10 month old DH said i am being lazy.

Tell him to go fuck himself

@marcyhermit OP has stated that her baby is in the playpen most of the time when they’re not out.

You’re doing enough. Ignore your husband and the sanctimonious “Stepford Wives” on here who insist you’re undeserving of a peaceful drink first thing in the morning.

Walkers are bad for development. Free play in a large playpen is way better.

Having a coffee whilst they’re in a playpen is fine, but I wouldn’t give a 10 month old a screen in their high chair. It’s very easy to become reliant on screens as a parent and they aren’t necessarily - they make parenting harder IMO.

The baby monitor is a good idea!

Would she play alone if you used the baby monitor while you cooked?

Ignore the overly critical, they are only so bitchy because it’s an anonymous forum. Take the breaks when you can, she will let you know if she isn’t happy.

I wouldn’t be happy about any screen time for a child under 2, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what happening when you are in the lounge. The TV is for you and she’s playing with her toys?

You don’t sound rushed off your feet and I think that’s great. A stressful home life is not going to help you or her. But you get what you need done, you interact with her a lot throughout the day and give her time for independent play. It doesn’t sound particularly lazy to me.

To me, the only issue is the screen time while you’re cooking, but a) I see that’s a tricky issue and your options are somewhat limited. And b) that’s nothing to do with your DH’s comment that he thinks you’re lazy.

A playpen is the literal tool designed to keep a young child safe while an adult is otherwise engaged.

why is it restricting her movement, she doesn’t need space to run a 5k.

Absolutely agree, then a child who won't entertain themselves for longer than 5 mins. A happy baby playing with toys should not be interrupted. Some MNetters are only happy if mothers are running themselves ragged so they can complain about how hard they have it. It doesn't occur to them that they could just sit with a coffee in the morning and the house wouldn't implode.

I think walkers and jumpythings hanging from doorways are long gone as they were dangerous and also were not good for proper muscle development. Keep up your coffee OP. I used to give my oldest his bottle in his cot when he was about that age then he'd roll over and go back to sleep so no judgment frome me.

That all sounds great what you’re doing, except I think you now need to use your imagination so that she can move around the home safely and not be restricted in movement whilst you watch TV or when cooking.

It's obviously fucking fine. We overschedule children now, and this seems to start from birth. You don't need to entertain them every second of the day. It sounds like this baby gets plenty of activity time and attention. Some independent time for them to look around, play, and explore how their body moves, is important. And having 30 mins TV time is fine. Babies let you know if they want attention or they're bored. They're hardly known for sitting there quietly if they're not happy with something.

My toddler is nearly 2 now. As a baby, I'd sometimes video game for 30 mins whilst she was next to me in the play gym, and I'd talk about my game to her. And now she's nearly two, I'll occasionally read whilst she plays independently, or I'll sit near her and play my switch for 30 mins, immediately putting it down if she wants to play and interact ofc. We're out and about or playing together the vast majority of the day. She's cheerful and healthy. This is fine and I don't know why anyone thinks it isn't. It's no different than going to cook tea or clean for 30 odd minutes whilst baby is under a gym. Yes there are recommendations about screen time, but 30 mins of background TV is not the same as handing your toddler an Ipad and leaving them to it. You're allowed to have 30 mins to yourself ffs, and it's okay for children to see this and learn this.

Walkers are not good for babies at all.

If you’re reading to them, generally they’re sat on your lap, or next to you, engaging with the book aren’t they? Rather than crawling around?

And the OP said the playpen was huge, no reason to think there’s not room to crawl or walk when they’re in there in the mornings.

This

Of course YANBU. It’s 8am you are having a chill and a coffee, DD is fine. Bloody hell!
This is normal? I used to do this all the time.
Ignore some of these replies OP.
You are clearly a good mum and doing loads with your DD in the daytime.
If your husband wants to do something else with DD he can crack on can’t he. Nob.

They sell standing bouncers (like the trampoline harnesses you see at funfairs but safe for babies) that hang from the door frame. She’d have a wail of a time bouncing up and down (just a tad ofcourse) while mummy cooked. No TV needed. OP could put some music on too for them both to enjoy.

@ILoveFatFaceSocks not using your imagination on how to improve things, could be seen as lazy I suppose.