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31st January 2024
05:39pm GMT
It's the latest parenting technique that has been showing up on our For You Pages but what exactly is it?
Coined by Susan Allison, M. Ed, founder of the Busy Toddler Instagram account, "sittervising" is supportive of children and parents.
Sittervising is supervising your kids from a seated position.
Instead of always engaging in play with them, this trend encourages parents to sit back and watch their kids from a safe distance.
It's a more relaxed approach to things where you get to relax from a distance and still be able to step in if needed.
At the same time, you're encouraging your child to engage in independent play, taking the pressure off you to be a hands-on parent 100 per cent of the time.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you never play with your child again, just that you get a break.
"The very basis of sittervising is to remove the adult from directly interacting (and sometimes interfering) with the child’s play or activity—because kids need play experiences without adults," Susan explains.
Do you feel guilty when you aren’t up and about and participating in your child’s play, even when you’re not up to it? Now you have a good reason to sit back and watch your child grow!
You can start sittervising your kid from the time they’re just a baby.
Of course, how you sittervise a six-month-old will look completely different from how you do a two-year-old.
The key is being aware of how you can allow the child to safely explore on their own while you take a bit more of a back seat.
If you have younger kids you want to keep safe, maybe give them a toy you know keeps them entertained.
When it comes to older ones possibly give them an activity to do or allow them to have free reign to make their own choices.
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