Day with a 1 year old

[mumsie01]

How much time do you ACTUALLY spend physically playing/reading etc. with your child in a day? We normally go for a walk or do something which takes an hour or 2 and then rest of the day is normally spent indoors. I play with him, read to him etc. but only in short bursts as he gets bored easily and then is off crawling. So in actual fact I spend a lot of time on the sofa watching tv which makes me feel like such a bad mum but there's only so much 'playing' I can do

I spend most of my time doing things with dd but not necessarily playing with her. I model play so will build a tower with blocks even if she isn't participating as she does watch and take it in. Or adjust my activities so she takes part in cooking, cleaning, putting away clothes etc. We don't have a TV in the playroom which makes a difference I think

Don’t feel bad OP, my DD is the same age and I have the same approach as you. We have a playpen too so she practices walking in there and she loves it. She has all her toys and when she’s bored doing something with me she sits and decides what she wants to do next. I wouldn’t say she actively watched the TV though, it’s just on in the background (unless it’s Mickey Mouse, then she’s suddenly interested )

I was the same as you, OP. Thankfully, my DS seemed to enjoy playing independently. I felt bad and sometimes read threads on here suggesting things like PP (help with cooking, cleaning, etc) but my 1-year-old definitely wasn't advanced enough to do that sort of thing! It's only now he's 2 that he passes me the washing for me to hang, helps clear up his toys, etc.

Now I accept that I am not a "player" (I find it excruciatingly dull!) but I do have other skills like singing nursery rhymes, preparing yummy meals, patience and giving cuddles!