Do I need to play all the time?

[Firsttimemumsteph]

I have a 12 week old baby girl and I absolutely love playing with her. But sometimes I do just want to get on with cleaning/cooking, or even just relaxing by watching tv or reading a book.

I'm just worried that I'm not playing with her enough or even too much that I'm not helping her develop properly. She can't play by herself with her toys just yet so I feel like she needs me to play. Her dad works a lot during the day and she's an only child so it's really only me she can play with.

Am I allowed to spend some time during the day without playing or should I just keep doing it?

Of course you can spend time not playing with her. Pop her in something safe where she can see you whilst you’re cleaning or cooking and chat to her about what you’re doing, do some silly dances etc, that will entertain her.
I think it’s important that kids see you doing things like cleaning so it is just a normal thing to them - my toddler used to watch me sweep and I’d sing a song about it and now he’s older he goes to the cupboard to get the broom and helps to sweep, or reaches for the hoover and helps me hoover the carpet.
Pop her in a carrier and just do stuff you want to do. Babies this age can’t really play, they love to observe what’s going on around them.
It’s a bit harder to sit and read a book or watch tv though, you’ll probably have to wait until nap time or for someone else to watch her.

I'm always worried about using chemicals to clean like a bathroom/kitchen with my baby around. I normally wait until she's in bed but I guess she does need to see me do normal daily activities. Thank you for your advice!