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KingColliwog
May 15, 2003

Let's go droogs

Hdip posted:

Having the baby in ergo during take off and landing wasn't allowed on the flights we've taken. During the flight baby slept great in it though.

Good to know in advance, landing and takeoff are usually pretty comfortable though so it shouldn't be a problem.

But that gets me thinking, does anyone have a good tip to make a flight easier on the baby? We have a total of 3 planes to take during the trip and I would very much enjoy not having a baby crying for 6 hours in a crammed plane while other passengers look at us with deep deep hatred. Any tips to make the take off and landing easier on baby ears? We heard that nursing (or feeding if my girlfriend no longer does that) during both of these would help a lot. Anything else?

Would welcome any tips on traveling with a 8 months old too if anyone has done it before. It's a "we change city every 4-5 days and everything has to fit in our backpacks except for the small umbrella stroller kind of trip.

KingColliwog fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Jan 30, 2016

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photomikey
Dec 30, 2012

KingColliwog posted:

Would welcome any tips on traveling with a 8 months old too if anyone has done it before. It's a "we change city every 4-5 days and everything has to fit in our backpacks except for the small umbrella stroller kind of trip.
Your 8 month old's day is probably divided into:
stay awake x hours
sleep y minutes
stay awake x hours
sleep y minutes
stay awake x hours
sleep y minutes
and so on.

Before your flight, try and get kiddo to stay awake maybe x +20% or so. Enough to be good and tired but not to meldown stage. Then, the closer your flight is to y, the better.

Hdip
Aug 21, 2002
Just have fun and enjoy it. I've traveled with my son a few times before he was 1 and with my daughter when she was 5 months or so. People on the plane are mostly accommodating. If you are obviously trying to soothe a baby no one is going to hate you if the baby makes noise. When the babies were that young I think they just nursed most of the flight and slept the rest of the time. Nursing is comforting so if their ears hurt then they'll probably want to nurse which will help with the ear thing. I've never had a big issue on a plane. The hardest part is you don't get to sleep yourself since you're trying to monitor a baby during the flight.

Also security lines have always been really easy with a baby. You don't have to go through the new scanners and get to go through the old metal detectors. You get to take bottles of water through (just say it's for the baby). I prefer to go through airport security with a baby now.

I've done Mexico trips with just an ergo and with umbrella strollers. The stroller is nice if you're going to be walking a lot and the streets are paved well enough. It's doable without a stroller too if you're going seriously light weight.

(forgot to click post last night)

Oh one more note I mentioned in a previous post. That whole thing where they let parents board first. Ignore that. Or at least one of you holding the baby ignore that. I go in with all the bags and get settled on the plane first and my wife and baby are among the last people to get on the plane. That way the baby has less time to be bored just sitting there while everyone loads. This is probably a bit more applicable to toddlers though.

Hdip fucked around with this message at 17:13 on Jan 30, 2016

KingColliwog
May 15, 2003

Let's go droogs
Thanks to both of you, we added that to the list of tips we have. It's going to be a 6 hour night flight so we hope that we can nurse-sleep-nurse and be done with it. That or have a baby which is fussy for a few days after we'll see! The stroller should be nice for most of portugal and spain. Probably won't be using it for Morocco but we'll only be there for 5 days or so. We figure it,s worth strapping one to one of the backpacks

zonohedron
Aug 14, 2006


KingColliwog posted:

Good to know in advance, landing and takeoff are usually pretty comfortable though so it shouldn't be a problem.

But that gets me thinking, does anyone have a good tip to make a flight easier on the baby? We have a total of 3 planes to take during the trip and I would very much enjoy not having a baby crying for 6 hours in a crammed plane while other passengers look at us with deep deep hatred. Any tips to make the take off and landing easier on baby ears? We heard that nursing (or feeding if my girlfriend no longer does that) during both of these would help a lot. Anything else?

Would welcome any tips on traveling with a 8 months old too if anyone has done it before. It's a "we change city every 4-5 days and everything has to fit in our backpacks except for the small umbrella stroller kind of trip.

Having traveled with a 9-month-old, I am not sure how I'd try to travel for more than a night away from home with just what was in my backpack!

As far as flying goes, being in a car seat really was better for my son, and not just because I believed he was safer - he was more comfortable, he had somewhere familiar to sleep, and I could tuck a blanket around him to make him feel snug. On the other hand, my younger son, at 10 months old, still screams at least one token shriek every time he's buckled into his seat, so while I would still bring a seat for him if I were flying with him, I imagine it would be much less fun.

Other things that helped: squeeze pouches of applesauce for a snack and several new things to gnaw on. Neither of my kids really used a pacifier even as a tiny baby, but if your kid still uses one by the time you're flying, have at least one familiar one and one unfamiliar-to-them one. I would also bring whatever lotion you normally use for them - airplane air is really dry.

Doorknob Slobber
Sep 10, 2006

by Fluffdaddy
Does anyone have any advice for teaching a toddler not to be mean to animals? Time ins don't work. He just seems completely oblivious to any sort of punishment.

Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

Some more advice on flying with kids: if you haven't flown with them before, or are taking a longer flight, make sure you bring several changes of clothes for them and at least one change for each parent. We discovered that my son gets airsick on a multi-leg international flight, and not only did he blow through the changes of clothes we had for him, he threw up all over my wife and we hadn't packed a complete change of clothes for her in our carry-on. That was pretty miserable for everyone involved. If you think people are irritated by a kid crying, you should see how they feel three hours into vomit-smell in the cabin!

Slo-Tek
Jun 8, 2001

WINDOWS 98 BEAT HIS FRIEND WITH A SHOVEL

Reason posted:

Does anyone have any advice for teaching a toddler not to be mean to animals? Time ins don't work. He just seems completely oblivious to any sort of punishment.

Model good behavior, every time the kid and the critter are together, demonstrate the nice way to touch. Separate child and critter when things get rowdy. Explain that kid and cat/dog/python go in separate rooms if you can't play nice, and do it every time. Make sure your critter has a place to retreat to. You aren't going to successfully reason with a toddler, but to get in the habit of calmly explaining your actions, because it is a good habit going forward. A lot of little kids are just not going to get the don't be mean to animals thing for a while, so try to keep your toddler and your animal from traumatizing each other too badly, and wait for it to get better, because it will.

Kitiara
Apr 21, 2009
In 6 months, we will be on a 23 hr flight with a 4 and a 2 year old. I honestly hope we all make it alive and sane. I did the same flight, but stopped at LAX for a night, when my oldest was 18 months which went a lot better than expected.

They are both getting their own seat, and I will be bringing along a bag full of small cheap new toys to entertain them (we did this on a 11 hour drive and it worked fairly reasonably). Plus iPads and favourite blankets, but I am expecting it to still be all kinds of tough. I still have a while to think of more stuff to do, but I thought I'd say that I've been appreciating some of the advise above.

On an unrelated topic, my daughters are both obsessed with dogs. I would absolutely love to get them one, but my husband is completely against it. Plus, we haven't settled on a house (or state!) yet so I agree that it would be too much of a commitment. The girls are also too young to look after one on their own, and we are way too busy to add that kind of extra work. So I was thinking maybe getting them a rabbit or a guinea pig? Does anyone have any experience with them or can offer some anecdotes or suggestions?

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

Our toddler is pretty good with animals. We definately made sure we displayed good behavior and showed him how to interact with the animal. We also sort of anthropomorphised a bit and would talk about how the animal was feeling with his interactions and got a lot of treats for him to feed the animals.

As far as getting a small pet instead of a dog, I'd recommend a pet rat. They have the intelligence of a dumb dog (I was able to train mine when I kept them) and they live for 1 1/2 - 3 years max. If you socialize them from when they're young they're SUPER social and love interacting with people. They also can pretty much eat what humans eat (a couple exceptions) so its easy to give them treats.
Guinea Pigs live for 5- 6 years and they have a stricter diet. I know you usually have to get them in pairs.
Rabbits can be more expensive than people realize. You'll have to get it neutered/spayed. Rabbits live 7 - 10 years.

There's a lot of care websites out there! Read a couple of them. Whichever route you go I would recommend trying to find an actual breeder to get whatever you choose from.

sheri
Dec 30, 2002

I had two guinea pigs as a kid. They are a lot of work. Cage cleaning every day or every other day at an absolute max. Out of cage socialization and exercise time every day. Fresh fruits and veggies fed twice a day. Lots of work. They aren't just a leave in the cage and look at type of animal, and their cage space should be rather large too.

VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
Having empathy for animals is huge for me. I know a lot of adults who have a fear of dogs or fish or whatever, and I wanted to make sure I exposed my kids to a lot of different animals in different circumstances. I'm a vegetarian and while I haven't pushed my views or diet on my kids, I kind of hope exposing them to farm animals and stuff at an early age might help them understand where their bacon and roast beef and tuna all come from.

When we were trying to get pregnant, we adopted two medium sized dogs from the shelter. We made sure they were owner drop-off dogs who had a documented history, so we knew they were good around kids. Once my first was born, we would sit out in the backyard with the dogs and our son. The dogs would sniff him and lick him and then ignore him. As our family grew, we would do family dog walks together and we inherited a cat and we just made sure the kids had comfortable animal time. Honestly, they all got bored of each other pretty quick. When the littlest ones would grab fur or a tail, we'd just take their hand and redirect it to petting saying "gentle, gentle" and then distract everyone with throwing a ball or something.

I also made sure to visit zoos a lot with all my kids, and lots of petting zoos. We'd also visit friends' barns and get close to the horses, I have a great picture of a horse sniffing my youngest son's hair and he is just cackling with glee. It's all about exposure and comfort level, and if they act out on the animals you just redirect then distract. Just make sure he's interacting with an animal that won't take it personally or something and get violent. That being said, I don't prevent them from getting scratched by the cat or knocked over by our dogs. It's all part of being a pet owner.

Tom Swift Jr.
Nov 4, 2008

KingColliwog posted:

Good to know in advance, landing and takeoff are usually pretty comfortable though so it shouldn't be a problem.

But that gets me thinking, does anyone have a good tip to make a flight easier on the baby? We have a total of 3 planes to take during the trip and I would very much enjoy not having a baby crying for 6 hours in a crammed plane while other passengers look at us with deep deep hatred. Any tips to make the take off and landing easier on baby ears? We heard that nursing (or feeding if my girlfriend no longer does that) during both of these would help a lot. Anything else?

Would welcome any tips on traveling with a 8 months old too if anyone has done it before. It's a "we change city every 4-5 days and everything has to fit in our backpacks except for the small umbrella stroller kind of trip.

We haven't done a plane trip, but we have done a long drive and stayed with friends, we also eat out a little too much...but I do have a few tips that would work for general travel, including the plane.

Have special snacks that your kid loves that are reserved for travel times. For us, we save goldfish. He loves goldfish and so when we are traveling and he's about to lose it out pops the magic goldfish and we have a happy, occupied kid for a little bit.

Have a dining out kit. We keep a gallon ziplock bag in our diaper bag that contains a wipeable reusable bib and placemat (these get wiped down with baby wipes after meals and taken out for more thorough cleanings every so often or as needed), time-consuming light snacks and something small that can fill him up like food pouches or fig bars. Our kid is big enough to color now, so we start him out coloring then move to snacks when he starts to get too fidgety. Dole out the snacks a few at a time so that they don't fill up before the meal and so it takes them longer/kills more time. The placemat we bought is just a little silicone rectangle with a tiny lip and it folds up really small. I think it was $5 or so at Target. The kit is vital because it gives him a routine-no matter where we go, he knows what to expect and does very well. As they get bigger, you may need a few special restaurant toys/activities to throw in the eating out kit. My in-laws got a few special cars and books that they give him when they eat out with him. They made their own kit modeled after mine for their diaper bag and have had great success with taking him to all sorts of restaurants as well.

Have a small baby entertainment pouch. Have a few familiar favorites (buy doubles so it's ok if they get lost) and a few special on the go or new to me toys/books. We always pack an o-ball in ours too.

I don't think you have to bring a lot, but if you plan carefully and create routines for on the go, you'll find travel much easier!

Tom Swift Jr.
Nov 4, 2008

Reason posted:

Does anyone have any advice for teaching a toddler not to be mean to animals? Time ins don't work. He just seems completely oblivious to any sort of punishment.

You have to teach them very explicitly. We did frequent lessons on how to pet the kitty, hand-over-hand showing him how to pet gently while repeating the word "gentle." We also talk about where kitty likes pets and point out signs that kitty is unhappy and that means we should walk away. Rinse and repeat forever until it eventually sticks. We also talk about the cat's feelings, but young toddlers do not understand that other people, let alone animals, can think and feel like they do, so that is more setting the stage for when they do develop that concept of other. If he was too rough we would remind him to be gentle and if he couldn't we'd remove him and indicate that was too rough or not okay and kitty needs a break.

I would absolutely not punish him for it as that will only create an association between the animal and punishment which could lead to more mistreatment. Just keep up with the modeling and moving him away when he's not being gentle and it will eventually click. Our son understood the word gentle early on, but it took him a long time to consistently be gentle on his own, mostly because he was just so excited about touching the cat. He's 21 months now and does well, but we worked on it for at least a year before it was consistent.

Also, make sure the animal has many escape routes. Otherwise the animal may start to lash out or misbehave.

Sockmuppet
Aug 15, 2009

Kitiara posted:

So I was thinking maybe getting them a rabbit or a guinea pig? Does anyone have any experience with them or can offer some anecdotes or suggestions?

When I was a kid, we had a cat, but I desperately wanted a hamster or a guinea pig. I nagged and wailed and pleaded and cajoled, but my mother refused to even concider it throughout my entire childhood, saying that they were too much work and I'd get bored.

When I was 19 or 20 or so, I suddenly remembered my desperate need for a tiny pet, and realised that holy crap, I'm an adult! I live by myself! In addition to eating cake for breakfast and staying up all night, I can get a pet if I want one!

So I got a tiny, adorable dwarf hamster, and named him "Mouthful" :3:

I lasted three weeks before I donated him to a friend of mine, because my mother was completely right, they take a lot of work and are really loving boring.

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

VorpalBunny posted:

Having empathy for animals is huge for me. I know a lot of adults who have a fear of dogs or fish or whatever, and I wanted to make sure I exposed my kids to a lot of different animals in different circumstances. I'm a vegetarian and while I haven't pushed my views or diet on my kids, I kind of hope exposing them to farm animals and stuff at an early age might help them understand where their bacon and roast beef and tuna all come from.

We're trying to do the same thing. We do a lot of outdoorsy nature stuff as well at the state park and in our yard and I try to expose him to the more "scarier" animals so he's not freaked out by them. Spiders aren't scary and we don't need to squish them we can put them outside the door etc. He now thinks snakes are cute (but we shouldn't approach without an adult).

Irritated Goat
Mar 12, 2005

This post is pathetic.
My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

rgocs
Nov 9, 2011
When we were kids we had several pets. At one point, we had one dog, a cat and 3 male hamsters (one for each sibling). Cat had kittens, and 2 of the 3 hamsters turned out to be females. We ended up with 1 dog, 8 cats and 20 hamsters. Around then, on mother's day, my little brother had to write an essay about our mom, it started something like: "My mom. My mom doesn't let me have any pets...". He was obsessed about getting a rabbit.

Kittens were given away. So did the hamsters; oh, and did you know mother hamsters will eat their young? Yeah, talk about a horror show, waking up to say hi to your hamsters and seeing a severed head here and a head there.

hooah
Feb 6, 2006
WTF?

Irritated Goat posted:

My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

They do make video monitors that aren't Internet connected, just RF. We've got a vTech that I wouldn't vouch for, but I know other companies make non-IP video monitors.

Hdip
Aug 21, 2002
The first night that our oldest slept in his own room my wife had the video monitor inches from her face all night. :) Mostly you rely on audio but sometimes turning the screen on to see what's going on in there is useful. I've never used an internet camera though.

GlyphGryph
Jun 23, 2013

Down came the glitches and burned us in ditches and we slept after eating our dead.
Hamsters are the worst pets, and I can't understand why anyone would ever want want. They are stupid, violent, messy escape artists and murderers that like to hide the body parts of other pets in their cheeks so you'll keep finding heads and limbs for days afterwards, which can honestly be kind of traumatizing to children!

Poor iguanas. :(

But seriously I don't understand the appeal, they are horrid. Never get your child a hamster. They have no redeeming value. If you really want something in the area, get a guinea pig. At least then you can make a delicious meal when you get bored with it.

lady flash
Dec 26, 2007
keeper of the speed force
We have the infant optics DXR-5 video monitor. It's not wifi and of decent quality but I always recommend them because of the customer service. When I dropped the monitor into the toilet I emailed to see if I could just purchase a new monitor rather than the whole package they sent me a new one because it was still in warranty.

BonoMan
Feb 20, 2002

Jade Ear Joe

Irritated Goat posted:

My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

Just get a non-wifi or non-ip cam and you're fine. I'm a gadget freak (and IT guy) and just KNEW I'd have the best when it came to my baby's monitor. I ended up getting some cheap refurbed Levana 2 camera system that's not internet connected. It's been perfect so far!

And do get the video cam. Especially if you're a worrier... you'll want to see your baby. Especially when it comes to transition periods like introducing blankets, etc.

Lazy_Liberal
Sep 17, 2005

These stones are :sparkles: precious :sparkles:

GlyphGryph posted:

Hamsters are the worst pets, and I can't understand why anyone would ever want want. They are stupid, violent, messy escape artists and murderers that like to hide the body parts of other pets in their cheeks so you'll keep finding heads and limbs for days afterwards, which can honestly be kind of traumatizing to children!

Poor iguanas. :(

But seriously I don't understand the appeal, they are horrid. Never get your child a hamster. They have no redeeming value. If you really want something in the area, get a guinea pig. At least then you can make a delicious meal when you get bored with it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one here who hates hamsters and resents having one as a kid. Rice-sized turds all over the carpet forever.

And I got a foscam IP camera so I'm sure folks are hacking the camera to watch my baby and steal my credit cards or whatever but eh.

VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
Some unsolicited advice about freaking out about newborn babies and sleep:

No blankets in the crib - unless you are swaddling them, and then do it tight enough so they can't wiggle out (we used SwaddleMe wraps, we are lazy)
No toys in the crib
No bumpers in the crib
If you are worried about them being cold, put them in a onesie and then footie PJs over it
Don't smoke in the house
Lay them to sleep on their back
Don't fall asleep with them in your arms or while nursing - you could smoosh the boob in their face and suffocate them

If you do those 7 things, the chances of your child losing their breath in the night is super tiny. I know it doesn't help, but they really do work. And we never used monitors, they never really worked for us and it only made us paranoid.

Good luck!

rgocs
Nov 9, 2011

VorpalBunny posted:

If you are worried about them being cold, put them in a onesie and then footie PJs over it

We used these things known as "turbulette"/"gigoteuse" in France, no idea the word in English. They even have some that have a hole for the carseat belt, which makes going out late way easier, as you can move your baby, cozy and asleep, in and out of the carseat and straight into bed when you get home.

fake edit: apparently they are called "sleepsacks"

His Divine Shadow
Aug 7, 2000

I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.
Cats best pets. Though the cat doesn't think so, but the kids do!

notwithoutmyanus
Mar 17, 2009
My 13 month old daughter and I love animals, but my wife hates the zoo to the point that she refuses to ever be ok with making a trip to one. Every manner of excuses were given. We live in an apt too small for pets at the moment, and probably won't buy a house that can handle pets until I start a new job.
:sigh:

I'm likely going to end up taking my kid to the zoo without my wife at this rate.

notwithoutmyanus fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Feb 1, 2016

kells
Mar 19, 2009
Guinea pigs are gross and pee and crap everywhere. At least you can litter train rabbits.

My 19mo likes to yell at our rabbit ("Lily" was one of her first words) but is usually pretty okay with using gentle touches once reminded. She does try to kick or hit her sometimes but I can tell it's not out of malice and not intending to hurt, she's just a crazy toddler who has no idea.

Kitiara
Apr 21, 2009
Thank you very much for your feedback everyone. It was very informative and decisive. Certainly not getting a hamster/guinea pig. I assumed they wouldn't be that much work, but boy does it look like I was wrong. I think I may wait until I can talk my husband into a cat or until my daughters are old enough to up the pleading and talk him into it themselves.

rgocs posted:

When we were kids we had several pets. At one point, we had one dog, a cat and 3 male hamsters (one for each sibling). Cat had kittens, and 2 of the 3 hamsters turned out to be females. We ended up with 1 dog, 8 cats and 20 hamsters. Around then, on mother's day, my little brother had to write an essay about our mom, it started something like: "My mom. My mom doesn't let me have any pets...". He was obsessed about getting a rabbit.

I am still laughing at this. At least it makes for a good story. And no, I did not know that the mothers ate their young. That is horrifying.

greatn
Nov 15, 2006

by Lowtax
I kind of hate that eventually in going to have to have an animal in my house. My kid wants one, my wife wants one.

I like them generally... In other people's houses or in petting zoos, but generally I think they're pretty disgusting creatures to live with. Just hopefully I can find a dog that isn't a hyperactive psychopath and doesn't have one of those loving pug noses.

hooah
Feb 6, 2006
WTF?

VorpalBunny posted:

Some unsolicited advice about freaking out about newborn babies and sleep:

No blankets in the crib - unless you are swaddling them, and then do it tight enough so they can't wiggle out (we used SwaddleMe wraps, we are lazy)
No toys in the crib
No bumpers in the crib
If you are worried about them being cold, put them in a onesie and then footie PJs over it
Don't smoke in the house
Lay them to sleep on their back
Don't fall asleep with them in your arms or while nursing - you could smoosh the boob in their face and suffocate them

If you do those 7 things, the chances of your child losing their breath in the night is super tiny. I know it doesn't help, but they really do work. And we never used monitors, they never really worked for us and it only made us paranoid.

Good luck!

Good luck doing all of these, though. Our daughter was basically like "gently caress you, I'll only sleep well on your body heat!" and she's still sleeping in our bed at 4 months. Really, we did not want to bed share, but the infant makes the rules, if you want any sleep at all.

topenga
Jul 1, 2003

GlyphGryph posted:

Hamsters are the worst pets, and I can't understand why anyone would ever want want. They are stupid, violent, messy escape artists and murderers that like to hide the body parts of other pets in their cheeks so you'll keep finding heads and limbs for days afterwards, which can honestly be kind of traumatizing to children!

Poor iguanas. :(

But seriously I don't understand the appeal, they are horrid. Never get your child a hamster. They have no redeeming value. If you really want something in the area, get a guinea pig. At least then you can make a delicious meal when you get bored with it.

My sister had a couple for breeding for a science class (I don't know WTF the school was thinking). She hated them. I hated them. My mom hated and was afraid of them (fun story: sister went on a band trip, I'm talking to my mom on the phone and I hear "OH GOD THE THING GOT OUT!" Yup. Mom had to catch the little bastard all on her own). I think she was supposed to sell them back to the pet store and hadn't gotten around to selling the last one. If it got out, you couldn't grab it. It was an evil thing. It just kinda hopped right out of reach as you tried to grab it. How did she get it back in it's tank? She let it bite her finger then calmly put it back in the tank. gently caress those things forever.

FunOne
Aug 20, 2000
I am a slimey vat of concentrated stupidity

Fun Shoe

Irritated Goat posted:

My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

Meh, I just picked up a cheap WiFi camera and installed RTSP apps on my phone and my wife's phone. Less than 60 bucks I think. Just block the camera at the router and it is no longer "internet connected."

And, general advice to you and everyone else expecting, remember that millions of children are born to terrible, ignorant, neglectful, and malicious parents. And yet somehow they manage to make it. The fact that you actually care and are trying puts you in the upper percentile straight off the bat. Don't worry so much, you're going to do fine.

Tom Swift Jr.
Nov 4, 2008

Irritated Goat posted:

My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

We went with the angelcare monitor . It gave us peace of mind and did alert us one time when he just forgot to breathe for a few seconds (the alarm startled him and he was fine).

http://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-Movement-Sound-Monitor-White/dp/B00GU07FLQ

eta: you can set it to tick like a metronome when it detects movement, that way when you wake in the night you hear the ticking and can go right back to sleep.

Tom Swift Jr. fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Feb 1, 2016

notwithoutmyanus
Mar 17, 2009

Irritated Goat posted:

My wife and I are due on around Mar 10th. We're shopping for baby monitors and I'm torn between getting a video one or just audio. I'm terrified he'll stop breathing and I just won't hear it.

I'm an IT guy. I know some monitors are insecure and such but I just can't stop worrying about every little thing. He's my first and I'd already do anything to keep him safe. I just don't know what to do. :(

Not everyone in the thread cosleeps, but if you co-sleep with your kid you'd never really need one as long as you're not going to sleep drunk/high.

I think many parents get that fear right off the bat - my wife was terrified I'd roll onto our child because I sleep like a rock, but our kid is able to wake me surprisingly easily in comparison to everything else in my life.

sheri
Dec 30, 2002

There are rules for safe cosleeping. Make sure you look them up and follow them if that's a route you take.

Good-Natured Filth
Jun 8, 2008

Do you think I've got the goods Bubblegum? Cuz I am INTO this stuff!

We have a Foscam IP camera (had it in the house for security purposes already), and I setup an old Android as the "monitor." Works pretty well, and I modified all the security settings, so it isn't as "hackable." Most of the hacking stories you see, are people not changing default passwords / security settings.

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

If you're an IT person you should be able to secure a camera.

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Cheesus
Oct 17, 2002

Let us retract the foreskin of ignorance and apply the wirebrush of enlightenment.
Yam Slacker
We've been having our 4 month sleep on his own in his own room for about 2 months now. It's gone well with him waking up less and less until the past week or so where we put him down between 7-8 and he's slept until 5:30-6:30. Huzzah!

Except the other night he woke up at 10:30. And last night at 3:30. Both times my wife admonished me for feeding him. In her mind it's going to reverse what he's gained. In my mind, progress is not a straight line and we should expect occasional wakeup and it's not a reason to withhold feedings from him.

Thoughts?

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