31–40 of 44 posts
My favorite memory is being on a call with a few lawyers while carrying my 5 month old trying to move enough to prevent the baby from being bored/crying while simultaneously explaining our claim structure strategy.
That was a tiring 90 minute meeting.
The article doesn't deliver what the title promises. I'm going to be a dad in mid 21 and want to carry the child with me a lot. I've seen people use entire plastic products they attach to their upper torso that seem great, as (1) I'm not confident on my knot making skills (and I have a lot to learn already) and (2) maybe that stuff distributes the weight around better? But: maybe slings built out of whole cloth like…
I used the Baby Bjorn harness to tote my son around when he was an infant. He really liked it, and I was able to shop and get things done with him. I liked it.
Please do not wear a baby to work. The screaming banshee will prevent your coworkers from getting anything done. If you bring a bring a baby to the office I'm supposed to work in, I will kill you dead. Seriously.
> Fast forward three years to the birth of my second child earlier this year, and I am a senior postdoc and the president of our local babywearing group. I started wearing number 2 to the lab two weeks after she was born, because I was planning to apply for faculty jobs, and I was worried that taking time off would weaken my applications. Nothing to do with baby wearing (which I am a huge proponent of) but this sound…
Your conclusion is very true. And academia has a way of putting the pressure on the young workforce (until tenure at 40ish) to work long hours for not much money. And while this is true, it is also worth pointing out that many parents don't want to pause their adult/career goals for 3-6 months because of a new baby. I recently had my first child and while she was little (now 10 months) she would sleep/sit on my lap w…
The article doesn't deliver what the title promises. I'm going to be a dad in mid 21 and want to carry the child with me a lot. I've seen people use entire plastic products they attach to their upper torso that seem great, as (1) I'm not confident on my knot making skills (and I have a lot to learn already) and (2) maybe that stuff distributes the weight around better? But: maybe slings built out of whole cloth like…
I hated the cloth. It slipped all the time. Maybe it was a user error, but at the end of the day, I was constantly tightening it and adjusting it. The baby bjorn I adjusted once and it was good for months. It had clips to make it easy to take the baby in and out and for quick release when going through things like airport security. My only complaint was that it was hard to do the clip in the back because I think it i…
Yes, there are a zillion ways to wrap a long piece of cloth (people have been doing this for at least thousands of years), and there must surely be one of them that works for any body shape. The wrap takes a bit of practice and is definitely slightly slower to put on/off than some of the carriers though (maybe an extra 1 minute).
I think it's great her work allowed this and to the degree that it is not distracting for others, more workplaces should do so. I've done a lot of coding in 2020 during WFH with my son on my lap and I must say it's very pleasant
I personally find it's hard to focus (read / write code or document) with an 7-month infant around. The baby is constantly asking for parent's attention. I hope things could be better when she become 2-year old, but not really confident on that.
My 4-year-old is finally getting a bit more independent now though. Now that he is able to read books, draw pictures, build things with construction toys, etc. that can keep him independently engaged for a good while with intermittent encouragement.
> Fast forward three years to the birth of my second child earlier this year, and I am a senior postdoc and the president of our local babywearing group. I started wearing number 2 to the lab two weeks after she was born, because I was planning to apply for faculty jobs, and I was worried that taking time off would weaken my applications. Nothing to do with baby wearing (which I am a huge proponent of) but this sound…
I chose to do this because I did not find it to be miserable, although it definitely wouldn’t work for everybody.
In my field (biology), it is typical to postdoc for 3-6 years so I’m actually on the early side. That postdocs take so long is definitely something that needs to be addressed, though.
The article doesn't deliver what the title promises. I'm going to be a dad in mid 21 and want to carry the child with me a lot. I've seen people use entire plastic products they attach to their upper torso that seem great, as (1) I'm not confident on my knot making skills (and I have a lot to learn already) and (2) maybe that stuff distributes the weight around better? But: maybe slings built out of whole cloth like…
There a many different styles of carriers so it is worth reading about and, if you can, trying out some different styles. Ring slings and stretchy wraps are great for newborns and are pretty easy to use. Woven wraps like I prefer are great for all ages and very comfortable but there is definitely a learning curve so keep that in mind and don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to get a good fit. There are buckle style carriers that can fit at any age. My personal favorite is the Kinderpack by Kindercarry.
> Fast forward three years to the birth of my second child earlier this year, and I am a senior postdoc and the president of our local babywearing group. I started wearing number 2 to the lab two weeks after she was born, because I was planning to apply for faculty jobs, and I was worried that taking time off would weaken my applications. Nothing to do with baby wearing (which I am a huge proponent of) but this sound…
> Still a postdoc after three years and going in to the lab two weeks after giving birth? We are producing way too many grad students. No, you're lacking adequate protection for fresh parents, mothers and fathers alike. At the moment career market forces have the upper hand - they can select for those who are willing to go back to the lab two weeks postpartum. If it were mandatory that all new parents had six months…
One reason I was going to work was because I love my research, but if I could have taken six months off, paid, without worrying about career progression, then I probably would have spent a whole lot more of that babywearing time reading novels or going for walks outside.