Tell me I’m not a bad parent

[dan54fis]

My 9 mo old son has horrible diarrhea and a bad diaper rash. He’s also teething. He’s miserable and in so much pain.

I gave him some Tylenol, put him in a baking soda bath then put some towels down in front of the TV and put Ms Rachel on for 90 minutes so I could air him out. And give me a break from this miserable baby/day.

It’s a lot of screen time for him and I feel guilty. But I’m also sick of Tik tok and Instagram making me feel shitty for using screen time as a crutch sometimes. Anyone else?

EDIT 2: wow now I’m starting to feel like not incorporating Ms Rachel/educational screen time
Is a bad parenting choice!

EDIT: Wow! Thanks so much to everyone for sharing encouraging words and experiences. I no longer feel like a horrible parent

 

[myles20myles]

@dan54fis Screen time is always preferable to a parent who’s losing their mind due to stress. You’re doing great! Hang in there.

 

[dan54fis]

@myles20myles Thank you

 

[nilu]

@myles20myles This

 

[drelnahas]

@dan54fis Dude I gotta say I don't think screen time is as detrimental to development as like just not playing with the baby. Talk to them, read, sing, and yes, dance and shit with big bird. If once a week you gotta let little homie watch some TV, just make sure tomorrow you interact with them. I'm not a scientist, or an expert, but being involved is going to do more for the little one than not, and to be involved sometimes mom needs a hot minute and gotta put the tube on.

 

[dan54fis]

@drelnahas Thank you!

 

[drelnahas]

@dan54fis Of course. If it makes you feel any better, I distinctly remember my mom using pbs as a learning tool with me. Big bird, Mr Rodgers, bob ross even. She very much interacted with me and the TV, and used it to help with counting and alphabet. I am not super attached to screens now, I don't watch a whole lot of TV, more of a video game book kind of person. Same with my brother. I know anecdotes kinda mean nothing, but if it can help you feel more confident about being a mom, I would gladly tell you again.

 

[myownmynativeland]

@drelnahas I love this. I use TV the same way, as an interactive teaching opportunity and I hope my son remembers it like you do.

 

[drelnahas]

@myownmynativeland I'm sure he will. I'm positive wishbone and reading rainbow nutured the love of reading both my brother and I have. As we got older my mom made a point to always let us read anything, and she would read with us. Maybe I shouldn't have been reading Stephen King books when I was like 10, but I'll be damned if my brother, mother, and I don't to this day sit around and discuss books.

 

[daughteroftheking_]

@myownmynativeland He definitely will, my parents did the same thing. I am planning to as well.

 

[astrophysicsstudent]

@drelnahas Absolutely!! I grew up in the 90s and it felt like the golden age of edutainment. Wishbone is still how I remember plot points to any classics I didn’t read lol. PBS had all kinds of things, and there were a TON of computer games like Number Munchers/Word Munchers, Xth Grade Adventures, Spelling Blizzard….my parents absolutely gave me access to this edutainment and at the time I remember it feeling like it was encouraged and positive, like the next Thing in technological advancement and education. I don’t know if that was true per se, but I guess it never felt like an inherently BAD thing to have screen time that would have been the 90s equivalent of Miss Rachel. I turned out fine, did well in school, and am only as neurotic and poorly adjusted as the average millennial I’d say

Ultimately, the person who said that screen time is preferable to a burnt out parent is right on point. It’s all about balancing that “ideal state” of being with the real state of your life, and that is much more flexible. It sounds like you did your best with what you had and what you needed to do today, and that’s all you can ask of yourself!

 

[dan54fis]

@astrophysicsstudent “only as neurotic and poorly adjusted as the average millennial” should be the millennial slogan I feel that in my core. Thank you, it’s true, we grew up around so much TV and we’re fine.

 

[kabagis]

@drelnahas This! Hell, I’ll even push the envelope and say a little bit of tv every day even isn’t bad. As long as you interact with your baby and educate/care for them then what’s the harm in taking a break? I personally cannot mentally handle being my child’s entertainment 24/7. I have other stuff to do also like cook, homework, clean

 

[drelnahas]

@kabagis Yeah, I think maybe the TikTok style of content might be harmful in some way, like the speed of it and the instant gratification of something new? But I'm sure some sesame street everyday wouldn't hurt. It's the quality of the content too.

 

[angeldawn]

@drelnahas I'm an early childhood educator and this is my stance. It's like with a healthy diet: a piece of candy once a week won't hurt you, but eating candy every day is detrimental.

 

[benvi85]

@dan54fis I used to watch Jerry Springer and the Price is Right on sick days. Way worse than ms rachel lol you’re doing great!!