to ask if you ignore your baby?

[EmeraldToffee]

N/C and donning hard hat for this one. Not sure if I am massively U or normal.

DS is 7 months, cute and lovely and all that, but the days can be long and boring. We fill some of the time with walks, meets, baby classes and the like, but there are still hours of time. He doesn't sleep much in the day either. So some of those hours I just pop him on the playmat, stick him in the bouncer with his teether, and get on with other stuff: emails, washing up, call a friend, all while keeping a close eye, obv. He seems generally happy I think, but possibly a bit bored/frustrated maybe? Gets a bit shouty and grrr-y (for want of a better word) at times. Chucks poor old Sophie Giraffe across the room, for attention from his neglectful ma, possibly.

I have this image of other mums on their hands and knees around by the playmat playing hours of fecking peekaboo stimulating games, or engaging them in...I don't know, songs and stuff. We do that, sure (and I've got a damn fine repertoire of nursery rhymes) but not ALL DAY.

So, what do you think. Has DS been a bit short changed with a mother like me? Is it terrible?

ceevee they are their grandbabies they are allowed to hug them all day they will get back to your -ignoring-- routine soon,

Oh I know I would never try to stop them but it's always the same after their visits, a few days of constant crying until they get used to the total lack of attention!

Oh and enjoy it while it lasts too - my DS won't go into a jumperoo to save his life now and screams if I even attempt to put him in it, so it's just gathering dust in a corner of his room.

I miss the days when I could put him into it and go and make some phone calls or a cup of tea or catch up on e-mails for half an hour. Now he just crawls or cruises over to me to try and grab my ipad or book or hair etc.

It's all to do with positive or negative language. Ignoring would mean leaving them to cry while you did something for your own pleasure. You aren't ignoring them, you are allowing them some freedom, time to engage in investigative play, work things out for themselves, contemplate, digest and consolidate what they're learning. It's very important in a babies development. If this coincides with you having tea and cake and a chapter of Caitlin Moran , a gas on the phone or a mumsnet session then so be it....

Someone beat me to it !! I stick my 4 month old dd2 next to me 6 year old dd when I want to get stuff done.. Mickey Mouse club house all the way haha I tell me dd1 it would be a massive help to mummy if you keep your sister safe for me !! Job done

Yes I do it all the time, but sometimes pay for it. Yesterday he did a poo that had travelled up his back. Could have caught it earlier, had I been playing with him. Just now he did another one that travelled up his back. Waking up at 5am to clean a pooey baby is shit.

New to this...are you me? As much as I hate Micky mouse clubhouse, I do love the responsible sister holding 4 month old dd2 as they watch it together.
PFB didn't watch tv until she was 2.

YANBU. As you might have realised by now!

Although I wish I'd known about MN with DS 1 because I felt like a shit failure of a mother for doing it and never said a word to anyone because I was so ashamed.

NameChangeGalore, I don't think being asleep at night while your baby is in his cot having a poo can be classed as ignoring your baby?

YANBU as long as you're playing with him some of the time. I interacted with DS1 constantly but my younger two got less attention and I don't think it's a coincidence that they play a lot better independently. It's so easy to convince yourself you're not doing enough.