7 ms·

Other comments notwithstanding: how does a new parent find time for this???

segmondy 6y ago
You have less time, but you learn to organize and structure your time better. You also realize that if all you do is carry the baby, feed the baby and change diaper you will lose your mind, so you begin to find ways to push out work in 15-30mins increments. At least that's my story. :-D
- rich_sasha 6y ago
  Lucky you. Baby #1 required beyond constant attention, literally like 30hr per day (healthy just needy). Baby #2 is sweet and easygoing, but then there’s 2 of them...
  - mattlondon 6y ago
    Agreed. We found Baby #1 to at times be a full-time job for two people in the first couple of months. Down-time is precious precious precious. Either catch up on sleep, or relax as best you can. For me personally, consumption has largely taken over from creation which I am not sure how I feel about but its working so far :-)
    - bipson 6y ago
      You feel OK for now. There might be depression and increasing anger, once you realise the kid is still needy and your partner is now occupied with #2. On a more serious note, for me consumption at this point in my life is a vicious cycle that does not make me a happier or better person - yet the circumstances keep pushing me towards it.
  - knicholes 6y ago
    I have compassion for your experience having two of my own where one still is difficult after seven years, but I'm here to nitpick and win the pedantry award on your addition of "literally" when it's impossible to take 30 hours per day, as a day is only 24.
    - boogies 6y ago
      Do I get to steal that pedantry award if I point out that two parents can take 48 person-hours a day?
      - AussieWog93 6y ago
        But the baby itself can only get attention for 24 hours per day. I think you need to give that pedantry award back. :P
        boogies 6y ago
        I read it as “required beyond constant attention, literally like 30hr [of attention] per day”, not “required attention beyond constantly, literally for like 30hr per day.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
        haser_au 6y ago
        No. Because why the child can only get attention for 24 hours per day, other tasks primarily focused on the child (buying nappies, cooking baby-friendly meals, washing bottles, etc.) are what Parent #2 is doing while Parent #1 looks after child.
      - dmqctx 6y ago
        Not a fan of pedantry. Would like to see less of it in the world.
    - BeetleB 6y ago
      You will not win that award. From Merriam Webster: > 2: in effect : VIRTUALLY —used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
    - rich_sasha 6y ago
      Although I meant my comment figuratively and in abuse of the word “literally”, I now feel compelled to defend it with lame grammar Nazi tactics: I said the baby requires attention for 30hrs a day. This does not mean it receives that much attention, rather that a prerequisite to it making it through the day is 30 [person-]hours a day, indeed split between a few people. One person entertains, the other washes bottles, etc. Tbh as a parent of 2 kids I barely have the time to write HN comments, I’m positively surprised how coherent it is in the first place...
tomkat0789 6y ago
Harder still is getting it past the spouse regulatory approval process.
- mschuster91 6y ago
  Not if your s/o is either a nerd herself or hasn't major issues with weird hacks. I got approval for converting our living room into something that could pass for a crossover between pub and disco - a wide assortment of liquors and actual stage worthy, DMX controlled lighting and effects. So much power that I had to run a new 32A circuit and re-wire the entire electrical distribution...
- beervirus 6y ago
  My wife has been pretty accommodating for any nerdery I want to engage in for taking care of the kids. The only project she really put her foot down on (and probably correctly so) was about building a crib myself. She figured there were a lot of safety standards about materials, size, bar spacing, etc. that were best left to the professionals.
  - birken 6y ago
    I don't know your woodworking experience, but I don't think building a crib is dangerous at all. The safety standards are pretty straightforward and they are very clearly spelled out. And for me at least, no mass manufactured piece of furniture is even close to a minimum quality that I'd build myself. On the other hand, a crib is a particularly annoying piece of furniture to build. First, it has to be able to break down, so that is an engineering challenge if you don't have experience with that. Second, it is a particularly monotonous thing to build, especially if you go with spindles all the way around. Cutting, sanding, assembling and finishing ~50-60 spindles is a lot of very boring work. So you may have dodged a bullet on that one.
    - bipson 6y ago
      Where my partner usually steps in is not safety, but time. It is great if you're able to build some things yourself. But the kid and in particular your partner need your hands on deck, not on the workbench for days on, just to end up with an unfinished crib. And there are so many other, more important things to do that cannot be outsourced that easily. And once the first kid is in the house, expect interruptions. Oh, kid has a "mild reaction" to a certain vaccination? Forget sleep, forget "stuff that needs to be done", survive while keeping the basics in order. And with more than one kid expect to be on call for every minute you are home. Nothing can go by uninterrupted if you have small kid and a toddler and only four hands. I envy everyone that has a different experience. Grandparents/relatives help a lot. COVID-19 does not. Projects suddenly need to be small or non-critical.
jeromenerf 6y ago
This other parent do the work, 60% of the time for the first child, then 15% more for each and every subsequent new born.
- jeromenerf 6y ago
  To be clear, it’s a statistical statement not what I vouch for.
beervirus 6y ago
You get a few months of lead time to get the house ready. Don’t waste it.
- mattlondon 6y ago
  100% agree with this. If there are any pending parents reading this, get all those outstanding things done now. "We'll do that once baby is born" - nope! Get the nursery set up as best you can, get the buggy/stroller unpacked and assembled, get a stockpile of nappies/diapers, fix that broken light switch or dripping tap etc, get the car serviced and the tyres changed etc. If you have any side-projects (or even games you are playing through) on the go, get them to a good place where you can stop and leave it for a while. I had grand ideas of continuing to hack away at some projects - even if it was just 15-30 minutes at a time - but of course like everyone says there is no time for that. I should have tied things off before baby arrived so things were neat and tidy (i.e. not in the middle or some epic refactor or juggling a bunch of PRs that need to be merged etc), left myself some notes, and then come back to it in 6-9 months when you get a bit more time again. There wont be time when baby arrives. Good luck! :-)
AussieWog93 6y ago
>how does a new parent find time for this? Speaking as a new parent, we have a knack for lighting our time (and sanity) on fire in order to provide things of marginal value to the baby. I'm talking things like boiling water before making formula, sterilising bottles and dummies, installing and then looking at baby monitors, feeding baby at regular intervals (even in the middle of the night), making the latest "Montessori" toys and cloth nappies, etc. etc. Anything that helps us fruitlessly burn ourselves out to the point that quality time with our newborn is seen as yet another problem will be welcomed with open arms.
m463 6y ago
ha. I think it's like when I ride my bike. I have idle brain cycles and I start thinking about improvements I could make to the bike-riding and that's how I got a bluetooth media button to skip around in podcasts while I ride (one ear only). this is for someone that has idle brain cycles while babysitting. (and possibly can't go anywhere and has a pi nearby)
srtjstjsj 6y ago
2 parent family. Sometimes with grandparents or aunts and uncles.
sorum 6y ago
Time can be found as a new parent, but it's really tough. My biggest question is, should a new parent spend time implementing this solution? More of a philosophical question, but from my POV if you're spending time implementing this, you're not valuing your time enough. For the creator (Fabio), it's arguably time well spent: define a problem, use your creative muscles to a functioning solution, document it and show the world your creation. All well and good. Tinkering to implement Fabio's solution, now that's where I see it being low-value usage of your own time. There's an opportunity cost to it; you could be spending time finding your own problem and creating a solution you could display.

You have less time, but you learn to organize and structure your time better. You also realize that if all you do is carry the baby, feed the baby and change diaper you will lose your mind, so you begin to find ways to push out work in 15-30mins increments. At least that's my story. :-D

rich_sasha 6y ago
Lucky you. Baby #1 required beyond constant attention, literally like 30hr per day (healthy just needy). Baby #2 is sweet and easygoing, but then there’s 2 of them...
- mattlondon 6y ago
  Agreed. We found Baby #1 to at times be a full-time job for two people in the first couple of months. Down-time is precious precious precious. Either catch up on sleep, or relax as best you can. For me personally, consumption has largely taken over from creation which I am not sure how I feel about but its working so far :-)
  - bipson 6y ago
    You feel OK for now. There might be depression and increasing anger, once you realise the kid is still needy and your partner is now occupied with #2. On a more serious note, for me consumption at this point in my life is a vicious cycle that does not make me a happier or better person - yet the circumstances keep pushing me towards it.
- knicholes 6y ago
  I have compassion for your experience having two of my own where one still is difficult after seven years, but I'm here to nitpick and win the pedantry award on your addition of "literally" when it's impossible to take 30 hours per day, as a day is only 24.
  - boogies 6y ago
    Do I get to steal that pedantry award if I point out that two parents can take 48 person-hours a day?
    - AussieWog93 6y ago
      But the baby itself can only get attention for 24 hours per day. I think you need to give that pedantry award back. :P
      - boogies 6y ago
        I read it as “required beyond constant attention, literally like 30hr [of attention] per day”, not “required attention beyond constantly, literally for like 30hr per day.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
      - haser_au 6y ago
        No. Because why the child can only get attention for 24 hours per day, other tasks primarily focused on the child (buying nappies, cooking baby-friendly meals, washing bottles, etc.) are what Parent #2 is doing while Parent #1 looks after child.
    - dmqctx 6y ago
      Not a fan of pedantry. Would like to see less of it in the world.
  - BeetleB 6y ago
    You will not win that award. From Merriam Webster: > 2: in effect : VIRTUALLY —used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - rich_sasha 6y ago
    Although I meant my comment figuratively and in abuse of the word “literally”, I now feel compelled to defend it with lame grammar Nazi tactics: I said the baby requires attention for 30hrs a day. This does not mean it receives that much attention, rather that a prerequisite to it making it through the day is 30 [person-]hours a day, indeed split between a few people. One person entertains, the other washes bottles, etc. Tbh as a parent of 2 kids I barely have the time to write HN comments, I’m positively surprised how coherent it is in the first place...

tomkat0789 6y ago

Harder still is getting it past the spouse regulatory approval process.

mschuster91 6y ago
Not if your s/o is either a nerd herself or hasn't major issues with weird hacks. I got approval for converting our living room into something that could pass for a crossover between pub and disco - a wide assortment of liquors and actual stage worthy, DMX controlled lighting and effects. So much power that I had to run a new 32A circuit and re-wire the entire electrical distribution...
beervirus 6y ago
My wife has been pretty accommodating for any nerdery I want to engage in for taking care of the kids. The only project she really put her foot down on (and probably correctly so) was about building a crib myself. She figured there were a lot of safety standards about materials, size, bar spacing, etc. that were best left to the professionals.
- birken 6y ago
  I don't know your woodworking experience, but I don't think building a crib is dangerous at all. The safety standards are pretty straightforward and they are very clearly spelled out. And for me at least, no mass manufactured piece of furniture is even close to a minimum quality that I'd build myself. On the other hand, a crib is a particularly annoying piece of furniture to build. First, it has to be able to break down, so that is an engineering challenge if you don't have experience with that. Second, it is a particularly monotonous thing to build, especially if you go with spindles all the way around. Cutting, sanding, assembling and finishing ~50-60 spindles is a lot of very boring work. So you may have dodged a bullet on that one.
  - bipson 6y ago
    Where my partner usually steps in is not safety, but time. It is great if you're able to build some things yourself. But the kid and in particular your partner need your hands on deck, not on the workbench for days on, just to end up with an unfinished crib. And there are so many other, more important things to do that cannot be outsourced that easily. And once the first kid is in the house, expect interruptions. Oh, kid has a "mild reaction" to a certain vaccination? Forget sleep, forget "stuff that needs to be done", survive while keeping the basics in order. And with more than one kid expect to be on call for every minute you are home. Nothing can go by uninterrupted if you have small kid and a toddler and only four hands. I envy everyone that has a different experience. Grandparents/relatives help a lot. COVID-19 does not. Projects suddenly need to be small or non-critical.

jeromenerf 6y ago

This other parent do the work, 60% of the time for the first child, then 15% more for each and every subsequent new born.

jeromenerf 6y ago
To be clear, it’s a statistical statement not what I vouch for.

beervirus 6y ago

You get a few months of lead time to get the house ready. Don’t waste it.

mattlondon 6y ago
100% agree with this. If there are any pending parents reading this, get all those outstanding things done now. "We'll do that once baby is born" - nope! Get the nursery set up as best you can, get the buggy/stroller unpacked and assembled, get a stockpile of nappies/diapers, fix that broken light switch or dripping tap etc, get the car serviced and the tyres changed etc. If you have any side-projects (or even games you are playing through) on the go, get them to a good place where you can stop and leave it for a while. I had grand ideas of continuing to hack away at some projects - even if it was just 15-30 minutes at a time - but of course like everyone says there is no time for that. I should have tied things off before baby arrived so things were neat and tidy (i.e. not in the middle or some epic refactor or juggling a bunch of PRs that need to be merged etc), left myself some notes, and then come back to it in 6-9 months when you get a bit more time again. There wont be time when baby arrives. Good luck! :-)

AussieWog93 6y ago

>how does a new parent find time for this? Speaking as a new parent, we have a knack for lighting our time (and sanity) on fire in order to provide things of marginal value to the baby. I'm talking things like boiling water before making formula, sterilising bottles and dummies, installing and then looking at baby monitors, feeding baby at regular intervals (even in the middle of the night), making the latest "Montessori" toys and cloth nappies, etc. etc. Anything that helps us fruitlessly burn ourselves out to the point that quality time with our newborn is seen as yet another problem will be welcomed with open arms.

m463 6y ago

ha. I think it's like when I ride my bike. I have idle brain cycles and I start thinking about improvements I could make to the bike-riding and that's how I got a bluetooth media button to skip around in podcasts while I ride (one ear only). this is for someone that has idle brain cycles while babysitting. (and possibly can't go anywhere and has a pi nearby)

srtjstjsj 6y ago

2 parent family. Sometimes with grandparents or aunts and uncles.

sorum 6y ago

Time can be found as a new parent, but it's really tough. My biggest question is, should a new parent spend time implementing this solution? More of a philosophical question, but from my POV if you're spending time implementing this, you're not valuing your time enough. For the creator (Fabio), it's arguably time well spent: define a problem, use your creative muscles to a functioning solution, document it and show the world your creation. All well and good. Tinkering to implement Fabio's solution, now that's where I see it being low-value usage of your own time. There's an opportunity cost to it; you could be spending time finding your own problem and creating a solution you could display.