Kids are the Wors — Best, I Meant Best

[Keirik]

Just now, BrooksBurner said:

Yup. We started around that time period, couple weeks earlier. The first 6 months you’re just fucked and held hostage to whatever it is

And this is exactly why my wife is on leave until September

[BlairBettsBlocksEverything]

My daughter is in the 98th percentile for height, my son is in the 92nd percentile.

 

got some big fucking kids here. gotta get them into hockey asap

[Cash or Czech]

We can officially start saying my wife is due "next month" even if we are eight weeks out. Oh lord

[BrooksBurner]

How you liking your van @Dunny

[Dunny]

I don't drive it much, but when I do I feel like I'm getting in to a go-kart vs my F150. 

 

However, what's most important is that my wife and the kids are over the moon with it, and my gas cost vs the Armada is down about 40%. 

 

My wife is happy, and I'm golfing more as a result. So far, so good.

[BrooksBurner]

Debating on flying versus 12 hr drive to NY with a 3 y.o. and a 1 y.o.

 

Any tips on flying with kids?

[Dunny]

Yeah, stand 15 feet behind your wife and shout encouragement.

 

Once on plane, apply Gravol generously.

[BrooksBurner]

3 hours ago, Dunny said:

Yeah, stand 15 feet behind your wife and shout encouragement.

 

Once on plane, apply Gravol generously.

That bad eh? Better off long car ride?

[Pete]

1 hour ago, BrooksBurner said:

That bad eh? Better off long car ride?

Do yourself a favor and do the plane.

 

All the pain shoved into a couple of hours instead of over the course of multiple hours or days. 

[Dunny]

We flew with a 6 month old to Iceland. It wasn't too bad, and that was on the Euro equivalent of Spirit.

 

Pete is probably correct. Driving with those who have yet to reach the age of reason is an awful experience.

 

However, I've flown commercially about 400 times, and just understand plenty of assholes like me will be praying they aren't within 10 rows of you, plus you can't stop at Love's or Bucc-Ees.

[jsm7302]

18 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

Debating on flying versus 12 hr drive to NY with a 3 y.o. and a 1 y.o.

 

Any tips on flying with kids?

Tablets with movies. It will be fine.

[Cash or Czech]

Hi, I am also a dad now

[siddious]

1 hour ago, Cash or Czech said:

Hi, I am also a dad now

Congrats!!!

 

[jsm7302]

14 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Hi, I am also a dad now

Congratulations!! All the exhaustion is worth it. Soak in the little moments and the memories will make themselves. Welcome to the club!!

[Cash or Czech]

On 4/15/2023 at 2:34 AM, Keirik said:

Someone tell me how the fuck to get this demon of a child to actually sleep? She hunts the nipple more than I do after a full night of drinking. And when she doesn’t wanna feed, she only will sleep if you have her in your arms. This is nuts lol 

Everything I go back and read you going through, I am now there. Willing to pay the big bucks for the miracle cure

[Keirik]

12 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Everything I go back and read you going through, I am now there. Willing to pay the big bucks for the miracle cure

Congratulations! Lol

[BlairBettsBlocksEverything]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:53 PM, jsm7302 said:

Tablets with movies. It will be fine.

doing our first flight with the twins at the end of the month. luckily it only like an hour flight to VA but really hoping it goes ok. hopefully a few sesame street eps get us through it

[Cash or Czech]

43 minutes ago, Keirik said:

Congratulations! Lol

 

 

But thank you lol. The good parts have been great

[LindG1000]

13 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

Everything I go back and read you going through, I am now there. Willing to pay the big bucks for the miracle cure

 

Our guy was a fuckin log once he fell asleep, thankfully, but babies gonna baby. 

 

Couple of things that worked for us:

 

1 - The wife's an early riser. I'm a night owl. I'd stay up for the 11 PM-12 AM feed while she slept from 8 or so. She'd get up for the 5 AM while I slept through. That way, both of us got 7-ish hours no questions asked. Really helped.

2 - Doesn't always work perfectly, but cars and strollers knocked ours right out. Movement and security. Obviously, not something you're enamored with at 3 am, but the rest of the time? Go for it. As a sidebar to this, investing in a good stroller was the single best thing we did, and I cannot recommend the Uppababy line highly enough. Yeah, they're pricey, but they're a five-year investment, they're durable as hell, and their warranty is unbeatable.

3 - We made absolutely no accommodations for his sleep. When he got to that stage, we ran white noise in his room but as a baby? We kept the TV or music on. We put dishes away. We had full conversations. We worked, even. He got used to sleeping through the noise - which has paid off beautifully for us. He's almost 5 now, and the dude can sleep through frigging anything. 

4 - Wearables. Yours is still small enough to put in a sling (also super recommend this, btw), but for when they're able to hold their heads up, invest in an Ergobaby or a Bjorn and use it. Especially when they're little, they usually just want some contact, and it gives you two free hands. Plus, higher-end models are good for ~50lbs, so they'll last 5 years or so too.

5 - Fuck the rocking chair. Novice shit - it isn't for the kid, it's for you. Invest in a baller-ass rocking-recliner hybrid and plant that shit in front of your TV. If they don't want to be put down after feeding, fine. You get to watch hockey while they settle into sleep, and you can place in the crib later. Bonus points if you get one that you can just take the rocking base off of and have a recliner for when they're done with that. Watched the SHIT out of the Oilers and Knights that first year. 

 

And yeah. I just told you to drop ~$1500 on stuff. I get that. Your sleep, sanity, a cushiony place to put your ass when you're holding 8-25 pounds of another human, and next four years of transportation are worth the price.

[siddious]

Some kids are just Satan incarnate. Good luck. My kids 18 months and still wakes up 2-3 times a night. We’ve tried everything. 
 

the other day he only woke up once briefly and went back to sleep and I cried myself to sleep out of joy. 

[Morphinity 2.0]

37 minutes ago, BlairBettsBlocksEverything said:

doing our first flight with the twins at the end of the month. luckily it only like an hour flight to VA but really hoping it goes ok. hopefully a few sesame street eps get us through it

In my experience, under 1 was pretty easy flying. My kid could barely walk and didn't have the same energy and desire for freedom he does now.

 

Once they can walk, forget it. Get seats for them, keep them fed, and try to distract them as much as humanly possible.

[LindG1000]

1 minute ago, Morphinity 2.0 said:

In my experience, under 1 was pretty easy flying. My kid could barely walk and didn't have the same energy and desire for freedom he does now.

 

Once they can walk, forget it. Get seats for them, keep them fed, and try to distract them as much as humanly possible.

Yeah, totally agree. Travel, especially flying, while they're still in the "potted plant" stage is goddamn cake. Put them in a body sling, bring some milk, they're a-ok. Double points for timing the flight against a normal naptime for them. 

[Cash or Czech]

4 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

Our guy was a fuckin log once he fell asleep, thankfully, but babies gonna baby. 

 

Couple of things that worked for us:

 

1 - The wife's an early riser. I'm a night owl. I'd stay up for the 11 PM-12 AM feed while she slept from 8 or so. She'd get up for the 5 AM while I slept through. That way, both of us got 7-ish hours no questions asked. Really helped.

 

My wife's been pretty good about this since she's not working until February. We're tag teaming but I will bring this up and see if she's interested in it for sure!

 

Quote

2 - Doesn't always work perfectly, but cars and strollers knocked ours right out. Movement and security. Obviously, not something you're enamored with at 3 am, but the rest of the time? Go for it. As a sidebar to this, investing in a good stroller was the single best thing we did, and I cannot recommend the Uppababy line highly enough. Yeah, they're pricey, but they're a five-year investment, they're durable as hell, and their warranty is unbeatable.

 

We've got the Uppababy stroller/carseat combo and a bassinet insert and it rocks. She actually sleeps in the bassinet at night because her regular bassinet is a piece of junk and tilts. We have a car seat for each car (our neighbor gifted us one) and so far that's been a dream.

 

Quote

3 - We made absolutely no accommodations for his sleep. When he got to that stage, we ran white noise in his room but as a baby? We kept the TV or music on. We put dishes away. We had full conversations. We worked, even. He got used to sleeping through the noise - which has paid off beautifully for us. He's almost 5 now, and the dude can sleep through frigging anything. 

 

We got the advice before birth that during the day, we are living our normal lives. We've tried to do this to establish the day/night cycle now that she's out in the world. Is it working? I dunno. But it's something we're definitely trying. She definitely seems dead to the world when she's asleep. Dog barking or playing with a squeaky toy? No problem. July 4th fireworks finale? Didn't hear it. So I think that's good at least. It really is just that after a feed half the time she's still wide awake and staring at us. 

 

Quote

4 - Wearables. Yours is still small enough to put in a sling (also super recommend this, btw), but for when they're able to hold their heads up, invest in an Ergobaby or a Bjorn and use it. Especially when they're little, they usually just want some contact, and it gives you two free hands. Plus, higher-end models are good for ~50lbs, so they'll last 5 years or so too.

5 - Fuck the rocking chair. Novice shit - it isn't for the kid, it's for you. Invest in a baller-ass rocking-recliner hybrid and plant that shit in front of your TV. If they don't want to be put down after feeding, fine. You get to watch hockey while they settle into sleep, and you can place in the crib later. Bonus points if you get one that you can just take the rocking base off of and have a recliner for when they're done with that. Watched the SHIT out of the Oilers and Knights that first year. 

 

And yeah. I just told you to drop ~$1500 on stuff. I get that. Your sleep, sanity, a cushiony place to put your ass when you're holding 8-25 pounds of another human, and next four years of transportation are worth the price.

 

Roger that on the rest! I did say I'd pay any sum of money for a miracle  

[LindG1000]

4 minutes ago, siddious said:

Some kids are just Satan incarnate. Good luck. My kids 18 months and still wakes up 2-3 times a night. We’ve tried everything. 
 

the other day he only woke up once briefly and went back to sleep and I cried myself to sleep out of joy. 

 

I think that around that age, we transitioned him to overnight diapers and that worked fuckin wonders. 

 

That, and we put in a rule that we wouldn't intervene if he cries unless it's for >5 minutes.

[LindG1000]

1 minute ago, Cash or Czech said:

 

My wife's been pretty good about this since she's not working until February. We're tag teaming but I will bring this up and see if she's interested in it for sure!

 

 

We've got the Uppababy stroller/carseat combo and a bassinet insert and it rocks. She actually sleeps in the bassinet at night because her regular bassinet is a piece of junk and tilts. We have a car seat for each car (our neighbor gifted us one) and so far that's been a dream.

 

 

We got the advice before birth that during the day, we are living our normal lives. We've tried to do this to establish the day/night cycle now that she's out in the world. Is it working? I dunno. But it's something we're definitely trying. She definitely seems dead to the world when she's asleep. Dog barking or playing with a squeaky toy? No problem. July 4th fireworks finale? Didn't hear it. So I think that's good at least. It really is just that after a feed half the time she's still wide awake and staring at us. 

 

 

Roger that on the rest! I did say I'd pay any sum of money for a miracle  

 

Yours is also just about 3 weeks old right now, so a lot of this is that newborns are really just impulse machines and honestly don't need more than food, warmth, safety, and comfort. But they need it really, really often. 

 

That bolded bit - rocking chair REALLY knocked that out. I'd feed him at 2AM when he was around yours' age, and just rub his back/rock back and forth for a few minutes and he was out.