Λntonio Member Jun 25, 2024 1,102 That is title says it all. I already preordered the Switch 2 because I think it will be a good choice to take advantage of short sessions. I am already aware I wont be able to sit in front of the PC or the TV for the foreseeable future thats also why I bought the Switch 2. Any other advice from parents, also recent ones?  Slackerchan Member Oct 25, 2017 1,755 Austin, TX I have friends who went through similar gaming crises. Portables like a Switch or Steam Deck are the way to go, something you can hold while cradling the kid. Focus on shorter games or ones that can be played in spurts without significant session commitment requirements (deck builders, etc.).   Var Avenger Oct 25, 2017 1,701 I got more gaming done during the first year of my son's life than I did the year before. portables are the way to go and anything offline because you are going to need to take frequent breaks and be able to stop immediately at any time. Toddler stage is when my gaming really ground to a halt. You need to have eyes on them pretty much all the time because they are mobile and extremely curious with zero sense of self preservation.  thetrin Member Oct 26, 2017 10,740 Grand Junction, CO My friends who have kids have told me "seize every small moment you have, focus on gamea you can play in short spurts". Seems like pretty good advice.   Taco_Human Member Jan 6, 2018 4,925 MA you are already dead (time to go portable)   Audiblee Member Mar 14, 2025 1,659 Handhelds were a godsend when my girl was born.   Mephissto Member Mar 8, 2024 1,218 Mobile consoles when they are small and sleep a lot Early bedtime later for the kiddo Less sleeping for you These are methods at least :D Still get a good amount of hours into gaming.  OhhEldenRing Member Aug 14, 2024 2,884 Seriously don't even think about games. Just enjoy the next few months getting to know him because he's going to be watching you all the time. My son is 5 months and his sister three years old. I'm making up the time now for all the Elden Ring sessions I spent when she was several months old. Play with your kiddo and get an hour in after everyone goes to bed.   Veelk Member Oct 25, 2017 15,530 Offer your son up for adoption   topplehat Member Oct 27, 2017 1,083 Austin, TX Portables and anything that can quickly be paused and resumed. When you have time to game do it (don't get distracted by your phone). Can also get some gaming in while the little one is doing a contact nap. Honestly sometimes you may just not want to play because you're tired - that's fine too! I have a two month old and I don't really play my desktop PC anymore (sometimes I stream from it). Mostly Steam Deck, Switch, and PS5.  Bishop89 What Are Ya' Selling? Member Oct 25, 2017 42,785 Melbourne, Australia Λntonio said: I am already aware I wont be able to sit in front of the PC or the TV Click to expand... Click to shrink... Says who?   TheRuralJuror Member Oct 25, 2017 6,972 Handhelds are always nice when they're young, anything you can put to sleep quickly if needed. Personally, my son never stopped me from playing games nor giving him a ton of love and attention. Lol, was smooching him on his big head last night (he's 17 now, can't believe it still). Before you know it, he'll be your gaming partner in crime.   CJohn Member Oct 30, 2017 1,436 I play after everyone goes to bed. Portal and Switch have also helped.   Steve McQueen Member Nov 1, 2017 2,192 Netherlands Go portable. That's what I did in 2000 when my daughter was born. Playing games in short sessions will do.  DeanMuffin Member Oct 22, 2020 11 The change in how much you play after a child can be different for everyone because i don't know how your current gaming habits are but in my case it hasn't changed much and I still get to game. My son is almost two now and I play a few evenings a week when he's in bed, prior to my son being born I wouldn't play earlier than that anyway as I still had to make dinner and do chores around the apartment. So it hasn't changed too much, apart from some nights your too tired to bother of course. Up until 6 months was a totally different story though, I actually found myself gaming way more. He was a terrible sleeper unless laying on my chest so I'd find myself on the sofa with him asleep on me at ridiculous hours and just passing the time playing games. I completed both Spiderman 2 and Sea of Stars (both 100%) during that period. So yeah, as long as you love games enough you'll make it work! Just make sure to keep strong communication with your partner when it comes to what helps you get by the tough times, for example, making some time to game.  Izanagi89 "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Member Oct 27, 2017 18,856 You play more games when they're babies. Even with my first born who was colic I remember pumping 130+ hours into DQ11 that first month lol Just enjoy it. You'll find your rhythm with baby, work, life and games.   LowParry Member Oct 26, 2017 6,178 The first like 6 months you'll be so focused on your family, gaming is kind of an after thought. That doesn't mean you'll have down time but most times you'll probably be exhausted and will want to nap instead. Gaming doesn't just go away when you have kids. It'll slowly come back.   superNESjoe Developer at Limited Run Games Verified Oct 26, 2017 1,183 I've got a 7 and 9 year old. The first few years was a lot of 3DS and Switch. Handhelds and forfeiting sleep are how you squeeze games in.   Red Hunter Member May 28, 2024 1,527 I'd argue you have it easier than anyone with the Switch 2 lol   Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 2,338 Λntonio said: I am already aware I wont be able to sit in front of the PC or the TV for the foreseeable future Click to expand... Click to shrink... Never know until you try   Red UFO Member Oct 25, 2017 1,467 You don't need to give up games, but you do need to accept that the amount of games, and the way you play them, will be forever changed.   Geeker Member May 11, 2019 746 You will come to absolutely hate any time wasting bullshit in any game   kxs Member Jul 25, 2022 1,198 Don't over think it. It's just video games. My tip - play games that you can pause at anytime! I know some folks swear on portable devices. But even after becoming a father I prefer a home console or PC set up rather than portable device. Steam Deck, Switch, Portal etc isn't for everyone. Also stick to just one or two games at a time. Don't juggle a bunch of stuff.  CommodoreKong Member Oct 25, 2017 8,577 Get a PC handheld like a Steam Deck or ROG Ally X.   Zekes Member Oct 25, 2017 7,961 The first few months at least you might be doing a lot of couch sitting which leads to lots of gaming time, don't sweat it   Nesther Member Oct 27, 2017 2,318 Switzerland Idunno but I bought and finished Dragon's Dogma 2 after my kid was born. He slept on my chest or in the living room crib and wasn't bothered by my playing. Just play non-online games and you won't have to give up gaming.   Rocketz Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 8,610 Metro Detroit You'll still plenty of time when they are first born. As they get older times will change. Most of my time now is after everyone is in bed.   Vanguard Member Jan 15, 2025 610 Babies take a lot of naps. You can do a lot of gaming.   BasilZero Member Oct 25, 2017 39,994 Omni Name your child - Switch 3 so it wont be giving up games.   Neoxon Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst Member Oct 25, 2017 93,540 Houston, TX Just grab a Switch 2 or a Steam Deck, & it sounds like you did the former.   Last edited: 53 minutes ago Nekyrrev Member Oct 28, 2017 1,191 My advice is: stop playing 80h games and sleep less. Enjoy. Real talk tho, it is possible to keep playing even with kids. Gaming time will become more special. You have to make the most of nap time during the the day and sleep time in the evening.  Ombala Member Oct 30, 2017 2,502 Spend all the time you can with your son as he grows up, you will regret it later if you don't.   Noctis Winters Member Sep 23, 2018 1,852 Like most people have pointed out - handhelds can come in clutch. But don't forget about mobile games, especially ones that can be played one handed and dipped in and out of fairly easily. I can't suggest much in the way of mobile games but I did play a lot of Infinity Nikki and it was super casual to pick up and put down, on both mobile and console w/ cross progression. Plenty on mobile basically designed to be approached this way so there's bound to be something to your liking on the platform. Something like a PS Portal or a laptop to stream / remote play your console / other games library could be handy too. Especially if+when the main TV starts getting taken over.  Spenny Member Oct 25, 2017 5,907 east depends on the temperament of the baby. i had my infant brother who was a good sleeper. i'd make the room dark, put him on my chest, and rock until he fell asleep. then i'd play gears multiplayer with my friends   Zekes Member Oct 25, 2017 7,961 Nesther said: Idunno but I bought and finished Dragon's Dogma 2 after my kid was born. He slept on my chest or in the living room crib and wasn't bothered by my playing. Just play non-online games and you won't have to give up gaming. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yup, when my son was born I played through all of Elden Ring while he napped on me for a couple hours at a time. I just used headphones   KanjoBazooie ▲ Legend ▲ Avenger Oct 26, 2017 32,740 Chicago It's really not that bad. I still get to game. It's less time for sure but that's not really a bad thing. Spending time with my kid and seeing them grow and experience new things has been infinitely more valuable than playing a game then coming to Era to talk about it. My little one picked up on games because of me and now likes playing them with me. Although we limit his screen time I still enjoy every second with him. Now we have another on the way. Just enjoy it OP, babies are different; when ours fall asleep he rarely ever woke up in the middle of the night so we just got to do whatever lol. Here's to hoping the universe's RNG blesses you. Also Switch is godtier for gaming while on mommy or daddy duty. It's also the first game console we introduced our son to.  Grakchawwaa Member Mar 10, 2022 660 I just had a baby two months ago and gaming time is going to depend on how you handle their awful sleeping patterns the first few months. I have one hour or so a night when the wife takes him upstairs that I can game or watch a show but to be honest I'm usually exhausted and kinda just go to sleep. I bought a used steam deck and that has been nice. You'll find the time when you can but just be ready to pop up and tend to the baby so any game will have to be built around pausing often.  Vgorilla3774 Member Sep 21, 2020 716 Rocketz said: You'll still plenty of time when they are first born. As they get older times will change. Most of my time now is after everyone is in bed. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Pretty much this. Peak "I have no time at all" years (at least IMO) are from like 2-5/6. Before that they spend a lot of time sleeping and/or being immobile. Once they start walking and talking, then you're on duty through bedtime until they start to gain some independence. Then you'll eventually hit a point where you want them to have less independence, lol  Babba Member Nov 2, 2017 41 Portables and shorter games. Games where ypu can make progress in short sessions. Forget about the 100hr long games, unless you want to spend half year to a whole year playing it.   ElephantShell 10,000,000 Member Oct 25, 2017 12,042 Steam Deck was huge for me. One of my best friends just had a kid and it's been huge for him too. Switch 2 will probably serve the same purpose so no need to go out and buy a Steam Deck. But the convenience of being able to pull out a handled is no nice. That plus changing the types of games you're playing. Anything multiplayer probably isn't going to happen since you need to be able to put the game down at a moments notice. Try to get into some nice, slow paced games you can pick up and put down. Roguelikes work well since you can just bang out a couple runs when you have time. JRPGs as well because of the pace and the ability to just pause or put the system into sleep mode and pick it back up later. This is for the newborn stage when they don't really have routines. Once their sleep/nap/bedtime actually starts to settle into a pattern it's not that hard to get back into gaming on a TV or at a desk, and playing whatever you want.  Skies Member Oct 25, 2017 3,448 First year newborn sleep. A LOT. As long as you play around their sleep schedule, you should have plenty of opportunities to play on PC and/or console. It gets more difficult when they get older, but even then you have nap time and after they go to sleep to get some time in. You really only need a portable if you are trying to play when they are awake. I have played Switch from time to time with them awake, but only games they are interested in and can either watch me play and/or try it out themselves. Otherwise I would rather have my attention/time spent with them, and just play whatever I am currently playing at night when they go to bed. Sometimes I even wake up early to get some time in. Edit: the biggest sacrifice is playing with friends online. It's almost impossible to set up a good time and even then plans can change at the drop of a hat. I've pretty much given up setting sessions up with others I know, and if I want to play online it's mostly with randoms.  geehepea Member Aug 5, 2024 359 My kid was born at the end of last year, still find time to game as a way to relax almost every day. Steam deck is preferred as I can stop at any time easily but still found time to play Clair obscur on the Xbox and doom dark ages on pc. You'll find time to yourself, just a lot less than you used to  Jubilant Duck Member Oct 21, 2022 9,251 Fathers are only allowed to play one of three games, which they keep installed on the family computer: SimCity Microsoft Flight Simulator Doom, the 1993 original, which they didn't buy but instead were given an illegally copied floppy by a coworker. Your gaming life outside of these three titles is over until your child grows old enough to want a gameboy at which point you can pinch it to fuel a Tetris addiction. You chose this life.  OrakioRob Member Oct 25, 2017 3,828 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Getting a Switch 2 surely was a great start. I'm not really into portables, but when my son was born I not only learned to love portable gaming, but also some genres I never really cared about. For instance, PINBALL! Sessions are short, you can play in tate mode (vertical) on Switch and all you need is the touch screen. I went from "pinball looks very boring" to absolutely loving pinball. So, that's my advice: try genres you're not interested in. You might be surprised by how much the changes in your house might affect your gaming tastes.  WillyGubbins Member Oct 27, 2017 1,650 Glasgow I played through most of one of the Souls games with my daughter asleep on my lap. When she was a baby she'd nap for a couple of hours so I took the chance whenever I could to play. Headphones help a lot, found that out the hard way.   kimbo99 Member Feb 21, 2021 5,132 OhhEldenRing said: Seriously don't even think about games. Just enjoy the next few months getting to know him because he's going to be watching you all the time. My son is 5 months and his sister three years old. I'm making up the time now for all the Elden Ring sessions I spent when she was several months old. Play with your kiddo and get an hour in after everyone goes to bed. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The only right answer. Enjoy the time when they are like this before it's "bye guys, I'm going off to college". With that being said if you must game, go handheld.  jon bones Member Oct 25, 2017 27,659 NYC 1 small baby probably has a positive impact on your gaming time - they sleep a lot for a while later you'll need to enjoy mobile & handheld gaming more, and bump that time up against sleep, other hobbies, etc if you want to be an attentive partner & dad  Garrison Member Oct 27, 2017 3,370 It's over homie.   ¡Hip Hop! Member Nov 9, 2017 1,861 You're already thinking ahead with the Switch 2 pre-order. They sleep a lot for a while, that will help. But if you plan to be a good dad, forget about gaming during the first few months. I was more exhausted than I've ever been, although my son was born at the height of lockdowns and we had no help.   ArchStanton Member Oct 29, 2017 1,378 Mephissto said: Mobile consoles when they are small and sleep a lot Early bedtime later for the kiddo Less sleeping for you These are methods at least :D Still get a good amount of hours into gaming. Click to expand... Click to shrink... This is good advice, OP. When my kiddo was born, I played Steam Deck while I was on overnight duty while my wife rested. Once they reach an age where they can nap and sleep (nighttime) on a more routine schedule, you'll have openings to play games on consoles or PCs. Your time (and your life!) won't be the same, but embrace it. Some advice from parents who are a little further ahead of me -- so I've yet to live this part -- but I'm told that you've only got about 10-12 years where your kiddo thinks you're the best before they start being pulled away by their friends and their own interests, so I would highly consider sacrificing gaming time whenever possible. And since your sleep will be impacted, especially at the newborn stage, I would DEFINITELY put your sleep needs way above any gaming itch you may have. Congratulations, OP! Parenthood is tough, but rewarding in ways that words cannot articulate.