BabyJ is 8 months old, all squishy and cuddly. SO cute, and... well..., what else can you say about an 8 month old? She's curious about her toys, puts everything right into her mouth, and is getting so heavy she's hard to carry around for any amount of time. She's making tractor sounds, blowing raspberries, and clicking her tongue. Now, we are having an issue with independent play. This is an important skill that every child should learn, for various reasons. It teaches the child to entertain themselves, that they can be alone for periods of time without needing their caregiver and will remain safe. BabyJ is fine playing by herself, as long as she can see me. Really, as long as I'm sitting about 6 feet away. When I create a play area for her outside the kitchen, so that I can have my own lunch, or clean up from our noon feeding, she starts whining and complaining. We're going to keep encouraging this, since it is an integral part in the development of her self esteem.
My current issue, is that I would LOVE to take BabyJ shopping. Go to the mall and walk around, go to the grocery store and do my shopping for the week, visit the drug store for that last minuet item. We have gone to Hobby Lobby to pick up craft supplies for our Mother's Day project, but that was a very short and specific trip. How can I make grocery shopping be about BabyJ's learning, and NOT about how it will help me and my family? I was hoping to work on the -stranger angle- since she has been getting scared by other people looking or talking to her, but Nanny-mom said she has been fine with other people lately. If BabyJ was about 15months or older, going to the grocery store would be a learning opportunity. We would talk about the different types of veggies, fruits, their texture, appearance, smells, all those things. Being 8 months old, I really don't think she'll appreciate any of that.
