Feeding Time: Podcasts

Here is the procedure for feeding time:
1. put on an apron myself
2. strip Andrew down to his diaper
3. put on a bib and strap him in
4. plug into my ipod
5. after feeding, wipe him down with a wet washcloth and wetwipe

As you can guess, Andrew, like all babies, is a messy one. I let him put his hands wherever he wants. I know it's a learning experience, and I try to facilitate that. I let him suck on his hands, grab the spoon, grab me, whatever. It's all good. I want him to enjoy it.

Andrew is in no rush. He's not particularly enthusiastic, although he will eat as much as you put into his mouth and he seems to kinda enjoy it. He rarely squirms to get out of his chair, even on his fussiest days. Therefore, feeding time takes awhile, at least 20 minutes.

Since it can be kinda boring, I love listening to podcasts. I can still make faces at Andrew, and I'm enjoying this time to relax and sit down with my son. Once he starts talking, I'll have to take out the earphones, so I'm enjoying this as long as it lasts. Here are my favorites so far:

Monday: This American Life. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always entertaining!
Tuesday: Either The Catholics Next Door, Catholic Answers, or Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick
Wednesday: Irish and Celtic Music Podcast
Thursday: How Stuff Works, PediaCast
Friday: Mommycast, Mommy of Many
Saturday: FrugalPod, Planet Money
Jim usually feeds Andrew on either Saturday or Sunday

Which podcasts do you recommend? As long as they're free, I'd love to find some more.

UDDATE: I've already gotten my first (and, I hope, last) lecture about how I should unplug the ipod and communicate with my son. I wondered if that would happen, but I hoped that my readers would give me the benefit of the doubt. It came from a well-meaning friend, though, so let me clarify some things in an effort to nip this in the bud.

I communicate with my son throughout the feeding. Keep in mind, he can't talk back yet, so I don't have to listen to him the same way I would listen to a verbal child. He also doesn't understand what the headphones mean, so he probably doesn't feel ignored. He can't feel ignored, because I talk to him the whole time. I tell him things I'm learning about, and even ask for his opinion. He responds with his face and I acknowledge that I "heard" him. All this can be done with the the headphones on, but sometimes I take out the headphones so that we can both listen. He, meanwhile, is concentrating on the food, the dogs, and everything else he can see. I started listening to the podcasts in the first place because, try as I might, feeding solids wasn't a time he wanted to communicate with me. He, like all people, has times when they want to communicate a lot and times when they're not as interested.

Also, I communicate with my son all day. Him and I have a long "conversation" when he first wakes up and I change his diaper, feed him his bottle, etc. All he has to do is squeak when he's playing and I'm paying close attention to him. We play on the floor together at least once a day. I talk to him throughout his diaper changes and his bottle feedings.

It's also true that I would likely talk to my child even more if I was an extrovert. All that talking to a pre-verbal child is exhausting to me. I'm working at it, and it is work, but I do it because I should and because I love him. So, like I said, please give me the benefit of the doubt. This child is hardly ignored:-)

Finally, I don't watch the TV during the day, or anything else. Those podcasts are my only link to the outside world during what can be long days cooped up inside, as all SAHMs know. For some reason, it's easier to concentrate on the podcast than it is to read a newspaper article on-line, probably because Andrew is constantly getting my attention. Feeding him solids is the only time I can do that since Andrew is right in front of me and happy.

So, no more lectures about this, OK? I'm not asking for you to agree with me. I would, however, love to hear other podcasts that you like, for those of you who listen to them.