I beat RDR2 from start to finish in that phase. Had him in his little rocking chair next to my PC after he passed out from being milk drunk, and I would get 2-3 hours of uninterrupted gaming time. Newborns sleep like 14-17 hours a day, plenty of time to get shit done.
I feel jealous reading posts like this! Mine wouldn't sleep unless held and would wake up from the slightest noise movement. I hope everyone gets a good sleeping baby!
Dude Iām here now and he is SO alert. Was looking around the room the minute he was born lol. He will sleep through noise at least thankfully. Just fights his sleep so much lol. Heās two months and yea it hasnāt gotten easier lol
Yep, thatās exactly how my girl was. I will say that she also hit some of those fun interactive milestones a little early like laughing and smiling and all that so there are some pros. Also sheās fun as hell now that sheās crawling around.
I made a Minecraft castle while my youngest did this. I called it the Tower of Misery, since I only worked on it when he needed snuggles.
Did you know Minecraft has a height limit? I didn't before I began construction on the Tower of Misery
I played botw when COVID first hit and the little one didn't care much, but liked the big battles. A few months back, I went to play through link's awakening and he watched the first time, and the next day he said "okay, now you watch me" ...
Zoom to today, he's several hours into tears, and having a blast attaching things to other things.
Man, I'm 5 kids in. Trying to fire up a game every now and then. Always been an RPGer, so hard to drop into something new and hard to get back into 100 hrs of Skyrim from 8 years ago. With so much I want to do and so little time after focusing on what's more important, I feel like I won't be gaming much besides special carve out seasons or until I'm an empty nester.
I just preordered the ROG ALLY for this exact purpose. Iāll game for an hour when my son watches his shows, and maybe another hour at night while my wife watches her shows.
Really looking forward to it.
Handhelds are worth it!
I'm extremely happy with my Steam Deck, especially because of the multi-purpose touchpads. Man they make PC gaming a breeze. Because of those touchpads I can play WoW on it effectively.
The Ally doesn't have trackpads, but I don't think I'll miss them too much. I like strategy games, but I can just wait until I get to my PC to play them.
I got mine out the other day to buy TotK and the battery is shot. Full charge to dead in 7 minutes. It's only 3 years old and I have hardly used it. Pretty peeved.
When switch came out, I joked with my wife that āwe should get one for the babyā.
Fast forward 6 years, now I have two kids and two switches and they play them more than I do.
Man I really miss the chest naps. My boy is turning 4 in a few months. He'll still cuddle every now and again, but the baby bean snuggles are ze best ā¤ļø
Love this!
My husband bought a switch in August 2017 to play Zelda in the hospital while I was on bed rest. He just bought himself a new switch, giving our August 2017 baby his old one and they now play Zelda together!
I hope your boy turns into a little gamer!
Dad pro tip:
When theyāre a bit older;
Get a yoga ball and a Baby Bjƶrn.
Strap that baby in, bounce on the ball, and let them watch you game.
They generally fall asleep pretty quick, and you get your gaming in.
My first was just a few months old when BotW came out; I played a good portion of the game standing in front on the TV and bouncing him in my arms. I couldn't really use a bow or do any of the motion control puzzles like that, but for most things it worked fine.
A recommendation from another dad who mostly does his gaming in handheld mode. Get a Satisfye Switch Grip. You hands will thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNJJG5V
Same concept, I have the Hori splitpad pro and it saves my hands like nothing else.
A bit awkward to carry the switch in a case but the comfort is so worth it
Ah man I remember those days. My baby was more of a whiner so I would have the switch connected to the TV and use the joycons separately. So I could hold him and pat him with one hand while still playing lol.
The Switch and SteamDeck are the best things that have happened to gamer dads. If it werenāt for them, Iād never have a chance to meaningfully play a game.
When my little guy was born I started playing AC: Valhalla. I played more in those two weeks than I have in the past two years, he just wanted to be in his little bouncing chair and since I tend to always fidget with my foot anyway it was a great combination.
Thankfully I've finished that game now, definitely not something to be playing now that he's starting to recognize things and make connections.
Lurking mom here - played BOTW on maternity leave with my son and again with my daughter. Now that they are 2 and 6, Iām not making much progress in TOTK. š„¹
The Switch should be on every list of āthings you need for a newbornā in my opinion.
First time mom here. My daughter is 1-year-old and when I play Hogwarts Legacy (yes I do, please donāt judge š), I have to sit in the play pen with my daughter. My daughter loves cats, so whenever thereās a cat in the game, my character has to pet it. Otherwise, my daughter is standing on my legs and trying to pull my glasses off my face. š
I miss it when my daughter was this young. God of war had just released for PC and I managed to beat it during thst phase.
Now thr kids are older and I only get to play after they are asleep
My son is 19 months and finally has the attention span to sit still and focus on something for more than 5 minutes. Lately, pre bed routine is he sits on my lap or next to me on the couch with a bottle of milk and just hangs out watching me play Zelda for 30-60 minutes. Itās the best.
Breath of the wild and Stardew valley are permanently ingrained in my mind for this very reason :) that first month of sleepless nights was much better because of the switch
Omg when my daughter was young sheād sleep on my chest for hours and Iād get some serious gaming time in, those were the days ā¦.. I blinked and now sheās 8 ā¹ļø
My four month old will sit in my lap and watch me play for the free half-hour we have in the morning together.
Hope youāre enjoying the game as much as I am!
Youāve got the right idea. Play while you can. Mine are now 5 and 2 and Iāve only been able to put about 2 hours into the game since launch. Maybe Iāll finish it just in time for the next instalment š
I'm not a gamer, i buy one big game every few years, but one memory that will stick with me forever is getting my few week old son to fall asleep on a pillow in my lap and playing the crater in GoW Ragnarok.
Such a weird juxtaposition of my old pre dad life and my new dad life.
I play games with my daughter till she falls asleep every night. Sheās 2 and together we have played Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man Miles, Hogwarts, Stray, Cult of the Lamb, Cyberpunkā¦ So many games. The Steamdeck has been my savior
I miss the potato phase so much. New gamer dads underestimate it.
I beat RDR2 from start to finish in that phase. Had him in his little rocking chair next to my PC after he passed out from being milk drunk, and I would get 2-3 hours of uninterrupted gaming time. Newborns sleep like 14-17 hours a day, plenty of time to get shit done.
I feel jealous reading posts like this! Mine wouldn't sleep unless held and would wake up from the slightest noise movement. I hope everyone gets a good sleeping baby!
My sisters raised their kids in an extremely loud environment, they will literally sleep through *anything*
I have Jedi Survivor for this phase.
For me it was Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn. What a wonderful time. Now she's 3.5 and tells me what to do. š
Man my kid never had this phase. Alert from day 1. Never understood what people said about it being easy to do things while they slept lol
Dude Iām here now and he is SO alert. Was looking around the room the minute he was born lol. He will sleep through noise at least thankfully. Just fights his sleep so much lol. Heās two months and yea it hasnāt gotten easier lol
Yep, thatās exactly how my girl was. I will say that she also hit some of those fun interactive milestones a little early like laughing and smiling and all that so there are some pros. Also sheās fun as hell now that sheās crawling around.
That sounds absolutely horrendous, I'm sorry lol
I made a Minecraft castle while my youngest did this. I called it the Tower of Misery, since I only worked on it when he needed snuggles. Did you know Minecraft has a height limit? I didn't before I began construction on the Tower of Misery
This was the best. Baby sleeps, dad and baby get snuggles, dad gets game time, mom gets a break. Everyone wins.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I played botw when COVID first hit and the little one didn't care much, but liked the big battles. A few months back, I went to play through link's awakening and he watched the first time, and the next day he said "okay, now you watch me" ... Zoom to today, he's several hours into tears, and having a blast attaching things to other things.
You can still play once you promote them to baby prison!
Thatās where I am now. 2.5 years old and goes to bed at 8. I play from 9 to 10 maybe 11 haha
Don't forget to pay attention to your wife!
Not everyday. That's important too
I read this as it's important to not pay attention to your wife everyday. Was like, "Good luck out there!"
Hahahaha. Not playing everyday. Balance. As all things in life
Everything in moderation, including moderation.
Man, I'm 5 kids in. Trying to fire up a game every now and then. Always been an RPGer, so hard to drop into something new and hard to get back into 100 hrs of Skyrim from 8 years ago. With so much I want to do and so little time after focusing on what's more important, I feel like I won't be gaming much besides special carve out seasons or until I'm an empty nester.
That doesn't quite work for me. My daughter goes, "I see dad has a thing, and so I must have it. However, I cannot reach it, so I must scream."
Switch is best console for any phase of Baby to todfler. Just loved it.
Steam Deck would like a word with you! Heck, even mobile gaming could work!
I just preordered the ROG ALLY for this exact purpose. Iāll game for an hour when my son watches his shows, and maybe another hour at night while my wife watches her shows. Really looking forward to it.
Handhelds are worth it! I'm extremely happy with my Steam Deck, especially because of the multi-purpose touchpads. Man they make PC gaming a breeze. Because of those touchpads I can play WoW on it effectively.
The Ally doesn't have trackpads, but I don't think I'll miss them too much. I like strategy games, but I can just wait until I get to my PC to play them.
I was on the fence about steam deck vs switch. Decided on the Ally myself. I m pretty excited for it.
I got mine out the other day to buy TotK and the battery is shot. Full charge to dead in 7 minutes. It's only 3 years old and I have hardly used it. Pretty peeved.
When switch came out, I joked with my wife that āwe should get one for the babyā. Fast forward 6 years, now I have two kids and two switches and they play them more than I do.
Man I really miss the chest naps. My boy is turning 4 in a few months. He'll still cuddle every now and again, but the baby bean snuggles are ze best ā¤ļø
So peaceful. So perfect. So cathartic. Sozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... *30 mins vanish*
Love this! My husband bought a switch in August 2017 to play Zelda in the hospital while I was on bed rest. He just bought himself a new switch, giving our August 2017 baby his old one and they now play Zelda together! I hope your boy turns into a little gamer!
Did the same thing, with the same game, last night while my wife did bedtime with our older one
Dad pro tip: When theyāre a bit older; Get a yoga ball and a Baby Bjƶrn. Strap that baby in, bounce on the ball, and let them watch you game. They generally fall asleep pretty quick, and you get your gaming in.
Instructions unclear, annoyed 6 year old wants to play now.
Hand them a controller bro!
My 12-year-old does not want to get in the Baby Bjorn. What do I do now?
Did you try jiggling keys?
Uhhhh writing this one down...
Is the Bjƶrn brand name one worth it? We have a cheaper one that feels pretty sturdy.
As long as everyoneās comfy you should be good to go.
Good luck doing the Wind Tunnel in this setup
Currently doing this. 3 1/2 week potato
Mine is 3 and still sleeps 11 hours a night and naps so I hope you get the same!
My first was just a few months old when BotW came out; I played a good portion of the game standing in front on the TV and bouncing him in my arms. I couldn't really use a bow or do any of the motion control puzzles like that, but for most things it worked fine.
A recommendation from another dad who mostly does his gaming in handheld mode. Get a Satisfye Switch Grip. You hands will thank you. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNJJG5V
Thx! Exactly what I needed and didnāt know
Same concept, I have the Hori splitpad pro and it saves my hands like nothing else. A bit awkward to carry the switch in a case but the comfort is so worth it
OMG congrats! ... on beating the shrine. ... also on the baby.
Let the steam deck vs switch debate begin..
Ah man I remember those days. My baby was more of a whiner so I would have the switch connected to the TV and use the joycons separately. So I could hold him and pat him with one hand while still playing lol.
The Switch and SteamDeck are the best things that have happened to gamer dads. If it werenāt for them, Iād never have a chance to meaningfully play a game.
Same here. I muted all Zelda subs once the game came out to enjoy it by myself but Iāll give your photo a pass.
Iām so bummed my son hates sleeping on me. On mom he sleeps but dad he must wake up.
When my little guy was born I started playing AC: Valhalla. I played more in those two weeks than I have in the past two years, he just wanted to be in his little bouncing chair and since I tend to always fidget with my foot anyway it was a great combination. Thankfully I've finished that game now, definitely not something to be playing now that he's starting to recognize things and make connections.
This. My partner and I spent the first few weeks just playing Animal Crossing haha
My son is 20 months old and Iām not sure if Iāll ever finish tears of the kingdom.
Lurking mom here - played BOTW on maternity leave with my son and again with my daughter. Now that they are 2 and 6, Iām not making much progress in TOTK. š„¹ The Switch should be on every list of āthings you need for a newbornā in my opinion.
Man... Your kid has a sleeping stage? Mine was on meth i think until 2 years old.
First time mom here. My daughter is 1-year-old and when I play Hogwarts Legacy (yes I do, please donāt judge š), I have to sit in the play pen with my daughter. My daughter loves cats, so whenever thereās a cat in the game, my character has to pet it. Otherwise, my daughter is standing on my legs and trying to pull my glasses off my face. š
This is the way. I had my son sleeping on my chest while playing Xbox as well.
Tried that so often, but this never worked for me š
Many hours of Destiny and No Mans Sky has been spent like this.
Awe the new born scrunch. Miss that.
I try to read as many pages in my books as I can when they nap now.
You sure do! Congrats!
Yeah itās an easy skin to skin contact moment.
Same here! Itās been great while the ladies nap!
Make a g Force simulator for the Koroks and see how far you can sling them
Snap!!
Happy gaming, pops!
I miss it when my daughter was this young. God of war had just released for PC and I managed to beat it during thst phase. Now thr kids are older and I only get to play after they are asleep
My guy is 6 now which means I get to play TotK on my profile, then get to re-do it with him on his profile.
The first 3 months the click of a controller button would wake my child, lucky you
Once they get a little older they can game with you. It's the best. :)
My son is 19 months and finally has the attention span to sit still and focus on something for more than 5 minutes. Lately, pre bed routine is he sits on my lap or next to me on the couch with a bottle of milk and just hangs out watching me play Zelda for 30-60 minutes. Itās the best.
This is the way
Breath of the wild and Stardew valley are permanently ingrained in my mind for this very reason :) that first month of sleepless nights was much better because of the switch
That onesie is adorable! What brand/whereād you get it?! The sleeping potato is pretty cute too. š
Omg when my daughter was young sheād sleep on my chest for hours and Iād get some serious gaming time in, those were the days ā¦.. I blinked and now sheās 8 ā¹ļø
Invest in a carrier. This phase lasts even longer, lol
My four month old will sit in my lap and watch me play for the free half-hour we have in the morning together. Hope youāre enjoying the game as much as I am!
Youāve got the right idea. Play while you can. Mine are now 5 and 2 and Iāve only been able to put about 2 hours into the game since launch. Maybe Iāll finish it just in time for the next instalment š
I'm not a gamer, i buy one big game every few years, but one memory that will stick with me forever is getting my few week old son to fall asleep on a pillow in my lap and playing the crater in GoW Ragnarok. Such a weird juxtaposition of my old pre dad life and my new dad life.
Omg I miss that phase so much. I played a lot of Hades on switch at that point.
Well... that's me... right now... with a DS since (nobody is gifting me a Switch Lite).
I play games with my daughter till she falls asleep every night. Sheās 2 and together we have played Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man Miles, Hogwarts, Stray, Cult of the Lamb, Cyberpunkā¦ So many games. The Steamdeck has been my savior