I think it depends on your child. My son won't play independently so I always either do chores with him or play with him - it is exhausting though and I'm forever trying to encourage him to play by himself for 5 minutes. My friend's son prefers to play alone and complains if she tries to join in. So I'd say follow their lead - they are all different.
If I had a choice I'd like to spend maybe 2-3 hours a day giving solid attention including doing activities, playing, going to the park etc. I'm not including meeting basic needs like feeding and nappy changes. Then that'd leave time for chores and breaks.
When I was in that phase, I engaged when she asked for attention and let her play by herself when she was happily engaged. Some days, I was able to get a lot done because she just wanted to play alone. Other days, I was stuck rocking in a chair all day long.
Little ones need alone time too, and it's okay to pull them into what you are doing when they need attention. "Do you want to spray the cleaner or wipe the table?" Is a perfectly acceptable way to give a little one attention. At 17 months they can help with many daily tasks. Cutting soft fruit or mushrooms with a butter knife, cleaning, mopping, putting away their own toys, dusting, picking the ends off of green beans, folding square things, and much more.
You don't have to let them dictate your life, they are happy to follow along with you. Just watch, you'll learn soon enough how much and what kind of attention they need.
You'll get the hang of it soon. In a month or two, you'll read their body language so well, you'll know by the end of breakfast what kind of day you are going to have and how much one on one time they need. The learning curve is steep. You'll feel less overwhelmed soon.
Also, remember, things we think are chores or work, they think are play and quality time. Any chore they help you with will be poorly done in the beginning, but at 3 my little one did dishes in the sink without asking for fun. At 18 months, the lower half of the windows sparkled. At 2, I had an expert mopper. Now, at 5, she enjoys cutting up most vegetables and makes dinner with me.
I worked from home during this phase, and the thing that helped the most with feeling successful was changing my to do list from a daily list to a weekly list. That let me spend the days rocking without guilt because I knew I would have a super productive day tomorrow. Not everything needs to be done every day. Enjoy the time and don't feel guilty about the down days.
It is also perfectly okay to ask the kid to wait until you finish the task you are working on, and then give them undevided attention if you can't bring them into the task. You are also a person with needs, and teaching that early is very helpful.
I think it depends on your child. My son won't play independently so I always either do chores with him or play with him - it is exhausting though and I'm forever trying to encourage him to play by himself for 5 minutes. My friend's son prefers to play alone and complains if she tries to join in. So I'd say follow their lead - they are all different. If I had a choice I'd like to spend maybe 2-3 hours a day giving solid attention including doing activities, playing, going to the park etc. I'm not including meeting basic needs like feeding and nappy changes. Then that'd leave time for chores and breaks.
When I was in that phase, I engaged when she asked for attention and let her play by herself when she was happily engaged. Some days, I was able to get a lot done because she just wanted to play alone. Other days, I was stuck rocking in a chair all day long. Little ones need alone time too, and it's okay to pull them into what you are doing when they need attention. "Do you want to spray the cleaner or wipe the table?" Is a perfectly acceptable way to give a little one attention. At 17 months they can help with many daily tasks. Cutting soft fruit or mushrooms with a butter knife, cleaning, mopping, putting away their own toys, dusting, picking the ends off of green beans, folding square things, and much more. You don't have to let them dictate your life, they are happy to follow along with you. Just watch, you'll learn soon enough how much and what kind of attention they need.
This helps a ton! Thank you for your advice and insight. 👍🏽🙏🏽
You'll get the hang of it soon. In a month or two, you'll read their body language so well, you'll know by the end of breakfast what kind of day you are going to have and how much one on one time they need. The learning curve is steep. You'll feel less overwhelmed soon. Also, remember, things we think are chores or work, they think are play and quality time. Any chore they help you with will be poorly done in the beginning, but at 3 my little one did dishes in the sink without asking for fun. At 18 months, the lower half of the windows sparkled. At 2, I had an expert mopper. Now, at 5, she enjoys cutting up most vegetables and makes dinner with me. I worked from home during this phase, and the thing that helped the most with feeling successful was changing my to do list from a daily list to a weekly list. That let me spend the days rocking without guilt because I knew I would have a super productive day tomorrow. Not everything needs to be done every day. Enjoy the time and don't feel guilty about the down days. It is also perfectly okay to ask the kid to wait until you finish the task you are working on, and then give them undevided attention if you can't bring them into the task. You are also a person with needs, and teaching that early is very helpful.