To ask if you find your own babies boring or if nature makes them interesting so the long and repetitive stuff is more tolerable

[ForestGoblin]

They take SO long to drink a bottle of milk

They have a limitless capacity for interest in putting blocks through holes again and again

Their chat is non existent

The physicality of keeping them safe and clean is so repetitive

I have adhd so I am a wimp when it comes to boredom but then so do lots of mums and everyone seems to cope fine

So, if I had a hypothetical baby, would it be less boring than I fear?

Agreed. Truly.

At my dd's nursery the staff even seem to enjoy it (no doubt extremely good acting).

They really personalise the learning as well - they're teaching the kids how to recognise and write letters of the alphabet. Dd so far can only manage the letter M. So they've gone all guns blazing on the letter M to boost her confidence, and she's come home proudly every day with reams of paper with the letter M traced on...!

It's just yet another example, I keep coming across them, of lower paid jobs being so much harder and more valuable!

My dh is a software developer which in my limited understanding is being paid big bucks to turn things off and on again. He would agree his job is way easier and less useful to society than dd's nursery key worker, but goodness knows what the pay difference is.

The world isn't fair.

Honestly this was me as well.

Although I did think that they looked beautiful when the photographic evidence highlights they actually looked like misshapen spuds.

I absolutely loved my 2 babies, despite not liking babies in general and worrying beforehand whether I'd bond with them. I did, massively and immediately.

But...and I'm so glad this is an anonymous forum...I found the baby period very boring. Of course that didn't stop me doing all the things I knew were needed (lots of eye contact, facial expressions, talking, reading to them, singing, playing etc etc) but it was tough for me in the way that the teenage years might be dreaded by other mothers (which I loved!). You just have to go through it for the sake of your child...the repetition, the lack of intellectual interest for yourself etc. You have to find that in noticing the baby's responses and reactions as they change and develop, I guess.

My first baby was a bit of a nightmare (colic, didn't nap by day and hardly slept at night, wouldn't feed....it was hard) and it was a huge culture-shock to me having just stopped work etc. But I like to think I put in the work to build a relationship with her and have fun.

I don't think it helps for people to pretend it's easy or enjoyable for everyone - some women love this stage the most and others find it hard-going.

Toddlers, now - they are the most fun!!

I went to a different group every day. I was never bored! Best times!

Group? Now see if they were baby orientated groups I would've been even more bored. My interests didn't change one bit after giving birth so hated such things , along with soft play and the ilk. When I had DD and wasn't at work she came with me doing stuff , even like shopping or park run or stuff like that. Left nursery to do the kiddy stuff

Sure boring as anything. But it's a short time. You get through it.

Some of its boring (to me anyway) but I don’t think you should expect uk be enthralled by every second. I wanted a family and that involves looking after a baby. My LB is now 26 months snd infinitely better company now imo. I have friends who have been quite disappointed by how ‘enjoyable’ motherhood has been so I would definitely suggest allowing for the possibility that some of it will be boring, frustrating, thankless etc. if that’s not ok then having a baby is s big gamble!

When your baby comes out of body, and has been hidden from you for nearly 10 months, its an amazing experience of 'ahhh, THAT'S what you look like'. Newborns are so scrunchy with their little bums all squiggled up and lying with your warm, soft little baby cosied into you is not boring. I found planning outfits for my babies sadly exciting too, especially the girls (sorry mumsnet!). I enjoyed that they were immobile and you could just pop them into their moses basket if you needed a quick shower. They would be there when you got back!

As babies get older things get more interesting! Their faces change, their hair grows or changes colour, they recognise you, laugh, babble. When they enjoy something, you enjoy it. If they laugh at a dog going past, you feel such happiness in that moment. When they clap your hands, you can't help but clap yours too because it's amazing. When they make faces, you laugh your head off because it's HILARIOUS.

Everything about your offspring is fascinating to some degree. Sometimes I just look at my mousey haired, freckled, blue eyes children and just feel completely astounded at how perfect they are! My son's eyelashes, the way my daughter's nose turns up at the end, the way my baby's hair curls into ringlets. I just look at them amazing, at everything they do because, to me, they are special, fascinating and not boring.

Are some parts of parenting repetitive and mundane? Yes and yes. But boring, never. I haven't felt bored since I saw my first child's eyes looking up at me 8 years ago.

I enjoyed all the weird and wonderful stuff they do and did. Some parts of parenting are repetitive sure but I found joy in the little things. Giving a bottle was my time to sit and focus on my baby, to have a cuddle, hold hands and shower them with kisses. I never saw it as yet another chore. For me watching alittle person discover and learn new things is joyous and that involves a lot of repetition but it's how they learn.

It's not for everyone, there's no harm in recognising that.

I’m a monster in that I genuinely don’t care about other peoples babies, don’t think they’re cute, not bothered about meeting them.

But, I enjoyed our daughters babyhood so much, I could happily sit and watch her chewing on her giraffe, or the days where she had learnt to squeal (even if my ears didn’t appreciate it). Being able to see her develop from being a young baby has been amazing and fascinating, I personally didn’t find it boring, but we all enjoy different things, some parents will prefer a stage I’m not overly keen on.

As for the bottle thing, that was some of my favourite time to spend with her, just us focused on each other while she filled her little tummy.

If it wasn't for your hormones you would just throw them in a bush and leave them 😂

Not all of it, but watching your baby do this stuff in my experience is amazing. Sounds cliched but you genuinely do see things through their eyes. It's ALWAYS different when it's your own, don't underestimate those hormones

If you have ADHD it's reasonably likely that you will find your hypothetical baby absolutely fascinating and develop baby-related special interests. I found that caring for a baby and toddler suited my ADHD brain perfectly. When a baby wants or needs something, it needs it urgently and with vital importance. There's very little in the way of tedious admin, and lots of stuff that is urgent, important or fun to do. There's lot of scope for research, about baby products, or child development, or making a safe nursery etc.

Yep mine too. I made friends and hung out with them. Then did ‘classes’ and chatted to other parents, also went to the gym a lot and they went to the creche
the get interesting when they can do stuff, 18mo plus, then better again at 5. My teens have become slightly dull again (I like doing stuff!)

My babies were the best. It was other peoples babies I had no time for or interest in.

I found the baby phase unbelievably boring and mind numbing, as well as being quite difficult. And honestly I'm not sure I particularly loved her! I had generally warm feelings towards her but no all consuming earth shattering love or anything like that.

She is much more fun now that she is about to start school. Some of her games that she wants to involve me in are still a huge struggle over boredom though. But now I can involve her in some of my interests and we can be enthusiastic together so that's a million times better.

I've got ADHD too.

I did hyperfocus on some of the baby stuff but overall sadly I did not experience this! It really didnt play to my interests at all, plus my executive functioning in carrying out endless practical tasks was seriously challenged.

I found mine mind-bendingly boring until they were about 4/5/6! No interesting (to me) thoughts or idea or humour, nothing original or new. I’m absolutely LOVING teenage years. I just can’t get enough of these amazing creatures who are so different from me - so much vitality and energy and enthusiasm, so much oomph and life and vivacity in them. It more than makes up for the tedium of the early years!

I love my babies, but they can be really boring yeh

I was also worried about this, but my own baby is a lot more fascinating than other peoples’! Never bored -sometimes it’s frustrating because parenting a baby requires a lot of focus and gets in the way of other tasks. Also the tiredness everyone goes on about wasn’t an issue for me, because I have never slept well any way.

Their chat is non existent

As the mother of a very chatty toddler, be careful what you wish for here! (I do love her very much, and generally enjoy her company and even her conversation, but she literally doesn't shut up from the moment she wakes to the moment she falls asleep.)

You feel so utterly shit for a whole year that you don’t have the mental capacity to be bored.

Bit in answer to you real question. Your child is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to the world and everything they do is miraculous even when they reach adulthood.

Haha so true... once I got chatting to an uber driver, my dd was just a few months old. He said how's it going, I said it's so difficult because when she cries, I don't know what she wants [hungry, tired, too hot/cold, lonely]. I said, I wish she could talk so I know what she wants!

The uber driver said in a mournful tone, Polish-accent: "Yeah we wished that. Now our daughter can talk. She tells us what she wants."

😂I've often remembered the wisdom of the uber driver now my dd is 3 and dh and I quote him to each other to lighten morale when dd screams for tinned peaches in the middle of the night