to do so. I think she needs the time alone and obviously likes it so let her continue to have that time to herself. Kids get overstimulated and need that quiet time. Plus you can get a whole lot more stuff done too!

I agree with the others- that's great! Quiet play time is part of resting too. If she's not complaining, don't change what you're doing... sounds like it's going great. My 2 year old often does the same thing, playing quietly or looking at books in bed before and after her nap/sleep, and I wait for her to call for me to come get her.

I too think you are very lucky. My 10 mo pretty much does the same thing. I sometimes feel like I am useless as her mommy because she doesn't need me to rock her or hold her until she is asleep, but i know she is just a very independant girl and it sounds like yours is too. Take advantage and let her play until she fusses because she will still feel rested even if she didn't sleep. Good job!

You are doing nothing harmful or neglectful for your daughter. It is good for her to have some alone time to allow her imagination to develop and be able to entertain herself. As long as you give her some of your time during the day to do something with her, leaving her in her crib until she falls asleep or after she wakes up is not something you should worry about.

The best gift you can give your child (and yourself) is to teach them to put them selves to sleep.

This is WONDERFUL! I am so jealous :)

I don't like cry it out. I had a clingy son and I carried him around everywhere because I could never just leave him to cry on the floor while I did chores. I am definitely not a person who thinks you can spoil babies or that they should be left to cry and it is good for them. But with your baby, she sounds like she is happy and well adjusted and all the things you want her to be. I had to wait forever before my son would happily entertain himself and was happy to be alone. There is nothing wrong with babies being alone, just being alone and scared. I would definitely not mess with a good thing. Even if she doesn't go right to sleep, she is putting herself to sleep and having quiet time leading up to it, and that is exactly what you want.

Enjoy it!

Sounds like she's happy. :)

23 postings already.....so I didn't read them!

REJOICE!!! Your daughter is doing EXACTLY what so many other families strive for......the ability to self-soothe.

You've done a GREAT JOB, Mom......your daughter feels safe & secure. Kudos to you and your beautiful daughter. Peace.....

Your daughter sounds exactly like mine! It may sound selfish, but if my daughter wakes before I'm ready to get up, I let just let her play in the crib until I get up in the morning. Of course, if she's crying or fussing, I'll get up and get her - but if she's content, I catch an extra 20 or 30 minutes of sleep.

My daughter also does the exact same thing with naps - sometimes she'll play and talk to her animals for 20 minutes or more and then finally fall asleep. If she falls asleep in the car anytime 60-90 minutes before her normal nap time, then she may not sleep at all or about half as much. Coming home from church on Sunday is the worst because she's so tired! My husband and I will have her sing songs or we'll tickle her to stay awake just so she'll nap.

Hi R., Hi, I wanted to take a minute to share my thoughts with you. I am a mom of twelve kids. In my opinion, children should learn how to entertain themselves. You are lucky, your daughter is showing you that she is happy with her alone time, That time gives children the chance to play, imagine, and learn. She is beginning to develop the process of figuring things out. She will learn at a very fast pace and giving her the space without other stimulation and distractions is helpful, not hurtful for her. She will fuss when she wants your attention. From my experience, I have learned that all children are different. I had some that did not like to be alone,
but it is a fact that sometimes moms need a break during the day in order to simply get things done, and giving kids alone time in a safe place (their crib) is beneficial for both of you. Don't worry is she doesn't sleep during nap time occasionally, but if she is content to play quietly, do that so that she stays with her established routine. There are no books that can give you all the answers, because every kid is different, and real life happens. I truly think that you strive to be the best mom you can be, that is all any mom can do. Don't worry about giving her space. Have a wonderful day.

Enjoy the time she is giving you! She has learned to self soothe and enjoy her own company. Most mothers wish their child would do this. I would not change Her nap or bedtime habits at all.

If she's fed, safe, playing quietly, it's a blessing! Take advantage of it!

My kids do this too sometimes and I don't feel guilty about it at all. They need their quiet time too even if they do not fall asleep. If they cry I go in to get them but otherwise I leave them in their crib/bedroom until their regular nap time is over. My 3 year old wakes up and reads books in his bedroom in the morning giving me about 10-30 minutes to get myself ready, it is just the way they are wired because they know mom is always available but still seem to enjoy their alone time.

This is GREAT. Don't worry about it at all and she's happy and entertaining herself.

Sounds wonderful to me.

My kids used to do the same thing. I don't think there's anything to worry about. You're very lucky to have such a happy, calm baby. I had three of those and people told me all the time how lucky I was. Of course, now they're 12, 9 and 7 and things are a BIT different...

Hi R.,
I think any time your child plays happily and quietly by herself is a good thing. From your description she seems happy to do so and not just because you have left her in the crib with nothing else to do. It's good for her to have to entertain herself. If she didn't like it, she would let you know by fussing. She sounds like an independent spirit which will make your life much easier. I would say thank your lucky stars and go forward guilt-free.

V.
Mom of 3
School Counselor

Congratulations, R., you have given your child a wonderful gift...the ability to self sooth and put herself to sleep. Many children don't learn this until they're school age and they and their sleep deprived parents suffer. My child is the same way, she is perfectly happy in her crib/bed until or after she sleeps. There is nothing at all wrong with this, it is wonderful. Many other mothers would give their right arm to have a child like this. Perfectly healthy. Enjoy!
P.S. I'm wondering if you read Babywise? This is very common in Babywise babies.... =)