The Dreaded T Word: Guest Post from My Mummy Spam

When I was pregnant I had very strong views on how I would raise my baby in those first few crucial months. I wanted to breastfeed, wanted to set up a routine, feed my baby all organic home made meals when weaning and help him develop through education play. I remember vividly saying that I didn't want to become one of 'those mothers' who just stuck their baby in front of an iPad or the even the dreaded TELEVISION! Well my friends, I was naive...oh so very naive!

I managed to do maybe one or two of the things I had originally planned like a routine but that is pretty much it. We didn't breastfeed for a few different reasons, play time consists mainly of Bubba hitting things or chewing whatever he can get his hands on and I have become one of 'those mothers'. Now don't get me wrong, bubba is by no means in front of a screen all day. We go for walks to the woods, go to a few different play groups and sensory play and one of his favorite things to do is sing songs but I will admit that there are some times in our day where bubba will sit and watch 10 minutes of baby TV so Mumma can sort his breakfast or dinner or even as a way to distract him whilst I get him dressed (the thing he hates the most!!). The other evening was a prime example of a time where baby TV was a savior...see below...

Now the story behind this is that it was dinner time, bubba was at the the start of a yukky cold and he was just generally miserable and groggy. I tried toys to distract him so he would eat his eat his dinner, tried singing songs and chatting to him but he was having none of it. So in an act of beef casserole covered desperation I opened the laptop and stuck baby TV on YouTube. Bubba then sat there very happily and ate his dinner with no fuss or mess at all!

Does this make me a bad mother? Does this mean I am lazy? Some people would say yes and would be horrified that I would do this let alone talk about it on the internet but I am human..I want an easy life sometimes and that evening was one of those times and if that makes me a bad person then so be it. Bubba had a full belly without any tears or issues which meant he went to bed at his normal time not hungry and I was less stressed and happy in the knowledge that he had eaten so in my opinion, we were all good.

Part of me thinks that the Mums who say that their child never watches TV are either bare faced liars, have a child that is a contented angel that is always smiling and happy 100% of the time OR they have some voodoo magic that calms their child whenever they get in a state (if that's the case then where can I get some!??!!!).

We were at a baby group recently and got speaking to a relatively new Mum that we hadn't seen before and she said shamefully 'I put *baby's name* in front of the TV the other day, just for 5 minutes, so that I could go and grab a drink. I felt awful!!'.

Instead of the disgusted silence and dirty looks I think she thought she was about the get all three of us Mums sitting with her laughed and explained how we have all been there. One my of friends even came in with 'Hell I don't think my TV is ever off!'

This made me smile as I love that I know such a down to earth, non judgement group of Mummies and think sometimes Mums need to stop trying to be the mothers that you read about in your baby books during pregnancy and just relish in motherhood and its ups and downs. Don't be judgemental or force your opinion on people, just be happy and support the other Mummies around you. And don't be scared of the dreaded T word :) sometimes everyone just needs a little help.

What are your opinions of the TV? Have you been Mummy shamed before for letting your little one watch it?

We've all been there! Has anyone got away without the digital babysitter? This post comes from the amazing Ami who shares top tips and cute pics over at My Mummy Spam  and is also a top tweeter.