Time to Think

As much as we try to tire Jada out during the day, she usually doesn't fall asleep as soon as we put her in the crib, but might babble to herself for a good fifteen minutes before she falls silent.  And as much as love to see Jada in the morning, we'll usually let a good thirty minutes go by between the time we hear her stirring and the time we go in and get her to  start the day.

 

I like to call these alone times in her crib "time to think."  After all, unlike us adults, practically everything she's seen and experienced during the day is new information for her developing brain.  I've been told and have also read that alone time is really good for infants and toddlers, because it gives them time to process all this new information. 

 

I often wonder if she uses that alone time in the crib at night to reflect on the day past, and the time in the morning to consider the day ahead.  I know her thought process isn't quite as evolved as that, but on some basic level this is exactly what her brain must be doing: practicing with her mouth sounds that she heard that day, making patterns in her head, developing an imagination. 

 

So we'll continue to let her be in the crib.  Besides, it also means more free time for us.