Re:Ask HN: Is There a Manual for Babies?
by stevekemp on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @08:32AM
(#23916236)
> and they tend to be pseudoscience, even the ones written by academics.
Very true.
And you will find yourself inundated with advice from other parents, constantly. Each will tell you their perfect system/approach for dealing with a particular problem, and the this will be met with opposite advice from another.
The thing to remember is that there are things that are broadly true of all children, but children are individuals. Even at a tiny age.
I know people with seven year olds who won't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. I know people who've had babies that slept overnight, with no screaming/issues from 9 months onward.
My only real contribution here would be to suggest "cloth diapers". They're easy to work with, if you have decent laundry facilities, and they'll save you a fortune over the use of disposable ones for the 1-4 years you'll need them.
Regardless of good/bad sleep and adaptation take some time to yourself, and make sure you give your partner space, regularly. I've known people who've never gone out until their child was five! It's rough the first time you leave your baby with a sitter/friend/neighbour, but it's crucial for your well-being to have at least some time out/off/away.
Very true.
And you will find yourself inundated with advice from other parents, constantly. Each will tell you their perfect system/approach for dealing with a particular problem, and the this will be met with opposite advice from another.
The thing to remember is that there are things that are broadly true of all children, but children are individuals. Even at a tiny age.
I know people with seven year olds who won't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. I know people who've had babies that slept overnight, with no screaming/issues from 9 months onward.
My only real contribution here would be to suggest "cloth diapers". They're easy to work with, if you have decent laundry facilities, and they'll save you a fortune over the use of disposable ones for the 1-4 years you'll need them.
Regardless of good/bad sleep and adaptation take some time to yourself, and make sure you give your partner space, regularly. I've known people who've never gone out until their child was five! It's rough the first time you leave your baby with a sitter/friend/neighbour, but it's crucial for your well-being to have at least some time out/off/away.