![\"Laundry](\"http:\/\/boydsnest.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/07\/IMG_2123.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSo far, we aren’t very toy-centered parents. For one thing, Lucy is still a bit young to be very interested in toys. Sure, we plop her on the playmat for laughs occasionally, but she really only enjoys it for a few minutes. She’d much rather fold laundry with me (seriously). But I sometimes wonder: are we doing enough to stimulate Lucy’s development? <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
p{color:gray}. Photo: Lucy seems to love lying amidst the clean laundry while I fold it.<\/p>\n
When we asked our pediatrician this question, he responded, “Have you started reading Plato to her yet?” (I’m so glad to have found a pediatrician who is both reassuring and sarcastic.)<\/p>\n
Even more recently, I found a helpful statement while reading “_You Are Your Child’s First Teacher_”:http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0890879672\/octothorppres-20\/:<\/p>\n
[A] baby needs the holding, rocking, talking, concern, and love of its mother or other primary caregiver in order to develop normally. More[-]sensible child-development experts remind parents that infant stimulation is not something you need to do separately from caregiving.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Normal caregiving? Talking to Lucy? Holding her? Loving her? I do all that anyway! It makes sense of why Lucy likes doing laundry with me: I talk to her about each of the clothes I’m folding and let her touch the different fabrics. I love reading a book and learning that I’m accidentally doing something that sensible experts recommend. :)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So far, we aren’t very toy-centered parents. For one thing, Lucy is still a bit young to be very interested in toys. Sure, we plop her on the playmat for laughs occasionally, but she really only enjoys it for a few minutes. She’d much rather fold laundry with me (seriously). But I sometimes wonder: are … <\/p>\n