Room time

Some child training books recommend that children start having time in a playpen at an early age, and then move onto "room time" when they are toddlers. It seems that this is as much for the parents as it is for the children, so they can have a set time each day to get something personal done. The idea is that a child will stay in his or her room and play with the toys the parent has determined, for a set amount of time. You can read about it in the book Terrific Toddlers. Personally, I don't want to clutter up my small (by Australian standards) house with an ugly play pen. I may feel differently once baby can move, but right now I don't want yet another piece of baby equipment! So I've started giving Elnathan 10 - 15 mins "room time" while I shower and get ready for the day. I put on a praise music CD, get out some toys, and put a pillow behind him to make sure if he falls over he doesn't conk his head on the drawers! He plays quite happily. I can see this working (with a gate across the open doorway) when he crawls as well, because there is nothing dangerous in his room.