Baby Too Independent?

That private play time is significant to her development. This is not only great for her independence, but also her intellectual development. It is during self engrossed play and exploration that we all learn. It's no different than when an adult gets a new software program or stereo and just fidgets with it for hours to understand it. She's just showing off her intelligence and love for learning!

Also, your child's ability and comfort with playing off by herself is indicative of the bond the two of you have. This may seem contradictory, but children who are secure that mom is there are often less fearful about leaving mom for a while.

So be proud of your bond with your little genius and make use of that free time!

I say you are extremely fortunate that your daughter is independent and will play alone for that long. Take advantage of that time to do some things for you, read a magazine, do a crossword, relax some.... Babies change and she could decide next month that she wants to be clingy and wants constant attention.

If you have more children she could also change a lot when they come along.

Enjoy, they grow up so fast.

Hi J.,
You are doing a great job! Your daughter is definitely getting an advantage by being allowed to explore.
As a former Montessori teacher, I've noticed that children these days get too much structured stimulation and attention. What children need is the freedom to be independent and explore. That's how they learn--through playful exploration. People think that more activities their children are in the better, but that is not true. We wonder why there is an uprise of behavior problems, attention problems, etc. Children need to have uninterupted time to play by themselves. They will build their attention span by doing things they want to do, uninterupted, unstructured. They will learn the rest later when they go off to school.
Sorry for my extended message, I just feel so strongly about this! Look for yourself about Maria Montessori and her philosophy on how children learn..it will most likely change the way you parent and how you think of your child in the world. I know there are publications out there that are books specifically for parents to incorporate into home life...I just can't think of any off the top of my head.
Anyway, all that to say--your daughter is perfectly normal, and the fact that she doesn't NEED you to show her how to play is wonderful.
Good luck to you-how awesome you have a special place just for her. Let me know if you want more info or tips...I love this topic-it's my passion!!
Take care,
M.

my daughter is 6 months old, she loves to play by herself, she's always exploring everything she shouldn't! i read in one of the baby books, that it's good for them to play alone, my daughter is crawling, and she's even starting to stand at 6 months! My daughter is social too, we are also involved in a playgroup,there are a lot of mommy and me playgroups in my area, I was also thinking of signing her up for gymboree in the fall, I think that will be a lot of stimulation