How to encourage independent play?

Question

My 17 month old won't play independently, she refuses to move from one place to another unless I'm at her side. How do I encourage her to play independently? She's about to have a sibling and I won't be able to hold her hand all day like she wants at the minute. (Don't get me wrong, I love that she's so attached to me but it is bound to be better for her to be able to play independently for a few minutes)

Answer

At 17 months it’s completely age appropriate to not play independently- they simply don’t know how and don’t have the imaginations and life experience to know how. Or maybe they’ll immerse themselves in an activity independently for very short amounts of time and then need your input to keen entertained. It’s normal.

Answer

Make sure what’s she’s doing is super fun. If she’s excited she’ll forget where Mama is. Letting them be bored is good too. My son even now at 4 comes to me asking what he should do but after a while of being bored he’ll start to play himself

Answer

Sit behind her while she plays. So she can't see you but she knows you're there.  Start getting up to do small things like, grabbing a tissue. Make sure to say, "ill be right back." If she notices you get up. 
 Then come immediately back. Then make a longer trip when she's accepted a small " retrieve an object" leave. 
Go to the bathroom. She might follow, but shut the door and then when you're done, walk her back to where she was playing. 
Move on to cooking and so forth.

How to encourage independent play?

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