Any tips for gamers becoming parents?

Lucid Rifter

Lucid Rifter

VR Master Race
Cornerstone Member
Sep 11, 2013
1,509
585
11,470
So they're going to induce labor on Saturday for my boy. We are really excited! This is our first, so I'm unsure what to expect on a day to day basis. Everyone keeps saying to throw your games away cause the baby is going to take up all your time.

My question is, where does the time go then? Yeah, change, bathe, feed (wife's job), clean etc... all need to be done. Baby will cry a lot and we'll need to take care of him. I get all that, but how much time does that really take out of your day? Why can't I play a game for an hour like I normally do every once in a while but take care of kid when he needs it? We have a pretty good situation. We have a nursery, wife and I will sleep in separate bedrooms and take turns watching monitor for a while and mother in law will take care of him during the day.

Any gaming parents here with real experience and tips to keep being yourself but also be a responsible parent? I understand I'm not gonna have as much time as usual and this post may come off as selfish, but people make it sound like your life ends when you have children. I refuse to believe that.
 
Last edited:
Babies sleep a lot, but require a lot of attention while they are awake. After 6 months they'll sleep 12 hours if you're lucky (mine goes from 7pm until 7am)...so, if you game at night, you should still have a decent amount of time to do that. For me, I found that my other gaming time (weekends, when I get home from work) is what I lost (hell, I lost a lot of that when we moved in together because she's always planning stuff to do on the weekend). You'll have to pick up the slack around the house to compensate for your wife spending all her time feeding or pumping.

So, even when the baby is sleeping, you're running around trying to do all the other stuff you didn't have time to do when the baby is awake. Baby's down for a nap? Can you run to the store and grab diapers, formula, etc? Baby's up when you get home. Baby goes down for another nap? Go food shopping, do laundry, take out garbage, cut the lawn, make dinner, put away dishes (you'll be doing at least 1 dishwasher a day with all the extra bottles and s***). Baby's down for another nap? You'll need a nap because you're losing sleep and doing all that other s***. Its easy to think, well, my wife will take care of the baby and all that stuff around the house. Wrong. My wife initially did the breast feeding thing but moved to pumping because the baby wasn't latching all that well. Feeding and pumping take 30-40 minutes and she can't do anything else while she's doing it, and, on top of that, she's going to be tired as hell.

PS, welcome to fatherhood, you poor bastard. ;)
 
Last edited:
Generally, my weekday goes:

Wake up at 7:15 and go to work, be home by 6. Wife usually has dinner ready but I'll probably be doing that seeing as she will be picking up the baby after work. I do dishes and trash already. She does laundry and we both clean. So after dinner, We will hang out until around 830 and then I'll hangout/play games in the man cave until 11 while she does her thing. We really never have plans on the weekends(kind of losers in a town we don't know anybody), so I'll do chores on the weekend and game. Date nights are Fridays where we go out or pick up dinner and watch a movie. Usually the occasional Rum and Coke as well. :) Saturday and Sunday are usually wide open. I kind of designed my life to be a hermit, so I guess I got that going for me.

We stocked up on diapers already. Got huge boxes from sams club every time we went grocery shopping ever since we found out we're having a baby. I'm also lucky I live so close to everything. My location is great so running errands doesnt take very long.
 
Don't make the mistake of turning them on to video games. I did with mine and for example came home from work early today to play Arkham and guess who's hogging my copy now?
 
Oblong said:
Don't make the mistake of turning them on to video games. I did with mine and for example came home from work early today to play Arkham and guess who's hogging my copy now?
Click to expand...

If he likes games, can't wait to help him build his first PC. :)
 
My gaming time usually goes from 9:30pm (when my wife goes to bed) until I go to bed on Mon, Tues and Thursday nights (Wed and Fri nights I bartend). However, my wife is a teacher so she stays up later in the summer time....she went to bed at 10:30 last night forcing me to stay up until 12:30 to get my 2 hours of Batman in last night.

On the weekend I get up and help with the baby and in between naps do my s*** around that house. During the baby's awake hours we're either entertaining her or making trips to Buy Buy Baby/Home Depot/Michael's (if we have time)....yes I'm actually Frank the Tank. If not that we're going to some sort of family party or some other social function....then at night we put her down and on the weekend I watch TV with the wife.

I think, this summer I am going to start putting some benedryl in her wine.
 
- Buy your diapers on sale at Costco, try to estimate sizing and need. This is due to baby's being step sizes 1, 2, 3 etc.... Big box of diapers can be 150-200. So stock up, but not too much or else you're stuck with sizes too small. You can play safe by buying a big box at a time
- Buy big boxes of baby wipes too, and don't forget lotion
- Look for laundry detergent that is eco safe and baby safe. It's supposed to be more gentle.... who knows maybe they aren't. But worth looking into
- Look into a thing called the Diaper Genie. It goes for about $40-50. It's specialized for storing dirty diapers neat and tidy so you can trash them efficiently and not smell up the place
- I think Sears USA has this (not in Canada), but I think they have some kind of kids deal where if you buy clothes there and they outgrow them you can refund them or something. Sounds too good to be true, but look into it
- If you put your kids through daycare down the line (if mom in law isn't there anymore), it can be about $800-1,000/mth. A portion should be tax deductible
- Look for all the tax deductions you can claim for your kid
- When changing diapers, do not stand right at your baby's toes, stand sideways to your kid. If you stand at the end, a baby can splash you with shyt

Most importantly....

- Some babies are cryers. Some aren't. If yours is a cryer, so be it. It's not your fault
 
You'll probably have to fit in gaming later in the evening when everyone's in bed. Although it sounds like you won't be doing any changing, bathing etc. which could give you more time..and make your partner resent you a bit.

I think MisterxboxNJ has described it quite well overall though. When they're awake babies take up pretty much all your time, and if you try leave all the baby entertainment up to one person you'll probably find they get pissed off quite quickly. I suppose it also depends on how your partner is, but if I (for example) tried disappearing to play on the computer every time she was feeding, my gf would be annoyed and think I was taking advantage of the fact that I can't breastfeed. Having said that, my gf doesn't like consoles and thinks they're a waste of time. We also (generally) spend time in the same room when we're home if we're both awake. I think it's because I work shifts so (when she was still working) we spent as much time together as we could when we could.

Also, having a parent to undertake childcare duties should not be taken for granted. Buy them some flowers every once in a while.

I had a baby boy 4 months ago btw so hardly the font of all knowledge lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lucid Rifter
I game after the kids are asleep and the wife is usually passing out on the couch watching TV by that point. I would also recommend unless you have a dedicated gaming room that you get a nice stereo headset to game with at night.

Kids are awesome but yeah they do take a lot of time but you will love every minute of it (mostly!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lucid Rifter
He's right about the headset. I managed to hook some earphones up to my 360 by modifying some of the cables and it means gaming in silence without having to buy a headset. That's gained me some hours I wouldn't have otherwise had.
 
Intellivision said:
- Look into a thing called the Diaper Genie. It goes for about $40-50. It's specialized for storing dirty diapers neat and tidy so you can trash them efficiently and not smell up the place
- I think Sears USA has this (not in Canada), but I think they have some kind of kids deal where if you buy clothes there and they outgrow them you can refund them or something. Sounds too good to be true, but look into it
- If you put your kids through daycare down the line (if mom in law isn't there anymore), it can be about $800-1,000/mth. A portion should be tax deductible
- Look for all the tax deductions you can claim for your kid
- When changing diapers, do not stand right at your baby's toes, stand sideways to your kid. If you stand at the end, a baby can splash you with shyt
Click to expand...

We got the diaper Genie. Not sure if I'll be able to stand the smell. lol I'm a gagger.
Have TONS of clothes, very fortunate people at work and family members gave us lots for all ages.
I hope we don't have to go daycare route, would suck to lose all that income better spent on VR stuff. :p
We have a changing table that has us at the side. I'm sure I'll take a shot of some fluid though haha.

Doesn't seem like I'll have TOO much of an adjustment in the early days. Becoming a father is a strange thing.
 
BraddersTheDog said:
He's right about the headset. I managed to hook some earphones up to my 360 by modifying some of the cables and it means gaming in silence without having to buy a headset. That's gained me some hours I wouldn't have otherwise had.
Click to expand...

I mainly play PC games in my man cave. Have a good set of headphones and even a Buttkicker gamer 2 (a must for every computer chair gamer IMO!). Sound proofed the hell outta the room too. PS4 is out in living room but I don't really play it all that often.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buttkicker-...290?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b1367cf32

Great for bass when you need to be quiet!

EDIT: Didn't know Amazon was censored here.
 
Last edited:
I met my ex when his daughter was 13 months old, and had never been exposed to kids too much.

It was... Chaotic. Just try and not kill the kid. Don't read those stupid books written by arseholes trying to make you feel bad by their superior technique.

You'll find what works for you.

My brothers kid was born with reflux and something else, and refused to sleep for pretty much the first two years. (I assumed it was going to be a model)

Enjoy the experience of just having one too. Once they start out numbering you, you're f***ed.

Also, don't be afraid to put weight on. And if you didn't know Spanish, after a few years of Dora The Mofo Explorer, you'll be fluent!

How much tv is too much tv? There is none! And they love iPads at a young age, get one.

And for the parents, savour your alone time. And a glass of wine wont kill you. Keep your friends too. You'll appreciate being able to talk about something that doesn't begin with "The baby did...". You'll go crazy otherwise.

I have s***loads of clients that join mothers groups once they've given birth. Join them, but don't be afraid to ditch them once you don't need them.

(You wont see my parenting technique advertised, but our daughter ended up skipping a grade, and was writting/reading at preschool. Suck on that lesbian mothers that all have "gifted" children!)

Xoxo
 
He'll be fiiiiiiiiiine. I got the Oculus babysitter.

2v2fwx4.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Plainview
Look at that little bugger watching VR womb software and thinking he's chewing on his umbilical cord. Adorable! :laugh:
 
Lucid Rifter said:
So they're going to induce labor on Saturday for my boy. We are really excited! This is our first, so I'm unsure what to expect on a day to day basis. Everyone keeps saying to throw your games away cause the baby is going to take up all your time.

My question is, where does the time go then? Yeah, change, bathe, feed (wife's job), clean etc... all need to be done. Baby will cry a lot and we'll need to take care of him. I get all that, but how much time does that really take out of your day? Why can't I play a game for an hour like I normally do every once in a while but take care of kid when he needs it? We have a pretty good situation. We have a nursery, wife and I will sleep in separate bedrooms and take turns watching monitor for a while and mother in law will take care of him during the day.

Any gaming parents here with real experience and tips to keep being yourself but also be a responsible parent? I understand I'm not gonna have as much time as usual and this post may come off as selfish, but people make it sound like your life ends when you have children. I refuse to believe that.
Click to expand...

Your life is only starting when you have kids and anyone who tells you otherwise is talking out their ass. It's an adjustment to your lifestyle and that's all. I have a four year old boy, work a 60 hour week, do on call at weekends, have a 4 hour commute some days and I still play games in my free time. So don't worry about it. I just introduced my son to viva piñata last weekend and he loves it. Think of all those great moments that are coming for you. :-)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MilkManX and Lucid Rifter
You'll be fine. Yes, the first initial months will be hectic, but as a gamer....you'll find the time.


When my first daughter was born, it was like a week or 2 away from the release of Diablo 2. I was in the beta earlier, and I remember thinking "how am I going to find time to play D2?". I found it, and mind you, my first daughter had colic for 4 months.

Thing is, as much attention as babies need....they also sleep a lot. Yes, you're going to play less...bank on that, but you'll still manage to squeeze in some time for yourself. Actually, saying that, it's remember for you to not forget yourself. Forgetting yourself is a quick ticket to feeling resentment, tiredness, depression, etc.

My daughters will now be 15 and 7 in a week and a half....and I haven't stopped gaming, spending time with my wife, my other hobbies, etc. You just need to change your schedule.





And yes, your life does change....however, with the right mind set....it changes for the better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D-V-ANT and Lucid Rifter
If your son is like mine, when he was born, he'll sleep a couple hours then be awake a couple. Your wife might currently think she will take care of the baby so you can sleep at night. lol This wont last long, get ready to go without a full nights rest for a few months. On the bright side you are getting some help from your mom in-law. During this time you might opt for sleep instead of gaming. Never fear though, after a few months your baby will start sleeping through the night. It is most difficult at the beginning then gradually gets easier.
 
Well we had baby Marco Sunday morning at 230AM. Have the week off to help around the house. I'm almost too bored right now tbh because we have done so much preparation. lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Z A C K
Lucid Rifter said:
Well we had baby Marco Sunday morning at 230AM. Have the week off to help around the house. I'm almost too bored right now tbh because we have done so much preparation. lol
Click to expand...

Congrats to you and your new family. I hope all are doing well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lucid Rifter
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back