Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Sometimes I feel like entertaining him is a chore and I'd much rather be doing something else.

Its like when I had to read something for school....I love to read, but if its something I HAD to read, I could just never get through the book.

I guess maybe its guilt. I feel like so many other moms have these magical games that they play with their babies all day long and sometimes I have no idea of what to do with Kevin.

We play in his exersaucer and I try to play with him on the floor with his toys but he's not yet sitting up and he just ends up kicking the toys away with his feet.

He's probably not sitting up yet because I'm not playing with him right.

I love him to death, would die for him in a heartbeat but sometimes when playtime comes around I just count the minutes until its naptime.

What's wrong with me.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

I am not a mom but just wanted to send you some hugs Dont feel like ur ab ad mom, ur baby is still small, sometimes they cant BE entertained, and they need to learn to find stimulation on their one

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Posted by MM2004

What's wrong with me.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Aww.. don't feel bad about this..

Sometimes me and DH say to each other. "Is it bad that we want him to sleep alot?"

Its such an adjustment and takes a long time to get used to not being able to whatever you want when you want. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is get up to entertain him when he is bored and fussy.

I know exactly how you feel.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Don't feel guilty. I let my kids play by themselves all the time. Gabriella preferred to entertain herself and got cranky if we tried to stimulate her, so she's always been one to just learn things on her own.

It's hard when you look at other mom's. I think we all fall in to comparing too often and what works for one doesn't work for another. Plus, I'm not sure how old your child is, but there is a normal range for what infants do. One will sit at 5 months and one will sit at 8 months, just depends.


In the long run, IMHO, you are better off letting your baby have alone time. My toddler, now nearly two, entertains herself a lot and leaves me lots of time to tend to the baby or get some stuff done around the house (like posting here.
) I'm the same way. I can't just sit there all day and hold toys and sing. Just can't do it.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Message edited 3/8/2006 8:46:10 AM.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Posted by Nancy

Don't feel guilty. I let my kids play by themselves all the time. Gabriella preferred to entertain herself and got cranky if we tried to stimulate her, so she's always been one to just learn things on her own.

It's hard when you look at other mom's. I think we all fall in to comparing too often and what works for one doesn't work for another. Plus, I'm not sure how old your child is, but there is a normal range for what infants do. One will sit at 5 months and one will sit at 8 months, just depends.


In the long run, IMHO, you are better off letting your baby have alone time. My toddler, now nearly two, entertains herself a lot and leaves me lots of time to tend to the baby or get some stuff done around the house (like posting here.
) I'm the same way. I can't just sit there all day and hold toys and sing. Just can't do it.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Posted by Nancy

Don't feel guilty. I let my kids play by themselves all the time. Gabriella preferred to entertain herself and got cranky if we tried to stimulate her, so she's always been one to just learn things on her own.

It's hard when you look at other mom's. I think we all fall in to comparing too often and what works for one doesn't work for another. Plus, I'm not sure how old your child is, but there is a normal range for what infants do. One will sit at 5 months and one will sit at 8 months, just depends.


In the long run, IMHO, you are better off letting your baby have alone time. My toddler, now nearly two, entertains herself a lot and leaves me lots of time to tend to the baby or get some stuff done around the house (like posting here.
) I'm the same way. I can't just sit there all day and hold toys and sing. Just can't do it.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

There's nothing wrong with you -you're just saying out loud what 90% of new mommies feel and think Just yesterday when I came home, I played with Alex for an hour. After an hour I was at a loss as to what to do with her, so I handed her off to daddy

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Here's the scoop - those moms that play with their babies all day are going to have the toddler that won't play by themselves. Kids (even babies) need time to play by themselves. That's how they learn about their environment. Any baby that's entertained all day is going to be hyperstimulted. Then you hav a cranky, tired baby who won't go to sleep.

As for reading, I just held Joseph & read the paper out loud "and in other news, Bush has decided to invade...."in a soft voice.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Relax, you are probably playing with him a lot more than you realize. Do you talk to him and giggle with him while changing his diaper. I am sure you interact while feeding him. Playing with him doesn't necessarily mean one on one intensive 24/7 with a lesson plan....that would probably drive you AND him crazy.

Babies need to learn to play on there own, even if it means sitting in there exersaucer and checking out the scene...Bella LOVES to do that...

Babies also sit up in there own time frame. Right now, Bella probably could, but she chooses to faceplant 1/2 the time. I try to get her in the Bumbo for ten minutes without crying and look at that as a victory.

You love your child and that is what they need the most...

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Thanks everyone....I cannot tell you what a weight has been lifted off my shoulders with your responses.

I guess just spending time with him and not worrying too much about if the activity is helping him reach a developmental mildstone is the best.

I guess I just worry too much.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

I've felt that way plenty of times. I try to get out of the house often. The day passes so much faster.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

I feel the same way!! Sometimes i feel like I am a bad mom cause I didnt interact with him alot during the day.

But some days i just need to get laundry done or the bathroom cleaned so i bring him wherever i am in the house in his bouncy seat and tell him what i am doing. And he just watches and checks out the different rooms. I feel its hard at his age (almost 3 months) he cant sit up, cant hold toys yet, so it's a difficult age to "play". Dont feel guilty, you are def not alone...

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

When I was home with him all day I sometimes could not wait for him to take a nap. Now my grandmother watches him and sometimes I feel as if she doews a better job than me. She sings to him all day and talks to him all day. I never did that. I used to complain that he wanted to be held all day. She has a different perspective on it I guess because she goes home without him.

Yesterday she told me he slept in her arms for 2 hours and I was so upset for her I was apoligizing and wondering why he was so fussy. She turned to me smiling and said "he is a baby that is what he is suppossed to do"

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Even as a working mom there are days I just want to run to the movies for 2 hours and not hear The Wiggles playing in my head...it is very normal.
I always let Molly swing or play on her blanket/mat. She enjoyed it so much. Going from room to room is an ADVENTURE!! There are new colors, smells, sounds...that is PLAYING. Remember playing is a form of learning so you are doing a great job

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Well I got out of the house for about an hour today with Kevin.

We went to the library to sign my DH and I for defensive driving and then we walked around looking at the books and videos. He was a dream...not a peep out of him. (Except he kept throwing him froggy rattle out of the stroller )

I think I'll start getting out of the house more...even if its just to browse through the stores. A change of scenery will do us both good.

Re: Major guilt and confession...sometimes I don't like entertaining my baby

I'm so glad you got out of the house. Didn't it feel good? I also found getting out of the house helps a great deal, even just to run errands. At least two days a week, we'll go to the grocery store, Target, Sam's club or even the Mall. It's nice just to get out and even get a little exercising from all the walking.