Too much time in playpen for toddler?

[lexiss]

This morning DS 17 months woke up at 6am. I got up bf him and put him in the playpen. It is one of those extra large, hexagonal playpens.

Around 6.15 I gave him some water and changed his nappy. Then I went back to bed after making sure the playpen had only safe toys and the baby monitor was plugged in.

I fell asleep and woke up at 8.30. I went out to see DS and he was happily playing with this toys. He is very into small manipulative puzzles, shape boxes, stacking cups etc at the moment and he was busy playing with these.

He had been in the playpen for nearly 2.5 hours! Is this too long? Is there a problem that he plays happliy for this length of time by himself?

Most days I have a nap during the day for an hour or so and DS spends this time in the playpen but I have never left him for 2.5 hours before.

What do you think about this?

And yet I have a child who is not developmentally delayed, walked at 11 months, is very active, was never left to cry, and will play by himself, alone, in a room for 2 hours.

Late walking is not, in itself, a sign that Things Are Wrong. It's just a sign of late walking.

DD1 didn't get off her pretty little tush till 17 months. Dreadfully slow, she was. She's now 11 and quite frightfully good at walking. Oh, and she's rather bright academically too.

Oh well if Goldenbear has one example then that must be true mustn't it.

In fact, I have no idea now when her mates started walking either. It's not the kind of thing you ask about

So maybe we can all agree playpens for a hour or so regularly do not harm the development of a baby? And a one off 2:5 hours will not have any lasting effect? I hope so other wise my dd will be fucked I had a d&v bug when she was about 9months old so spent the whole day in the playpen while I layed on the sofa/head down the toilet.

goldenbear, you don't know anything about developmental delay.

The thing is, that in the real world
(a) parenting small children is really, really hard and most of the time it is pretty damn exhausting
(b) we all do stuff, from early babyhood on, that gets parenting wrong in some way, and the important thing is to try and minimise that getting-it-wrong
(c)going without sleep drives you more than slightly bananas (which is why it is used as a form of torture)
(d) parenting goes on for bloody ages, see point (b) above, and you have to kind of work it out as you go along.

He wasn't developmentally delayed but he was the last to do achieve certain milestones. He just always seemed a bit sad, vacant I suppose. I just felt sorry to him being on his own, sitting up talking to himself for an hour, before he slept and when he woke up.

Oh it just gets funnier by the minute. The martyredom is being incresed by the post

Children are different. Their characters are different. Their interests are different. Their learning styles are different. Surely this isn't news to anyone?

Hence they start to walk at different times. It might be because of developmental delay. It might be because they don't see any point yet. It might be because they don't want to start until they are already confident.
It might be because of chronic under-stimulation. It might be because they really enjoy sitting and playing or "reading".

It is, frankly, ridiculous to draw a straight line link between one 2.5hr session on a playpen and future physical or emotional development delays. Poor OP - ignore some of this weird stuff... (And poor Goldenbear's friend for that matter...)

He sounds contented.

You are making assumptions about his social awkwardness and his supposed delayed development being caused by some sort of - what - neglect? lack of parental interaction? being left to entertain himself? Controlled Crying?

DS doesn't babble to himself. He has lovely conversations with his toys though!

I didn't have a playpen, they are just cages for small children. I made the house safe. Why do people need them?
Some of us go so over board with the child proofing that everything is child safe and you buy a play pen as well just in case . It came in useful with subsequent DC - well third TBH when I had 3 people wanting me nonstop at all hours.

Just floor TO SLEEP on. Someone suggested he may have slept. Unless you mean it?s better to use a train as a pillow?
I don't get why letting them sleep on a floor is bad - unless it's a cold concrete floor which I can see would be bad. There have been times when mine had fallen asleep where they are - I made sure they were safe and put a blanket over them. They?ve been fine.

Sleep deprivation could lead to a much more unsafe environment for your child
This I agree with. If you are so tired that you might fall asleep ? I can?t see why it?s bad to plan for it. I used to worry when very sleep deprived I?d fall asleep on the sofa bf ? a big risk so I?d bf in bed and when I had toddler and baby I?d have toddler in room with us with safe toys and if I feel asleep everyone was safe.

My DD loves babbling before she goes to sleep! She's 2, and she asks to go to bed on the dot of 7, then I hear her yapping away for AGES to her toys etc And that "delayed walking" stuff is bollocks - my DD was 18 months, which is still in the NORMAL range of anything from 10-19/20 months!

Why is it offensive?

It is equally offensive to imply (like a lot of posters have done) that if you don't leave your child to play on their own for 2 plus hrs you are obviously bringing up a spoilt brat that needs stimulating every second of the day, can't think for themselves, blah, blah blah but because the majorative view on this thread is pro play pen 2 hr isolation, anyone who doesn't agree is fair game to be mocked. sirzy, I used anecdotal references, so did you, what's the difference?

hazeyjane, how do you know I nothing about developmental delays?

My anecdotes are not lies like someone suggested - how odd?? I think this may be though- 'walking at 8 months'?

You used to anecdote to try to suggest that this child being left to entertain himself caused his development to be delayed. That is a pretty big suggestion to make.

No one said 2 hour isolation regularly is a good thing, but it is not harmful and neglectful in the long scheme of things as a one off. Get off your high horse golden bear and go and weave some lentils. can tell you have never been a single parent

Why is it offensive?

It is equally offensive to imply (like a lot of posters have done) that if you don't leave your child to play on their own for 2 plus hrs you are obviously bringing up a spoilt brat that needs stimulating every second of the day, can't think for themselves, blah, blah blah but because the majorative view on this thread is pro play pen 2 hr isolation, anyone who doesn't agree is fair game to be mocked. sirzy, I used anecdotal references, so did you, what's the difference?

hazeyjane, how do you know I nothing about developmental delays?

My anecdotes are not lies like someone suggested - how odd?? I think this may be though- 'walking at 8 months'?

Yes both my dc were how is that odd? I was showing you just because your friend dc didn't hit milestones early it wasn't due to going to sleep at 7 oclock and learning to amuse itself.

Gosh I can take a picture of it being documented at the creshe dd was in if you'd like.