With each of my newborns, I can vividly recall the television binge that accompanied my late nights and naptimes.
When Holden was born, RookieDad Alec and I decided to watch Lost; we eagerly slurped up the first two seasons until we were all caught up with the real world of slow-moving one-per-week programming. I also rewatched the entire catalog of Sex and the City reruns during naptimes sipping my hot chocolate while Alec was at work.
When Milo joined our family, online streaming of shows was hitting the mainstream. We balanced our laptop between us and watched Heroes on the crappy NBC player. Only the first season was any good and we gobbled it right up. For my naptime diversion, I discovered How I Met Your Mother and watched the episodes out of order until I figured everything out.
Sawyer arrived into a family of iPad-watchers in which Daddy was less willing to stay up with Mommy watching TV. I watched Awkward on Hulu-plus, several streaming movies, and the last season of Entourage. I could not, however, join my husband watching all the greatness that is Breaking Bad; one year later and my new mommy sensitivities are still too high.
So it made me wonder, does everyone else have a baby-related TV binge or is it just me?
We got a Netflix subscription for my maternity leave. I watched 5 seasons of Weeds in the month prior my son’s birth and I watched at least 5 seasons of Bones in the 3 months after his birth.
With the next baby, I will probably be watching a lot of PBS Kids and Disney Junior to keep my 2 year old entertained while I manage his little sister.
Absolutely! I signed up for a free month of Netflix discs and Blockbuster Express discs when Brooklyn was born and watched all the shows and documentaries I had heard were so great but had never gotten around to watching. In Treatment, In Plain Sight, the entire UP series, etc. Then I kept paying for Netflix for a couple more months before letting it go.
This time around we already have Netflix streaming, and I have an iPad, so yes, I’ll be watching lots in the middle of the night and during the nap times when B is at preschool:)
Yes! And the more mindless, the better. I watched a lot of “reality” tv on Bravo when baby #2 was born. This time around, I love Nashville. Breastfeeding means I watch ALOT of tv (when the other two are not around).
Yes! And the more mindless, the better. I watched a lot of “reality” tv on Bravo when baby #2 was born. This time around, I love Nashville, The Good Wife, and Parenthood. Breastfeeding means I watch ALOT of tv (when the other two are not around).
We started the Sopranos in my 8th month and finished up after my son was born. We then started on The Wire and watched the complete series. While my son was napping I started on Mad Men and finally convinced my husband to start. Now we are hooked on the show. I didn’t realize that this was a thing other new parents did to, it makes sense though!
The Bachelor/Bachelorette was my vice. Romance, sappiness and gossip (on the blogs afterwards). The perfect combo for post-baby hormones!
NCIS (no, I’m not 60 years old).
Yes! With my first we watched reruns ;of King of the Hill and lots of Mythbusters. With my July 2012 baby, I watched both seasons of Downton Abbey on Amazon. Maybe a couple times!
We watched the whole entire Friday Night Lights series when Bridger was born. We would sneak episodes while the other one slept and then have to lie about it and re-watch stuff. With baby #2 coming this spring I worry about entertaining the oldest during nursing/too tired to move sessions. Maybe I’ll get all caught up on SuperWhy or Curious George?
Totally! I watched all of Heroes when Miles was born and was way, way, way into Downton Abbey when Felix arrived.
You guys, sorry I was out to lunch while you were all chiming in. I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one. Another friend said she did it, but Whitney said NO WAY.
@Whitney, we watched Friday Night Lights after Milo I do believe after much of RM Whitney’s recommendations.
Almost all of Gray’s Anatomy and lots of trashy reality stuff. I always make a point to tell expecting moms who are asking advice to save up some shows for maternity leave.
When I had my first, bravo showed West Wing for 2 hours back to back every day. I miss those days. Just sitting there. Nursing and napping.
I watched six seasons of bones in the first six weeks of my baby’s life. It was like full time job!
Yes!! At almost 11 weeks I’m afraid S is already addicted to screens. He spends 87% of time in my arms (or with me in bed) and the only three things to do with an eleven-week-old nurseling is faff on the iPhone, play xbox360 and watch TV or movies. TV shows are ideal though because they help me keep track of time. We just go all caught up on gossip girl, parenthood and once upon a time.
I so identify! Pumping for 45 min every 2-3 hours was so annoying, I needed something mindless and diverting. Enter Gossip Girl. *sigh*
I’m kind of glad it’s ending next week – I’m no longer pumping, I now have no excuse for watching it.
Thank God for Netflix! I watched Mad Men and Army Wives while pregnant. I watched How I Met Your Mother and White Collar after my son was born. Now I am rewatching favorites from the above shows and any new additions added to Netflix, even if I’ve already seen them. Oh, and I caught myself up on Gossip Girl recently (my inner teen still loves teen dramas.
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I watched every episode of “Monk” in the middle of the night while breastfeeding. I’ll always think of Monk fondly because of that.
You’re giving me a lot of ideas for what to watch if I ever get a sick day.
With my first baby we watched Curb Your Enthusiasm. This time around it’s Extreme Couponing and Top Gear (my husband’s favorite). Good times!
I was going to say no, because my most vivid memory was that every time we sat down to watch Game of Thrones, my 2 month old started crying. Every…. Single…. Time… But then I remember watching LOTS of HGTV during the day and almost every San Francisco Giants baseball game this past season. YAY World Champs! So I guess I did binge on television after all.
Ye, yes, yes! Mostly reality shows and other “easy viewing”. I also developed a taste for kids/ baby shows on TLC. I’d never even watched TLC before my maternity leave!
With my first, we watched Dexter and The Wire on DVD. I felt so bad watching such violent yet awesome television while holding a newborn in my arms! Didn’t seem to phase the baby at all…
With the second, my husband wasn’t waking up with me anymore either, so I watched Downton Abbey and a lot of HGTV.
@RGT, You know I wouldn’t worry at all about a baby not being well-suited for violent TV, I just found I couldn’t handle it. Alternatively, Baby Milo’s first movie was Last King of Scotland.
@RGT I wouldn’t worry about it at all either. Some friends of ours delight in telling people that their infant daughter’s first movie was one of those Baby Brigade type things at a theater, and the movie was…Zach and Miri Make a Porno.
We loved going to the drive-in in Concord when our daughter was tiny — she’d sleep the whole time and we’d catch a cheap double feature. Great date for parents of newborns.
We tried it once when she was a little older, and she didn’t fall asleep before the first movie started…Hangover 2. Oh.My. Now that we felt a little guilty about…turned down the sound, held her so that I could turn in towards me so she wouldn’t see the screen, etc. That was the last time we tried a date at the drive-in;)
@Cara, I love the drive-in as a fun date night for parents of wee babies. Bigger babies can be a challenge. We took our 14 month old recently and I think he had had enough. Oh well. We’ll go again in a few years when he can sit through a film and watch something appropriate. And we’ll have to Skyfall without the kids.
I wish! But there just wasn’t time in Baguette’s waking and nursing schedule, alas.
Um, yes! Right after my first was born in fall ’07, we just had basic cable, no dvr and not even a laptop. So I was stuck with “appointment” tv which meant: lots of King of the Hill episodes and a surprising,sudden addiction to Gilmore Girls via ABC Family which ultimately led to my purchasing the entire 6th season on dvd. After Iris was born last fall, I have the luxury of Netflix and DVD. Within her first two months of life, I watched all three seasons of Arrested Development on Netflix! (Worth it.) For sentimental reasons, we ‘re- binged on KOTH, this time through Netflix.
Oh, and going back to ’07, I just remembered that I strangely became addicted to That 70s Show. I knew when that was on, my husband would be home soon.
Oh yeah! Baby is now three months old. Hubby and I have watched season 6 of Psych, all five seasons of Alias, I watched BBC Robin Hood (3 seasons), 5 seasons of Monk, and 3 seasons of Twilight Zone. I also got completely caught up on season 7 of Doctor Who and Once Upon a Time. Not too mention the random episodes of 30 Rock and the once in a blue moon movie!