I can’t believe that my baby is seven months old.

It’s wild to think that we are over halfway to his first birthday. I definitely feel sentimental and some days I wish he wouldn’t grow up so fast because I love his chunky cheeks and his excitement for life and I don’t want to lose either. Other days, most if we’re being honest, I enjoy watching him grow up. It’s a part of life and I don’t see the sense in holding on and wishing for things to stay the same when they’re just not going to. So I’m really trying to treasure and enjoy every day for what it is, a day that he’s older, one more day that he’s growing and learning and one more day that he’s a little more independent than the last. I think it’s a real treasure to watch him grow and develop.

I’ve let him be more independent from the get go. Maybe it meant less cuddles for me, although trust me, we got plenty in the early days, but I’ve really seen him advance quickly developmentally as I’ve let go and let him explore. At 7 months he’s taking toys that he wants to play with out of the bins and entertaining himself for a good hour or so. He’s crawling around the house and exploring and he’s learning how different things work through hands on play.

I know it can be hard to know how to play with your baby or what to do with them all day other than nap, so I thought I’d share with you what our days look like and how I shape his play time.

When I say shape, I mean it. He does a lot independently and I like it that way. I set up his play area and then he takes it from there.

He’s on a three nap schedule now so we start the day with a bottle on the floor and when he’s done he puts it down, rolls over and crawls to whatever he wants to play with. This repeats for every meal. His wake windows are about two hours, sometimes a little less if he’s really cranky.

His toys are set up in our living room.

He’s got a few play mats down on the hardwood and then three toy baskets. I have them split up into soft toys, wooden toys and then plastic/noise making toys. This helps him differentiate and he knows right where the toys he wants are. I’ll usually start him in the morning in his Skip Hop play gym so he can stand and bounce a little when he has the most energy. I’ll give him a toy or two and when he’s done he’ll let me know. Then I’ll put him on the ground with a toy from each bucket and let him play on his own until it’s his nap time. This repeats throughout the day. I’ve noticed recently that he’s developed a preference for some toys so even if I don’t pull those out he’ll craw to the buckets and pull them out himself. Sometimes I don’t pull toys out and I’ll let him grab what he wants. He’s developed really good hand-eye coordination and the ability to sit up, pick things up and set them down through this action.

On days I don’t have a lot to do I’ll sit with him and play or I’ll do a puzzle with him or read a few books. I try to do this everyday but it doesn’t always happen and that’s okay. When you work from home you have to let go of the mom guilt and realize that you’re doing your best and it’s going to be okay if you go a few days without reading to your child. Independent play and learning from exploring the world around them is fantastic for their development. Plus he’s picking up on vocabulary and sounds from hearing us converse as he’s starting to try and mimic.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s not alone.

I’m sitting in the room with him and working or doing chores and we talk back and forth with each other so he knows he still has my attention. I make sure to have 1:1 interaction with him throughout the day as well where I pick him up and kiss him and talk to him. I’ve found this is the way that I can still have that bond with him without getting touched out by holding him all day long. Plus, when you never put your baby down, they don’t learn to roll and crawl and walk and play and it can lead to long term burn out and I’m just personally not here for that.

He gets hands on play and “wrestling” when his dad gets home and he loves that time. I’d say our favorite time is when I rock him to sleep for his naps. I love how he nestles his head into my chest and fully relaxes.

It’s also cute to see as he’s learning and exploring that he’ll crawl into the rooms I’m doing housework in as he wants to be a part of things. I love that he feels free enough to move throughout the house and interact with our normal day to day.

Now obviously he’s still a baby.

He still has meltdowns, days where he just wants to sit on my lap all day and moments where he doesn’t want to do things himself. On these days I try to make it a priority to give him more attention and do extra with him. I mean aren’t we as adults the same way? Sometimes we want a lot of attention and sometimes we want to be left alone? Relatable, right?

If you’ve been struggling to find things to do with your little one I encourage you to take them outside, (I’m working on this one), set up a play station with baskets of toys that they can pick through and set a timer for once a day for you to read them a book or do a puzzle with them and then let them play independently and explore! I’ve put up a few breakable things but other than that he’s free to move around and explore different sounds, tastes, textures and spaces. Don’t feel like you have to be holding or playing with the all day long or scheduling one activity after another. Weave them into your life and let them be a part of your day to day. You’ll find what works for you and your little one and you can be confident that you’re doing the best you can do.

xoxo - Ry