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!'
What are your opinions of the TV? Have you been Mummy shamed before for letting your little one watch it?
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?
Great post - I use TV as a distraction to get things done. Like wash up, make dinner or grab a cuppa. However I do try not to let them watch too much. I mix it up with plenty of outdoors time, and TV time too. It's all about balance for me. Jess x
ReplyDeleteHere's my thinking, five minutes of TV means that you can get showered/hair done/snack made in a third of the time which means more time for playing with little one :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, before having Darcy I always said I wouldn't let her watch any TV. The reality is a whole different story. 10 minutes of TV means I can quickly do the dishes, have a shower or cook lunch. I limit the amount of time she watches TV and I mix it up with either putting the radio on for some back ground noise or having some play time
ReplyDeleteWe have the benefits of science! We must embrace them :)
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