Blanket Time - Infants
Sometimes when we look at a baby, it is hard to imagine that a six month old, laying on his tummy on a small blanket with a colorful teething ring is doing much more than passing time. To the contrary, blanket time facilitates learning by providing a secluded environment that allows baby to focus and concentrate apart from distracting sights and sounds in the house.
Introduce blanket time before your baby becomes mobile. With parental persistence and consistency, your baby will learn to stay within the boundaries of the blanket. Although your baby will soon transition to playpen time, there will always be an occasion when blanket time will be Mom and baby’s friend.
Where to Begin
Blanket time starts as soon as your baby can hold his head up and manipulate a toy in his hands. This can be as early as four months of age. Start with five to ten minute increments once a day and stretch the times to a level tolerated by your baby. The beauty of a blanket is its mobility. You can place it just about anywhere in the house where it is convenient for Mom and Dad. . .
To read more purchase Babyhood Transitions
Blanket Time - Pre-Toddler & Toddler
Everyone was more preoccupied with the little girl in front of the bleachers than what was happening on the soccer field. Observing in amazement, they watched while two-and-a-half-year-old Brooke played contently within a three by three foot square drawn in the sand by Mom. The toys today were improvised and included a small stone, two sticks and a leaf. Brooke sat and entertained herself for forty-five minutes, just long enough to allow here older sibling to finish his game. How did Brooke’s mother get her to play so contently without wandering away from her make shift play area? It started during infancy when Mom began to introduce Brooke to blanket time.
Blanket time provides an opportunity to teach a child to play in a limited area without a physical parameter. Ideally, you should have started this during the babyhood transition. If you’re starting late, you will have to be specific in your intent to have some blanket-time training opportunities, a couple of times a day. When you first start it may only be for 3-5 minutes of your child sitting, playing with a few toys. In time this can be extended up to thirty minutes.
When training, stay close to your child because the likelihood of him moving off the blanket is great. When he does move away, you must immediately return him to the blanket with instructions to stay put and play with his toys. There is only one thing that will keep him there and that is Mom or Dad’s resolve to do so. This is more than training in self-control, it is training in obedience and both will have their rewards in the coming months.
Use the timer for blanket time just as you do for playpen time. When the timer goes off, make a big deal of his accomplishment, “blanket time is over”, then move onto the next activity.
Blanket time has present and future benefits. It can easily be moved anywhere in the house or on the back patio, or even to a location in the yard. Where you will really enjoy the fruit of your training are those occasions when you are away from home, such as at the doctor’s office, sibling sporting events, or visiting with friends or relatives. . .
To read more purchase Preparation for the Toddler Years