With a newborn baby around, it may seem like you will never have any time to yourself – feeling the constant need to spend every minute with them, either snuggled into you, or playing with them on their baby gym. However, encouraging a little independence, even from a young age, can be a great thing to do.

As they grow, they will be more inclined to spend time on their own, immersing themselves in whatever toy takes their fancy and enjoying their own company. Before that time comes, it may seem like they cry every time you leave the room and attachment issues may set in. Luckily, there are ways to improve the situation, by changing the way in which you do things and providing plenty of toys that promote independence.

If you give them some dedicated attention throughout the day, either with cuddles, tickles, playing with their toys or reading them a story, they will more than likely be more accepting of the times that your attention is elsewhere. You can’t spend every waking moment with them and, if you take them everywhere with you, to the kitchen or the loo for example, they will never learn to adjust to spending a little time on their own.

Provide her with toys that she hasn’t played with for a while. Rotate the toys that you have so that she doesn’t see certain ones for a while; when you rotate them and offer these ones to her, it’ll feel like completely new toys for her to play with.

Toys that help to promote independence vary with age and stage of development, but they can be anything from a baby gym, where they can learn to grasp at objects while improving their vision and co-ordination, to shape sorters and building blocks that can absorb their attention for a while.

Independence comes in many packages and, as your baby grows, they will demonstrate more willingness to do things themselves. From feeding themselves using a spoon for the first time, to insisting that they put the toothpaste on the toothbrush, it’s not all about providing them with plenty of toys to play with.

You can help to encourage independence through various means, many of which are bound to be ongoing rather than an immediate development. Your babe in arms doesn’t have to be in your arms all the time – encourage some solo play and promote independence and she will become a well-rounded child in no time.

One question that parents often ask when starting out with the potty training process is: Is my child ready for potty training? Well, believe it or not, there is no right age for potty training…

Some parents opt for early potty training, but this is not a guarantee that your child would learn how to use the potty instantly. In fact, you might be met with initial resistance if you insist on going through the training process even if your child is noticeably not ready yet.

So to make sure you’re not starting too early or too late, here is a quick list of some tell-tale signs of potty training readiness that you should look out for:

1. Your child’s bowel movements are regular. This would save you time because you’d be able to tell easily when your child is about to ‘go’. You can also reduce potty accidents because you’d be able to anticipate each bowel movement.
2. Your child shows interest in your bathroom habits. He curiously takes a peek whenever you have to relieve yourself. This is good because to potty train him, you’d simply have to indulge his natural curiosity.
3. Your child can follow simple instructions. If he can follow simple instructions such as: be quiet, or please give me your toy, toilet training would be much easier.
4. Your child gets irritated when his diapers get dirty. This is the perfect time to train him because he now recognizes the importance of being clean. Plus, if he hates being in dirty diapers, he has a powerful incentive to make an effort to stay clean.
5. Your child’s motor skills are fully developed. Without a doubt, this is the most important factor in the checklist. Your child should be able to stand, sit down and walk with minimal supervision from you.
6. Your child displays initiative. This can be simply in the form of picking up toys or trying to use a spoon to eat. The reason this is important is because then your child would want to be independent, and therefore he will want to learn new skills – like potty training.

This simple checklist gives you a snapshot view of your child’s potty training readiness. It is, however, imperative to know your child’s disposition, because some of the factors mentioned may or may not apply to him. Toilet training resistance is greatly reduced if you are closely attuned to your child’s needs.

Are you pregnant and looking for a unique name for your baby? Below is a variety of baby name resources to help you find that perfect name for your child.

• Baby Names Finder – This tool is provided by Babycenter and allows you to search baby names by sex, ethnic origin, number of syllables, plus starting and ending letters. They offer other free baby name resources as well.
• BabyNames.com – Search through a database over of 6,500 baby names and meanings.
• Popular Baby Names – This is provided by the Social Security System. Search popularity by a given year and more. Neat tools.