Heavily pregnant can I just watch a film with my toddler all afternoon??

[Napqueen1234]

38 weeks pregnant. Knackered. We went to a tumble tots class this morning, came home did crafts, lunch and just woke from nap (both of us...😬).

Plan was to go to the park but it’s drizzling and dreary. Toddler is grumpy post nap I’m just so huge and can’t be arsed. Don’t want to pay for soft play or similar really. Can we just chill at home in front of the tv? DC goes to nursery 3 days a week which is full on I have her at at home Monday and Wednesdays.

Usually I’m a v tv avoidant parent but I’m struggling being so heavily pregnant with a two year old if I’m honest!

You are doing much better than me :)

I'm only 37 weeks but today I've mainly laid on the sofa while DS played with his toys/watched tv - I occassionally made him fetch stuff for me too.
Then I could feel myself falling asleep so we went to mums house and she made us lunch and I'm sitting on her sofa instead. May have a nice nap!

Make a cuppa, get a blanket, snuggle up. I'm doing this now with my 8 year old.

I had a tv put in my room when DD was 3 and I was heavily pregnant with DS, purely for this purpose. I may have napped a bit. DD enjoyed watching UP many times.

Aw, I was you, very tv avoidant but now with second child 15months tv is firmly part of our life! Well, we don’t have a tv but cartoons on laptop. It was just a necessity during late pregnancy and for so many tasks during early days with 2, older one with cartoons while younger getting put to bed, or because I’m on my knees and only way to get a break. Having a second child has been a sometimes painful but mostly wonderful liberations from lots of my ideals that I beat myself with first time and hope it is the same for you!!

God yes. Use it as prep for having 2 kids when the TV will become your best friend

Absolutely. Your toddler would benefit from the down time too.

My toddler watches loads of tv each day it’s not harmful at all
Obviously we do other things too but often stay in and watch or just play

Of course! DS1 spent most of his young life watching Thomas the Tank Engine and still got into Oxford.

All my children learned their letters and numbers from watching Countdown with me. My late ds was spelling out road signs aged 2. It is a lovely memory for me.

Jesus you sound like "one of those". Allow a child to sit and watch film, my god what kind of a parent are you?? His brain will melt before your very eyes.

I miss those days with dc1 when we’d do activities constantly and I could be arsed. I was the idiot mother traipsing around the park in a heat wave at 40 weeks following dc1. Haha not so much when I was expecting dc3 though- CBeebies was (and still is) a staple.

Does them good to play in the house, teaches them to be creative and make their own fun. Taking them places every min of the day just makes a rod for your own back trust me

Also heavily pregnant, and I'm currently ploughing my 17mo with snacks while he watches Cars and runs a toy train up and down my bump, so I can lie on the sofa and eat leftover xmas chocolate! Do what you have to to get through the day, it's fine!

Hope you are enjoying your snuggle and the film! Precious time to spend with your toddler before the new baby arrives. I bet your little one is loving the treat of watching a film with mummy in the afternoon.

Without sounding patronising, you do sound a bit self righteous!!

You are a very TV avoidant parent who is always on the go?

I have huge sympathies with the being heavily pregnant part (DC2 and DC3 - not twins - are both Mid January babies) but I wasn't a Martyr. I was so tired by this stage there was no way I felt any guilt about putting a film on with my older child/ren

• maybe I was a bit of a Martyr as I worked up until 38w with DC2 and 37w 5d with DC3 (who was induced at 38w)

weird to ask

but also a good time to teach your child to entertain himself without tv. Let him potter around with his own toys and books - ie emptying bookshelves. It's good if children are used to left to their own device before baby turns up, so they don't feel like the baby is taking their parents away from them.

Really you need to install realistic expectations with DC1 now. Dial it all down in terms of activities so it's all a lot more doable when DC2 arrives.

Oh Christ, another Mumsnet Martyr.

@aquilla , quite
Op why are you asking strangers on the internet for permission to watch the telly ffs?

When does your child ever get to time to just potter/use their imagination? That is a heavy schedule, You sound like a tiger mum.

YANBU. You're only human. You don't have to flatten yourself. xxx

I'm only 25 weeks and I have spent the last hour on my bed vaguely listening out for my kids playing with a train set in their room. Zero guilt. They go back to school tomorrow and I'm knackered.
Stop second guessing and just do what you need to do. If they spend the majority of their lives engaged in some kind of activity with some parental input sometimes and they're fed you're doing fine.

And yes to massively adjusting your expectations. You'll need to when number two arrives.

I clicked YABU on the basis that it's such a stupid question.

Then I felt bad and thought I'd better come clean about it

Still a stupid question though

Yes. I spent a fair few afternoons doing this last month. Needs must... it's good for them to have chill out time too and doesn't hurt for then to entertain themselves

I think you might need to get over your TV avoidance. With a 2 year old and a newborn you might find the TV a life saver!

Regard today as immersion therapy!