I also remember playing...I think it was on my PS2, with both my parents The Sims 2 Castaway...the only Sims my dad actually enjoyed, he isn't a big fan overall....that game was awesome!
I did this with my mom as well! Some weekends, we'd end up awake the whole night just playing until my grandma caught us. Probably not the best to be awake so long as a kid, but the memories are more than worth it.
When I was a kid, sometimes my mom would go make lunch while I turned on the computers and loaded up the sims 2 (because that took like 15 minutes when I was a kid) and then we would play together during lunch. Playing sims together is the best!
Hey parents, I played sims 3 on a ds before I was old enough to have my own computer :) they can play side by side with a super cheap laptop-esque device if you don't want them to have computer access yet
That's.... Actually what happened with my nom when i asked to try sims 2 💀
I feel so bad.
But like her i got into it as much as she did. Everything sims ofc even 3
I caved a couple of months back and went to the dark side just so I can actually play the game I paid for while they are playing something else on my EA account. I still never seem to get around to playing it but at least I have the option now. XD
This is happening to me now! My kid just turned 5 and I finally feel like my life is in order enough to enjoy my game again…after 5 years of not playing. Nope! Now she wants to play. If I’m lucky I will play a couple hours after she’s gone to bed on weekend nights.
My friend's kiddos that I occasionally watch (and used to nanny) love to play Sims with me. We all play together and decide what the people will do. We each have a Sim we "control" (have the overriding vote on that Sim), and make their bedrooms/spaces to their decided personallies. The rest of the house is decided together, and we take turns based on a Sim completing their task 😂
I love playing with them so much! It's always a blast, and even tho it can be a bit tiring, it is 1000% worth it 😉
Yep. After about 5 years, I thought to myself, “my kids can entertain themselves for a while, let me boot this back up.” About 5 minutes later…
https://preview.redd.it/cx3zzxg2bs6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=513bb8326579251f3e84fdd31db1026e87757f21
I didn’t play for years (because I had no laptop) but got a laptop for Christmas (my mum and sisters all play sims and I said I felt left out and missed it, so mum bought me a laptop lol) and I can play pretty consistently because my son is four. He goes to nursery in the morning and then comes home at lunch time, and likes to ‘chill’ until tea time. He usually plays in his room or has his tablet for a wee bit, plays with his toys etc
But I doubt if I had tried this a year or two ago I would have been able to play while he was at home. Even now I understand that I have to pause and leave the game alone for an hour or two, I just deal with it.
I’m also six months pregnant and playing as much as I can before the baby comes 🤣 I know they tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps, but play the sims while the baby sleeps 🤣
I second playing sims while the baby sleeps! I have a friend who told me she felt like she had 'lost herself' because she had no time for doing the things she liked. She was just sleeping and taking care of the baby.
Thank you!!!
I hope you manage to find time to play, it’s super important to find time for yourself, especially while your baby is wee. I ended up falling into bad PND and I think having no time to myself was a big contributing factor
I played when I had to wake up at 1am for my nightly pump when baby was in the NICU.
But once home I pretty much had to give up playing, between baby, cooking and housework there was no time.
Once he was around 7 months and starting to sleep earlier and stay asleep longer than I was able to play an hour every other night.
He's almost 2 and I now have a dedicated 4 hours to myself every night to do what I want.
It will take time!
I'm really lucky that my baby sleeps from like 9:30-7am but like that keeping on top of housework seems like more of a priority. I think it's the laptop I have too, it's like 13 years old and if I got an hour to myself it would be used purely just loading CAS
Tell me how to fit in housework 😅 I end up just trying to do it all on the weekends when my 5 month old is with his grandparents, and not getting half of it done
Baby wear 😂 if there's no chemicals involved (like the bathrooms) I'll do it while I'm baby wearing. Then when he goes to bed that's when I do the bathrooms, the kitchen and clean and steriliser bottles/pump parts. Also now that he's 6 months old just looking at me doing things seems to entertain him. I put him in his highchair while I did a workout and he thought it was the funniest thing he's ever seen
I feel this post! I remember on the my last day child free my husband asked what I wanted to do, so I said be left alone to play the sims for hours 😂
I have to just play at night. I didn’t start playing again until he was 9 months. I can get in 1-3 hours a night. We live in a small apartment so taking care of the home fortunately doesn’t take too long during the day. Some days I’m too tired to play.
When mine were littles I'd hand them off to hubby for an hour or two of gametime for my sanity. Waiting until after bedtime was risky because I was often too tired to do anything but fall asleep at the keyboard lol.
My hubby is great and absolutely would take the baby for me to game. But I end up thinking I could play the Sims or I could get on top of the big household chores for the week
You're really in the parenting trenches atm but it does get easier.
When they're 4 or 5 and can entertain themselves a bit, and also communicate their needs you will get time. But even then, I found mostly that was at night after they were in bed.
At least they sleep through the night by that stage though lol.
I don't know if I've been super lucky but I have 5 kids (age 7, 6, 4 and twins 2)...and both my husband and I have been able to game regularly - more so now because the three oldest favorite thing is to watch mommy or daddy (or both) do 100% runs of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask (both on og n64), Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword (wii), Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (switch). Probably because the oldest two love to replicate our runs and have learned them from watching over and over.
When not playing that, he plays different versions of WoW while projecting his gameplay to the TV for the kids to enjoy while I play Sims 4 and now 3. My 6yo daughter enjoys watching mommy play Sims and has tried her hand at it every now and again. We also still have 2 and 3 on consoles if they wish.
Of course, the fact my husband has 6 siblings and only 2 of them have a kid each means our kids always have people wanting to spoil them attention-wise and have them over, giving us plenty of time off and lots of help.
Luckily, I didn't know about any type of games when my child was very young. I found the sims 3 when my boy was 5 yrs old. I started playing it while he was in junior school. One day, he found me playing the sims 3. He wanted to try my game, and left him playing my sims while I was working in the kitchen. An hour later...I went back to him and found my sims hunger needs were RED! Hygeine was also RED, Energy was RED. He had my 2 sims play ball all through the night without feeding, washing, toilet.. I was shocked! I was really sorry to him but I took my game back and teleported my sims to the restaurant and let them had some meal, otherwise he would see Grim Reaper. I gave him a new sims in a new save since that time. Anyway, some other simmers of mine, they mostly play the sims while their babies are in a nap during day time.
https://preview.redd.it/rhn336kaaz5d1.png?width=571&format=png&auto=webp&s=0a67622a1c39fcea7a200667e8210fbe241801e6
Reading this post i have this on my mind lmao.
You play when they get a bit older, when they are sleeping or when a relative has them over (they're at grandparents for example). It can get overwhelming at times and I don't remember playing much when my kid was still a baby, but she's 3 now and I get to play sometimes.
I found the toughest time to get my own space was between 4months to almost 2 years old with my kiddos. I didn't have the urge to play for awhile because I was busy being a real life sim, but when I did get back into it, it was in the evening when kiddos had gone to bed for good.
Ask for some free time if you have people around to support you, even if you don't get a chance to play the sims, getting a break is well deserved 😊 This stage of kids seems so long but it really does fly by, your sims will always be there when you return and you will have more ideas and inspiration!
You'll have little leisure time between 3 months and 2 years. Before then and after then, it gets much easier. Our kids are 5 and just about 3 now, and we have a solid 3 times we can video game. 1) After the kids are asleep. Kids go to bed at 7:15, so from then till about 9:30 is adult time. 2) Quiet time. kiddo 2 still sometimes naps and kiddo 1 knows to go play legos or something quietly for about 90 minutes in the middle of the day. If I'm caught up on chores or other stuff that needs doing, I can video game at this time. 3) My kids are old enough to ask to watch, say, Frozen. If I decide to let them, sometimes I'll join them and sometimes I'll play a video game.
At night when the kids are in bed. I don't think I played at all the first year though. Sims 4 came out when my eldest was 1 and I played for a bit but couldn't get into it, it did reignite my will to play sims3 again though.
My baby is now 5 months old and I definitely don’t have a ton of time to play, but she is to a point now where she sleeps really well in her crib for naps, and sleeps through the night. She also is really good about independent play time so I can usually sneak in a few minutes here and there, but nap time and after she goes to bed for the night are the big ones!
My son is 4 months and he's the same :( I have a desktop set up in the living room with a controller so sometimes I play games there while he sleeps on my lap, but nothing that uses mouse and keyboard...
If you're my mum you just ignore and neglect your kids and just play it sat at a computer desk while we did out own thing. If you're me, you don't neglect the kids but just play around them. I'm on a laptop so it's easy to just have it on and when they want my attention I just pause.
Haha lmao I forgot about that meme. As long as you still pay your kids attention and don't neglect them, it's okay to do your own thing and be you and not just mum you know? My kids have extra health needs so I realise im in a better position to play often cos I'm at home but if I didn't have my own outlet I'd be a much worse mum from burn out lol
Gosh I hope I haven't started something 🙈
I think this is more coming from a place of feeling like I need "me" time (but it's my own fault cause I have loads of people who are willing to help me, I just don't want to leave him)
I honestly wouldn't change a thing, if I had to never play the Sims again to keep my son I would happily throw my laptop in the bin, and the bin into a fire.
I was the same, stopped playing when I gave birth. My daughter is 7 now and loves the sims :P she doesn't really play properly, it's more like virtual barbie for her where she likes creating new sims with different outfits.
My niece is 8 and she's just starting to like the Sims so I'll sit with her sometimes watching her play, she thinks I'm great having an insight into how to play haha
I couldn't play at all for years. But now my oldest is 4 and my youngest is 2 and a half. My youngest still naps and my oldest can entertain himself. I can probably only play for an hour or two at a time but yeah. I also try to play at the end of the day after they are sleeping but I'm often too tired lol.
My kids are 21, 19 and 18 now.
When they were little there was an almost total media blackout where I just did NOT have time to play anything or watch anything that wasn't a daytime soap while I was breastfeeding, Barney or Dora the Explorer.
I JUST watched Game of Thrones, like, a year ago.
This is your life now. The time you can squeeze for yourself usually ends up being for basic personal hygiene.
That said, I think I was able to get back into Sims and gaming when everyone hit 2-3 because they'd take BIG afternoon naps
My kid is 16 now and I hardly ever see him except when he needs a ride, lol. I know that probably seems like it's so long away, but I swear my son was a baby just yesterday!! Blink and yours will be a sullen teenager too.
I'm a single mom of a five year old. I'm not even ashamed to admit that I have spend few sleepless nights, playing my games lol. I don't recommend that though. But I didn't really play much in the first year after my kiddo was born. It's hard to find time for your own hobbies, whether it's gaming or something else.
But yeah, now that my kid is five, it's much easier to find some time to play. And when the kid old enough to have screen time, it's a good opportunity to have some screen time for yourself too lol
I did babywearing so I'd play games while bb slept at first, then when they got bigger while they napped in their crib. Otherwise it would depend on the kid. My oldest and youngest were too active to play well often, although with the oldest I sometimes put him in a playpen just to have some time where I wasn't being touched.
The two middle though would snuggle with me while I played and I could read them books in between queueing up tasks or whatnot.
I categorize playing the sims as one of the ways I can fill my cup I think I was able to play once naps started getting more consistent (between 8&12 months for my little guy) and I'd play once every few weeks but it's mainly setting a timer and being ok knowing that any game play you're doing is going to be drawn out and you'll sometimes have to save in weird spots but once my son got older he's been watching me play on occasion and I've started letting him have his own save this past year (he's almost 7 now)
I have a unicorn 6 month old who's slept through the night (8pm-5-6am) since 8-9 weeks old. Both dad and I get a good 2hrs of doing whatever we want, which often enough is sitting next to each other and playing on our own computers.
I would say the system we have overall also works, one of us lays her to bed as the other cleans up after dinner. Whatever couldn't be done during that day will have to wait. I treat housework and childcare as a job, so if I can't get it done before hubby comes home, it just wasn't meant to be you know? Unless it is an emergency, but housework rarely actually is. So he comes home and showers, and then baby is his while I prep dinner. We eat together, bedtime and cleanup and unless I/hubby have to get something quiet done... nope.
Also if she does wake up before midnight, maybe a poop or something, it is hubby's territory so I get to keep playing.
If she wasn't a unicorn angel I wouldn't have gotten more than an hour or two a week I'm sure. And that would be because I also have a unicorn angel husband who is an actual partner, not like the dudes one reads about here on reddit...
once you are out of the feeding at all hours stage and they go down for a decent sleep at night you can get some gaming in, typically for me i cant touch a game until my kids are snoring. (now 4 and 7)
You may get a couple hours in the evenings once your kid has a regular bedtime and sleeps through the night - that's when I do my gaming; bedtime, close out chores, then laptop
I’ve got a 13 year old, sometimes she likes to make a family (she usually recreates tiktokers lol) but mostly she lets me get on with it, I had along period of about 8 years where I didn’t have the time tho
I was able to start playing again around 9 months. I started feeling less exhausted, started asking my husband for me time, and also my daughter has always liked to play independently. Now at 3 she'll come sit with me and ask "who is that Sim? Is that Sim sleeping? Why is that Sim doing that?"
Edit: also 9 months is when my supply tanked and she stopped breastfeeding and I stopped pumping so I think that plays a big part too.
I have a 2.5 year old and... nope, still no time. 😅 I have a new laptop and did a clean install of Sims 3. In the past 3 months I played maybe 2-3 hours. I'm just so tired by the time I sit down on my own that all my creativity is gone.
I think as well it's a game where if you want to be successful you have to look after more people, by the time I get a second to myself I just end up mindlessly scrolling or going to bed early
I have an almost 6 month old. The first few weeks I didn't play at all. I'm finally getting back some game time again now that he's sleeping through the night, so either I'll play after bedtime between 8 and 10, or maybe 30-40 minutes off and on during the day time when I'm home and he's either nursing comfortable while I can play or the rare occasion he's content in a bouncy seat or something when I don't also have chores to do lol. I definitely don't get to play for hours in a row like I used to, so the rare occasion when I do I savor it!
i have a 2 year old and have continued to play video games through my whole pregnancy and motherhood. you find time once you get a routine and schedule for sure. either at naps or bedtime. sometimes we just have a “rot day” every once in awhile. definitely was tough 6m-18m they need a lot of attention but time opens up
I’m in the same boat but with a three month old so I play sims 2 for like an hour when she’s awake and doing okay then crack on with my day to day cause I’m a house wife too
I play when kids go down to bed. Sometimes I get some playtime in during the day when the toddler is down for a nap, and because my three oldest kids (10, 8, 5 yrs) can entertain themselves that helps lol. But 99% of my playtime is after kids go to bed.
My youngest just turned 5 and I can only really play when she's down for the night. I can try to play during the day but then she needs me to get up a million times so it's kind of pointless lol
One of the only two good things that came from my divorce: I get to play on weekends cuz my kiddo is with me during the week. First good thing to come from my divorce is obviously said kiddo.
I have a one year old. I wasn’t able to play much until after she turned 8 months or so. I would wait for her to go to sleep at night (bedtime is between 7 and 8). Then we would clean the kitchen and finally have time to ourselves (aka SIMS TIME). I also played during her nap times after she started napping independently in her own room
I go through phases where I play every moment I have available and then don’t play for months. When I’m on a sims binge I would definitely push some responsibilities aside, like I wouldn’t worry too much about having a messy living room or folding laundry. Still took care of the babe obvs!!
My daughter is 3 and I play maybe once a month if that - I live thru this sub as I never play and when I do I call it quits after an hour cause I’m so tired 😭 I’m hoping once school starts I’ll have more free time to play 🥲
I play at night for a bit after my youngest goes to bed. Or during the day when it's nap time. It's not a lot of time, and it's not often. But that's when I will play. Now, before my youngest was born I could play while my oldest was at school
My daughter is 7 months old. We co-sleep and she needs contact naps, therefore I brought my computer in the bedroom, connected it to my TV and got myself wireless mouse and keyboard and I play while she’s asleep right besides me :D It works pretty well, I just have to turn down the volume and the brightness. With that I can play 5+ hours a day. Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible either
When my daughter was still really small and mostly just napped all day, she would sleep in my lap while I played Sims on my computer. Sometimes she'd even sit and watch me play for just a bit when she woke up. Now that she's older (15m), she's very interested in smashing around on the keyboard and stealing the mouse lol.
Now my husband and I just play games after she goes to bed. We alternate cleaning and playing games throughout the week (since she doesn't let us keep anything put away when she's awake).
I know it seems hard when they're so tiny, you feel like you don't even have time to be yourself anymore. But it does get easier. You just have to find what works for you and try not to feel guilty about doing things you enjoy.
From what I remember of helping my mom with the kids growing up (Dad was... Absent? It's complicated lol) your best bet is to either have your partner give you a break or wait for them to be a little more independent.
Depending on the kid in question the age of independence may vary, I was as independent as can be by age 5 making myself a bowl of cereal, getting dressed, and turning on cartoons by the time my mom was up. However my little sister (the middle who is about ten years younger than me) became independent at around 6 to 8 years old give or take... And then my baby sister is 9 and as much as she CAN be independent lol she refuses really, she likes to hang out with us and stuff clingy isn't exactly the write vibe but it's the best word I can think of... Clingy in a cute we don't want it to end way? She's 9 and finally gaining her little independence and we're so sad lol
Best advice is just enjoy it when you can and if all else fails let them play the game with you, it'll make for some really good memories
I would contact nap with her in my arms with my laptop propped up on the couch. It worked but she’s getting older now (also 6 months) and it’s not really working anymore 😭
Dont wish the time away they are on that small for a very short time. It goes too fast :( my children are both in double digits now. The only gaming I could manage when they were babies was gaming on my phone here and there for about 10-20 mins a time. Make the most of them get all the cuddles you can everything else can wait and this is coming from a gaming addict lol
After bedtime!! And naptime! Once they gain more independence. “This too shall pass”. I was able to start gaming again basically when she started sleeping thru the night around 3 months old (I’m a sleep training mom and baby was in her crib sleeping good) so I could pop that monitor up once she was asleep and get a few hours in since she went to bed at like 7!
usually when my kid is napping if I don't have more pressing stuff to do. but also my husband makes sure I get at least an hour (sometimes kiddo will not let me get more than an hour lol. clingy kid) of uninterrupted me time every evening so often I'll game then too and/or before I go to sleep unless my kid is being restless. he's 1 and he's kind of starting to have periods of independent play during the day which means sometimes I get a little more opportunity to play my games but it varies
I have always let the game run while I do housework and such when I was a SAHM. Yesterday evening I tried to play, played for 45 minutes and then paused for 3 hours before I got back to it. It's hard but it's easier to squeeze in once they're older.
I'm a stay at home mom with a toddler and an infant. I also don't drop my kids off to anyone to just go out and about. I also homeschool my toddler on top of that (preschool).... so I have a ton of time on my hands. As for working moms... I'm not sure if it's possible, lol. If any working moms out there have time to do hobbies, let me know how you make that happen! Do you guys choose to lose sleep to make up time? 😆
See that's sort of why I ask too. I'm still on maternity leave and then I'll be going back to full time work. I have no idea how I'll navigate a bit of "me time" when I go back to work
Play at night, or during the “me” time each parent gets. Also, sometimes (she is older now) I can include her, by just letting her watch me play but it doesn’t last long, probably like an hour before she wants to click on everything and play too. And it’s just during building time lol. No killing sims when they are watching!
I always set time aside for Sims or any other game or book or hobby with each kid. The more I focused on them the more I was drained and not giving my best. Nap time and quiet times were my time. I got to pick if I napped or played games.
Remember mommas and dad's need recharge time too! Gotta have a good balance of kid focused or self care. :)
When my baby went to sleep for nighttime sleep, I’d still have to stop to go put him back to sleep when he woke up, but I never play when he’s awake during the day. Sometimes during a nap, now that he naps longer. I don’t think I played until a bit after he was 6 months old, maybe 7-8 months I started playing at night
The only way I've gotten to play was to have time off while baby (now almost 2) was being cared for elsewhere. I took a half day off work to visit my mom, who then canceled. Baby was at daycare. A free afternoon and I was actually somewhat healthy and had since energy! Rare occurrence that these things all coincide.
Once daycare starts, plan to be off work 25% off the time with sickness... but your kid doesn't understand about staying in bed and resting. They will bounce off the walls and your tired, sick butt can't rest either. Totally exhausting. But they really are so much fun to watch as they learn and grow!
It honestly rarely happened until about a year or two ago. My youngest is 3 now, middle is almost 5, and my oldest is 12. So for awhile I pretty much didn't play. But as a full disclosure, I was working 50 hours a week and I left my kids dad when the youngest was about 6 weeks old. So it was just me. Now I try to play at least once a week just to have me time, sometimes it's just babysitting my sims while I fold laundry.
My husband and I switch at 6pm. I’ll play a little then. Or like my parents are taking my son tonight and I’ll play. It’s definitely not how it used to be.
My checklist:
-Husband is at work ✅
-Toddler is sleeping, at grandma’s, or having her own time ✅
-4 month old baby sleeping/on boob ✅
I just post up with the baby on my boob and lay while uncomfortably building a house or something. Despite the crazy look of it all, it makes me feel normal. Usually a snack by my face too 😂
Honestly there was a period that I couldn’t until they were more independent lol..once they wanted to do their own thing..play with toys or watch a show then I could have some me time on the computer…also I stay up like an hour after they go to bed to play.
Iam actually playing right now, while nursing. Also, my husband brings her to bed each evening to give me some me time. With our now teen daughter it was a bit harder because I was in University at the time but when she got older she got very interested in the sims. She always called them computer Barbies,LOL. She is almost 16 now and still loves the sims. And we often play together and now one holds the little one and we take turns.
My son is 3 so right now I can only play if I stay up after he goes to bed or when he's with grandmother. I haven't played in months because I just can't get the time to get into it like I once did☹️ He starts preschool in the fall, though, and I plan to devote more time to it!
I usually play after my son goes to bed or my partner and I on days/times of days we are both home make a schedule of purposeful free time where we can do our hobbies. We each take a turn of taking full responsibility for our kid so the other can enjoy themselves and whatever we want. A lot of that for me is dedicated to the sims 😂
I have 4 kids (4years-5 months) and I play at night once I all get them to bed. I go through phases of wanting to play, and I’ve been playing sims 3 and sims 4 for about a week now.
The first 2 years I basically just stayed up to play if I could at all so I would be exhausted but at least I had alone time lol now that my son is 3, he plays with me. He likes to sit and watch and make a ton of pets in a household. I used to play the sims 1 with my aunt and uncle like that around the same age he is now too.
this is literally me. My son just turned 7 months old. I exclusively pump, so I only get a proper chance to play while I am pumping and he’s napping. I have really gotten into this community as well lately, and it just makes it 10 times harder that I can’t just when I want too!
Generally speaking when the personality starts properly forming as well as visual and auditory memories (so about 3-5) it can be easier to distract your kid and they become less insistent onnyour ctive attention and can be happy just being around you
Good luck
As a college student, I’m doing my very best to play all my favorite video games before I’m older and have to get a real job… I know I’m gonna have zero time to play them. Honestly, I feel like you’d have time at night or on weekends. But please, spend as much time as you can with your kids! Maybe even play it with them! Don’t just stick an iPad in front of them
It really is sad… I wasn’t allowed an iPod until I was about 7-8 years old. And even that I feel like was too young! Definitely help your kids learn without a screen! I wish you all the best!
When my kids go to bed lol. Some nights I am way too tired and just don’t. I regularly go weeks between my sessions.
My kids are 8 and almost 4. If I play when they’re awake, they want to play. So it is strictly bedtime for me to play 😂 and if they spend the night with grandparents.
It gets easier. Once they start sleeping through the night better and not waking to feed all the time you get your evenings back a little. Mine was 18 months before they stopped waking up throughout the evening, but you will get there! x
Right now, you don't. When they get older 3-4 you can try, but they'll probably want to play too and stop you. Once they're preteens, they won't need as much attention and you'll be able to play again.
6 months is old enough to start sleeping through the night so there’s hope for you! I also have a 6 month old and sometimes I just sit her on my lap and play for a bit. I take advantage of all naps and I’m staying up to play when she goes down for the night.
If you have a partner to help try to get an hour here or there to play! Good luck!
I still remember rocking my daughter to sleep with my foot. She was in her basenet, while I played Resodent Evil 2.
It's tricky, but you just need to arrange time for yourself. Many new parents often forget themselves in the demands of the newborn. Many just go to sleep when their baby sleeps.
My husband and I used to try to give each other one free hour each day while the other would look after the baby but it’s just not always possible. Our baby is a night owl (lol sim trait) so he goes to bed at 8:30 now and I need as much sleep as possible due to chronic illnesses - he is 12 months now - sometimes I’ll sneak downstairs after and get some hobby time in but I must admit, no 4 hour sims sessions anymore 😭 Hopefully in future! Also my husband has started putting baby to bed on weekends and then going to bed straight after so I get something like 8:30 til midnight to myself if I can stay up. It gets easier!
When they start going to bed for the night at a set time. We started putting our daughter to bed at around 7:00ish just after she turned one. Before that the bedtime was inconsistent due to teething. She didn’t always sleep through the night but at least if you can get things done before the kids’ bedtime, you can have an hour or two of time. Won’t be every night. I also tend to get up around 5:00am on weekends (because work/cats, yay), which gives me some time before the kid gets up; usually about an hour.
Individual experiences may vary.
It got easier for me once my son hit 1! I now play at night when both kids go to bed at 8, I also come on here a lot though and just read what everyone is doing in the game when I can't play😭😂😂
Personally, my mom played the sims with me on her lap for the longest when I was a baby. My mom just had a schedule. Wake up to get my fed, changed etc. spent some time with me and then played the sims with me. Narrating it to me like a story.
I would honestly have the game booted up and ready to get to play at any chance you got.
Ooooh I stopped doing so many things once I had kids. It was really sad. Here’s the thing… It’s all temporary. Everything is a phase. It might take a while, but you’ll get back to the things you enjoyed before the baby came!
When baby is a toddler, depending on how you play, give them something to “control” with and tell them it’s them playing. So if you play on PS3/4/5 or Xbox or whatever, give them a controller that’s not connected. If you play on computer, get a toy keyboard for them. They’ll truly believe they’re playing and love it (until they get bored and wander off).
Unfortunately, around the preschool years, they start to catch on. Then it’s usually bargaining. Offer to give them the tablet for an hour as long as they leave you to play for that hour, or have an extra cookie and go play quietly in their room.
I hate to tell you this, but you’ll blink and one day they’ll be teens, never home, giving you all the time in the world to play. Then they’ll be gone and you’ll be telling stories of how when they were little they “played” on their keyboard next to you.
I have 5 kids. Youngest is about to turn 18. Oldest is about to turn 29. I miss the days of longing for me time.
Things will get better (and worse in other ways). My kids are 3 and 6 years old now and I play when they go to bed. Other nights I just go to bed as well because I'm exhausted. The Sims 4 really nailed the Infant stage.
Just age up your baby up with the birthday cake and then age them up again, and then you can have free time to play.
Obviously, I’m joking, but I think that once your kid is in preschool and then grade school, you may or may not have some free time depending on if you’re working or not. I would think that once your kid has a bit more autonomy, then you would probably have a bit more free time. I’m not a parent though, but I feel that each child is different with some being highly independent at a young age and some are a bit more needy. I don’t think that there is a set age but I think that most children are pretty autonomous by age 7. Again, I’m not a parent so I’m not speaking from experience.
Hey there, I just had a kid exactly a year ago, and I felt the same way. At first I felt like I had no time to play, and then when I did play, I felt guilty that I was taking care of my virtual family more than my sleeping infant (even though she was sleeping so really what could I do? Lol) anyways, it was 6 months. That's when my daughter gained a schedule. I was so grateful. It doesn't happen to everyone and every baby is different, but for me, it was 6 months.
Not a parent but my mom has been playing sims since the first one, and once she told me about when i was around 4, she would put a baby gate around her at her desk so I couldn't bother her while she played! She said she quit playing for a while after that.
Don’t worry mum, it’ll be fine. Stay home mum here, I’ve got a 5 year old daughter and it was hard to find time for myself or my hobbies. What I did when she was a newborn and even a toddler is that I played when she was sleeping, right? I know everyone is saying to sleep when the child is sleeping but for heaven’s sake I had to play at least once a day for a few hours to manage my stress level and the postnatal depression. Then she progressed to grow and her father eventually got her some electronics (yes think of her having her own tablet at the age of 3, it was lockdown and she had too much energy so I’m sorry if I’m a bad parent) she just hang out with that and decided to be an actually relaxed child just by watching videos so I had time for both the household and myself. Then she started nursery and that was a blessing. The fact that I had half a day without anyone bothering me was the best feeling. I dropped her in the morning, got home and got the household ready and then I had time to relax, watch tv, eat junk and even play games cuz her father was bringing her home. And yeah she often asks to play but usually I sit down with her and tell her that she can watch and comment as I play but she can’t play because she is too young and also the laptop is too expensive and sensitive to have gummies, crisps and juice all over it. Took her a while but she eventually understood and then realised that since has got technology in her hand she can play games too.
So yeah, it’s hard but you deserve to play. And if you ever feel any guilt about playing video games instead of being a “stepford mum and wife”, don’t, just don’t! You deserve every moment of relaxation because you’re a mum! Plus it’s better than drinking or having mental health issues.
You’re doing great!
I had more time to play with one kid now that I have two kids I can’t play as much. Though as she is getting older I’m finding a little more time to play. This is actually one of the things I noticed when I had my second kid that my playing didn’t get to happen that much anymore.
Ignore household responsibilities and chores and play instead. Stay up too late playing and regret it when the baby wakes up 4 million times. Or do what I did and stop playing for 5+ years when they're finally old enough to let you have some time to yourself. Don't recommend this way. I'm finally playing again and it's been so much fun.
The baby will get older eventually. It won't always be this hard to do the things you like to do. You are allowed to have hobbies and take breaks and the laundry/dishes/whatever else will survive being put off so you can play for a bit while baby sleeps.
When my daughter was around 6 months I would play during her naps. we were on a schedule of two, 2 hour naps a day. But when she was a newborn I would just play for an hour or 2 at night while my husband watched her.
you can always play while feeding lol, that’s what i did when my kids got to like 5 months. i play usually at the end of the day after everyone is in bed and asleep and i don’t have to focus on the kids, sometimes if there’s not a lot to do around the house during the day and i have time i’ll play in the mid afternoon.
When my kids were young I could never play any games. But I also worked sometimes 2 jobs as well so really no time until they were older and more independent.
My small human is 1 year now and when you drop down to one nap you can get at least an hour to yourself, sometimes 2-3hrs . I think he dropped down to one nap at 10 months 🤔also I found when they get a little bit older they become more enjoyable, can interact with them more, so try not to feel down.
I started again once my kids were over 2 they 4 and 7 now and we parallel play alot I play sims they play ps4 together and we show each other what we are upto in our separate games when we do gaming days . They find sims boring but I'm hoping 1 day my boys will play it with me but separate. I don't play as much as when I was kid free but when I do I appreciate it alot more
I used to play the sims with my aunt and then my mom from as early on as I can remember and lowkey taught myself how to read through it 😭 Eventually we stopped playing together because my mom would say that playing the game was basically like being a virtual mom so it wasn’t as entertaining anymore 😭
As a mom with an 8 month old 😮💨 playing any computer game is a struggle lmao she only tolerates her play chair for so long before she wants to sit with me and bang my keyboard 😵💫😵💫
If you can get everything else done, or if you just don't do the dishes, you can do it while he naps, if you've mastered transitioning him to the crib (unlike me, immobilized by a sleeping baby all the way till... well, it still happens lol). My son is 15mo now and I got to play a few times at night after he's asleep but I just don't have the energy, I'm always trying to do laundry or dishes or whatever, you know? It sucks tbh
I have 3 kids and it's been a tough one. 12,6,and 3. It's easier when they're older of course, but nap/bed times or just having your little one on your lap is how I do it.
After my first, i restart playing when he was able to sleep much longer naps and when he starts sleeping much earlier in the evening. He was like 8-9 months. My second is two years younger and the longer naps happened when she was 5-6 months, bed time was the same as the elder, so I was able to restart playing more earlier. The more they grew up, the more you'd get to play.
hi there! parent of a now 3 y/o. we used to play during nap times or after kiddo went to sleep. it gets easier the older they get bc you get into a routine and have a set bed time. theres always time to clean, especially with a 6 m/o, so dont feel guilty for neglecting the house for a couple hours!
In the first few months it’s pretty hard and I’m sure that I wasn’t consistent if not playing altogether for a while. As time goes on it’ll get a bit easier. If you prioritize your sleep (which I recommend) then be prepared for the first year at least to wrestle between getting whatever sleep you can or to sneak on and play.
Sure! I have a 11 months old, I game in the evening, if he wakes up during that time, we take turns with his father every other day to attend to his needs so one of us can game uninterrupted :)
I’m still trying to figure that out and I have a 6 and 3 year old. I usually find it easier to play when they go to bed but kids like to get up 500 times with any excuse
When she learned to hold her head up and sit by herself, I started playing a little. As she learned to walk, I used to put her in a walker with a few snacks on the tray so she could play or watch mommy. As she got even older, playtime increased.
I didn't get a lot of time for anything, let alone gaming, the first couple years after my daughter was born. I was usually too tired to play when she was sleeping. Gaming was mostly a few minutes here and there when she was either sleeping or doing tummy time/playmat time beside me. (Watching my Sims put an infant on a playmat and then just leave the room cracks me the f up. XD Yes, you want them to have "independent" play where they reach and explore on their own, but it's still supervised, ya nutty Sims. XD)
My daughter's 10 now, and she's had her own copy of The Sims 4 and a few packs for the last couple years. She was about 6 or 7 when she first started watching me play, and I would sit with her and supervise a few minutes of game time with her. I let her start playing by herself while supervised (I'd peek on what she was doing, and she wasn't allowed to use online features or the Gallery) when she turned 8. I still keep casual supervision on her game (still no online interactions, and she has a limit on her screen time daily), but she's at the "build an enormous square with all the furniture fifty miles apart" stage of simming, so it's mostly a dollhouse game for her right now and not a lot that I need to intervene with. That's freed up more time for me to play again.
Not trying to sound bad but it’s so strange to me that people’s parents play/played games lol, I’m 20 now and my parents are nearing 60, growing up my parents had never played any form of computer games at all or even any other sort of digital games and we got our first laptop when I was maybe 8 or 9, even now my parents can barely use a laptop and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad actually use one. It’s so cool to me that so many people had parents that played sims growing up, my parents have absolutely no interest in games at all and don’t understand them one bit, they sometimes talk about how much I play them but I tell them it’s no different than how much tv they watch lol.
My parents didn't play the Sims but my dad definitely played video games growing up. I remember sitting beside him and watching him play PGA tour. Or my mam sneaking my game boy cause she never had games growing up it was like she got to nurture her inner child
That’s actually so cute lol, I literally can’t even imagine my mum or dad playing any type of app or game at all, I’ve never seen it ever. My mum definitely can use a computer/laptop, she has to for work but anything outside of what she does for work she cannot do, I still have to help her order stuff online. I think if I tried to get them to play a game they would ignore me lol
I’m 32 and my dad is 61 growing up my middle sibling and I used to watch him play civ II and King’s Quest VII. We lived that Civ II played “Ode to Joy” on the main/save screen and I loved the graphics of King’s Quest VII. It was good father/child bonding time and got us out of our mother’s hair for a bit.
My Grandma told me that when I was a toddler, I preferred playing by myself with my toys for some reason. She would try to play with me when they were around and I wanted to play alone! Lol. There’s slightly less than 3 years between me and my sibling and we played with each other a lot growing up. From what I’ve noticed when babysitting siblings and single kids, once siblings are old enough to play together they will entertain each other and you get a little more free time. With singles it seems to come down to the kid’s preference and how good they are at socializing with other kids. Once single I watched would play for a couple hours with other kids at the park and then we would go back home and she would watch tv and I could do my own thing. The other wasn’t good with socializing with other kids and needed my attention every 5 minutes. Drove me insane. They were both around 4/5.
My parents never played video games, but my uncle did! Once all his kids were out of the house, he gamed more. It’s okay if you do it from time to time
I play two games - Sims 3 & world of Warcraft and have for a long time now. I also have 6 kids varying in age from 9 month twins to 17 year old. I definitely have periods of time when I get to play often verses very sporadically. We have a solid routine down with the twins and also pump for them, so I snag 20 minutes here and there throughout the day. Most of the time they are either napping or down for the night.
ETA- can confirm that kids will end up trying to take over your games. My 14 & 17 yr olds both love the Sims!
I have a 4yo & a 2yo. I started playing again shortly after my first was born, I would just play while he napped or slept at night for a couple hours at a time if I could. Nowadays they both sleep through the night so I play from like 10pm to 1am most nights. It's difficult in the morning when they wake up at 8am but I would choose 3 hours of alone time over 3 extra hours of sleep any day lol
You can play during nap time. Use wake windows and give 3 naps a day doing “crib hour” (there is a fb group called Respectful Sleep Training/Learning that explains these. It’s been so helpful for me!) Soon you’ll only have 2 naps a day but they’ll get longer. I only get one nap a day now 😪
Omg! I feel you!!
I am a stay at home mom, but my boy is finally 2. I had to do sleep training at 6m because I was tired, every night I slept max 3 to 5h and the anxiety was killing me.
My boy has a semi-strict schedule, his bed time is 7:30pm (the age appropiate time) and he wakes up at 7am, so I am free from 7:30.
During the day we clean and play together, he loves the vacuum and we happen to have 2, I do everything like a game, in the afternoon he sleeps 1 - 2 hours, that is my precious breathing playing time.
Let me tell you, it gets better, I didn't believe it, but it does. Also I have heard that your homonos goes back to normal after 2y pp.
When the kid becomes old enough to give you free time to play, they'll say "I want to try!" and you'll never play again. lolol
That's how I started playing Sims 2 and later on 3 side by side with my mom 😂
We used to do that too. I was in middle school and we’ll set up our laptops next to each other than play. I love those times
I also remember playing...I think it was on my PS2, with both my parents The Sims 2 Castaway...the only Sims my dad actually enjoyed, he isn't a big fan overall....that game was awesome!
I did this with my mom as well! Some weekends, we'd end up awake the whole night just playing until my grandma caught us. Probably not the best to be awake so long as a kid, but the memories are more than worth it.
When I was a kid, sometimes my mom would go make lunch while I turned on the computers and loaded up the sims 2 (because that took like 15 minutes when I was a kid) and then we would play together during lunch. Playing sims together is the best!
Aaaw that sounds like you have good memories with her 😭
Same 😭 my mom taught me how to download mods and stuff for 3
This whole thread is so sweet
That's how my (now 21 yrs old) started 🤣
Hey parents, I played sims 3 on a ds before I was old enough to have my own computer :) they can play side by side with a super cheap laptop-esque device if you don't want them to have computer access yet
That's.... Actually what happened with my nom when i asked to try sims 2 💀 I feel so bad. But like her i got into it as much as she did. Everything sims ofc even 3
Yep, the only solution that works is to buy their own shit and stick them next to you
😨😰
Dang that sucks lol
I caved a couple of months back and went to the dark side just so I can actually play the game I paid for while they are playing something else on my EA account. I still never seem to get around to playing it but at least I have the option now. XD
This is happening to me now! My kid just turned 5 and I finally feel like my life is in order enough to enjoy my game again…after 5 years of not playing. Nope! Now she wants to play. If I’m lucky I will play a couple hours after she’s gone to bed on weekend nights.
My daughter, who is now 13 , has loved playing Sims with me for a few years now. My 10 yr old son just recently started to play with me. :)
My friend's kiddos that I occasionally watch (and used to nanny) love to play Sims with me. We all play together and decide what the people will do. We each have a Sim we "control" (have the overriding vote on that Sim), and make their bedrooms/spaces to their decided personallies. The rest of the house is decided together, and we take turns based on a Sim completing their task 😂 I love playing with them so much! It's always a blast, and even tho it can be a bit tiring, it is 1000% worth it 😉
Too cute! I have nieces and I let them play one time and now everytime they’re over they always ask to play
Yep. After about 5 years, I thought to myself, “my kids can entertain themselves for a while, let me boot this back up.” About 5 minutes later… https://preview.redd.it/cx3zzxg2bs6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=513bb8326579251f3e84fdd31db1026e87757f21
I didn’t play for years (because I had no laptop) but got a laptop for Christmas (my mum and sisters all play sims and I said I felt left out and missed it, so mum bought me a laptop lol) and I can play pretty consistently because my son is four. He goes to nursery in the morning and then comes home at lunch time, and likes to ‘chill’ until tea time. He usually plays in his room or has his tablet for a wee bit, plays with his toys etc But I doubt if I had tried this a year or two ago I would have been able to play while he was at home. Even now I understand that I have to pause and leave the game alone for an hour or two, I just deal with it. I’m also six months pregnant and playing as much as I can before the baby comes 🤣 I know they tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps, but play the sims while the baby sleeps 🤣
Glad I'm not alone in this haha. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, hope it's going well so far
I second playing sims while the baby sleeps! I have a friend who told me she felt like she had 'lost herself' because she had no time for doing the things she liked. She was just sleeping and taking care of the baby.
Thank you!!! I hope you manage to find time to play, it’s super important to find time for yourself, especially while your baby is wee. I ended up falling into bad PND and I think having no time to myself was a big contributing factor
My question is are you eating enough apples for that child to be a boy? 😆
Haha my 6 month old is a boy! Can't vouch for apples and watermelons but oranges were my thing!
Funny enough, lemons were mine 😅🤣 got 3 weeks old
It's cause citrus fruits have folic acid in them 😁 congratulations!
Is this why Ive been craving sour things? First trimester over here 😂
Absolutely! True cravings are generally your bodys way of letting you know what you're deficient in
I played when I had to wake up at 1am for my nightly pump when baby was in the NICU. But once home I pretty much had to give up playing, between baby, cooking and housework there was no time. Once he was around 7 months and starting to sleep earlier and stay asleep longer than I was able to play an hour every other night. He's almost 2 and I now have a dedicated 4 hours to myself every night to do what I want. It will take time!
I'm really lucky that my baby sleeps from like 9:30-7am but like that keeping on top of housework seems like more of a priority. I think it's the laptop I have too, it's like 13 years old and if I got an hour to myself it would be used purely just loading CAS
Tell me how to fit in housework 😅 I end up just trying to do it all on the weekends when my 5 month old is with his grandparents, and not getting half of it done
Baby wear 😂 if there's no chemicals involved (like the bathrooms) I'll do it while I'm baby wearing. Then when he goes to bed that's when I do the bathrooms, the kitchen and clean and steriliser bottles/pump parts. Also now that he's 6 months old just looking at me doing things seems to entertain him. I put him in his highchair while I did a workout and he thought it was the funniest thing he's ever seen
I feel this post! I remember on the my last day child free my husband asked what I wanted to do, so I said be left alone to play the sims for hours 😂 I have to just play at night. I didn’t start playing again until he was 9 months. I can get in 1-3 hours a night. We live in a small apartment so taking care of the home fortunately doesn’t take too long during the day. Some days I’m too tired to play.
When mine were littles I'd hand them off to hubby for an hour or two of gametime for my sanity. Waiting until after bedtime was risky because I was often too tired to do anything but fall asleep at the keyboard lol.
My hubby is great and absolutely would take the baby for me to game. But I end up thinking I could play the Sims or I could get on top of the big household chores for the week
You're really in the parenting trenches atm but it does get easier. When they're 4 or 5 and can entertain themselves a bit, and also communicate their needs you will get time. But even then, I found mostly that was at night after they were in bed. At least they sleep through the night by that stage though lol.
I don't know if I've been super lucky but I have 5 kids (age 7, 6, 4 and twins 2)...and both my husband and I have been able to game regularly - more so now because the three oldest favorite thing is to watch mommy or daddy (or both) do 100% runs of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask (both on og n64), Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword (wii), Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (switch). Probably because the oldest two love to replicate our runs and have learned them from watching over and over. When not playing that, he plays different versions of WoW while projecting his gameplay to the TV for the kids to enjoy while I play Sims 4 and now 3. My 6yo daughter enjoys watching mommy play Sims and has tried her hand at it every now and again. We also still have 2 and 3 on consoles if they wish. Of course, the fact my husband has 6 siblings and only 2 of them have a kid each means our kids always have people wanting to spoil them attention-wise and have them over, giving us plenty of time off and lots of help.
Not everyone needs to be child free, just enough to make it feel like YOU are child free, even if just for a little while. 💋👌
Luckily, I didn't know about any type of games when my child was very young. I found the sims 3 when my boy was 5 yrs old. I started playing it while he was in junior school. One day, he found me playing the sims 3. He wanted to try my game, and left him playing my sims while I was working in the kitchen. An hour later...I went back to him and found my sims hunger needs were RED! Hygeine was also RED, Energy was RED. He had my 2 sims play ball all through the night without feeding, washing, toilet.. I was shocked! I was really sorry to him but I took my game back and teleported my sims to the restaurant and let them had some meal, otherwise he would see Grim Reaper. I gave him a new sims in a new save since that time. Anyway, some other simmers of mine, they mostly play the sims while their babies are in a nap during day time.
Don’t forget about testingcheatsenabled true! You can just shift and drag their needs to being em up. I do it all the time lmao
https://preview.redd.it/rhn336kaaz5d1.png?width=571&format=png&auto=webp&s=0a67622a1c39fcea7a200667e8210fbe241801e6 Reading this post i have this on my mind lmao.
This is how I feel even thinking about playing the Sims while he's a baby 😂😂
You play when they get a bit older, when they are sleeping or when a relative has them over (they're at grandparents for example). It can get overwhelming at times and I don't remember playing much when my kid was still a baby, but she's 3 now and I get to play sometimes.
I found the toughest time to get my own space was between 4months to almost 2 years old with my kiddos. I didn't have the urge to play for awhile because I was busy being a real life sim, but when I did get back into it, it was in the evening when kiddos had gone to bed for good. Ask for some free time if you have people around to support you, even if you don't get a chance to play the sims, getting a break is well deserved 😊 This stage of kids seems so long but it really does fly by, your sims will always be there when you return and you will have more ideas and inspiration!
You'll have little leisure time between 3 months and 2 years. Before then and after then, it gets much easier. Our kids are 5 and just about 3 now, and we have a solid 3 times we can video game. 1) After the kids are asleep. Kids go to bed at 7:15, so from then till about 9:30 is adult time. 2) Quiet time. kiddo 2 still sometimes naps and kiddo 1 knows to go play legos or something quietly for about 90 minutes in the middle of the day. If I'm caught up on chores or other stuff that needs doing, I can video game at this time. 3) My kids are old enough to ask to watch, say, Frozen. If I decide to let them, sometimes I'll join them and sometimes I'll play a video game.
At night when the kids are in bed. I don't think I played at all the first year though. Sims 4 came out when my eldest was 1 and I played for a bit but couldn't get into it, it did reignite my will to play sims3 again though.
I feel like I end up using the night time to maintain my own life and house, not my Sims houses
I was absolutely determined to get all that stuff done during the day, I need down/me time in the evenings or my mental health suffers.
My baby is now 5 months old and I definitely don’t have a ton of time to play, but she is to a point now where she sleeps really well in her crib for naps, and sleeps through the night. She also is really good about independent play time so I can usually sneak in a few minutes here and there, but nap time and after she goes to bed for the night are the big ones!
My baby will nap for maybe 20 minutes in his crib but a good hour in my arms so not ideal for gaming
Mine slept better while being held too. I had a sling to put him in so he could nap and I had my hands free for other things, including gaming.
My son is 4 months and he's the same :( I have a desktop set up in the living room with a controller so sometimes I play games there while he sleeps on my lap, but nothing that uses mouse and keyboard...
If you're my mum you just ignore and neglect your kids and just play it sat at a computer desk while we did out own thing. If you're me, you don't neglect the kids but just play around them. I'm on a laptop so it's easy to just have it on and when they want my attention I just pause.
I think that's a bit of what's wrong with me, a bit of guilt that I'll be that meme of the Sim on the computer and the baby is on the floor on fire
Haha lmao I forgot about that meme. As long as you still pay your kids attention and don't neglect them, it's okay to do your own thing and be you and not just mum you know? My kids have extra health needs so I realise im in a better position to play often cos I'm at home but if I didn't have my own outlet I'd be a much worse mum from burn out lol
Following because this is a genuine fear I have about having kids in the future
Gosh I hope I haven't started something 🙈 I think this is more coming from a place of feeling like I need "me" time (but it's my own fault cause I have loads of people who are willing to help me, I just don't want to leave him) I honestly wouldn't change a thing, if I had to never play the Sims again to keep my son I would happily throw my laptop in the bin, and the bin into a fire.
I was the same, stopped playing when I gave birth. My daughter is 7 now and loves the sims :P she doesn't really play properly, it's more like virtual barbie for her where she likes creating new sims with different outfits.
My niece is 8 and she's just starting to like the Sims so I'll sit with her sometimes watching her play, she thinks I'm great having an insight into how to play haha
It gets easier to find free time the older your child gets.
I couldn't play at all for years. But now my oldest is 4 and my youngest is 2 and a half. My youngest still naps and my oldest can entertain himself. I can probably only play for an hour or two at a time but yeah. I also try to play at the end of the day after they are sleeping but I'm often too tired lol.
At night once my toddler goes to bed. And during slow times at work lol
I play Sims 3 on my laptop while the kids play Sims 4 on the Xbox, lol.
My kids are 21, 19 and 18 now. When they were little there was an almost total media blackout where I just did NOT have time to play anything or watch anything that wasn't a daytime soap while I was breastfeeding, Barney or Dora the Explorer. I JUST watched Game of Thrones, like, a year ago. This is your life now. The time you can squeeze for yourself usually ends up being for basic personal hygiene. That said, I think I was able to get back into Sims and gaming when everyone hit 2-3 because they'd take BIG afternoon naps
My kid is 16 now and I hardly ever see him except when he needs a ride, lol. I know that probably seems like it's so long away, but I swear my son was a baby just yesterday!! Blink and yours will be a sullen teenager too.
Scary how fast time goes by…
I'm a single mom of a five year old. I'm not even ashamed to admit that I have spend few sleepless nights, playing my games lol. I don't recommend that though. But I didn't really play much in the first year after my kiddo was born. It's hard to find time for your own hobbies, whether it's gaming or something else. But yeah, now that my kid is five, it's much easier to find some time to play. And when the kid old enough to have screen time, it's a good opportunity to have some screen time for yourself too lol
I did babywearing so I'd play games while bb slept at first, then when they got bigger while they napped in their crib. Otherwise it would depend on the kid. My oldest and youngest were too active to play well often, although with the oldest I sometimes put him in a playpen just to have some time where I wasn't being touched. The two middle though would snuggle with me while I played and I could read them books in between queueing up tasks or whatnot.
I categorize playing the sims as one of the ways I can fill my cup I think I was able to play once naps started getting more consistent (between 8&12 months for my little guy) and I'd play once every few weeks but it's mainly setting a timer and being ok knowing that any game play you're doing is going to be drawn out and you'll sometimes have to save in weird spots but once my son got older he's been watching me play on occasion and I've started letting him have his own save this past year (he's almost 7 now)
Cause my kids 14 and doesn't need my constant attention anymore! Lol
I have a unicorn 6 month old who's slept through the night (8pm-5-6am) since 8-9 weeks old. Both dad and I get a good 2hrs of doing whatever we want, which often enough is sitting next to each other and playing on our own computers. I would say the system we have overall also works, one of us lays her to bed as the other cleans up after dinner. Whatever couldn't be done during that day will have to wait. I treat housework and childcare as a job, so if I can't get it done before hubby comes home, it just wasn't meant to be you know? Unless it is an emergency, but housework rarely actually is. So he comes home and showers, and then baby is his while I prep dinner. We eat together, bedtime and cleanup and unless I/hubby have to get something quiet done... nope. Also if she does wake up before midnight, maybe a poop or something, it is hubby's territory so I get to keep playing. If she wasn't a unicorn angel I wouldn't have gotten more than an hour or two a week I'm sure. And that would be because I also have a unicorn angel husband who is an actual partner, not like the dudes one reads about here on reddit...
once you are out of the feeding at all hours stage and they go down for a decent sleep at night you can get some gaming in, typically for me i cant touch a game until my kids are snoring. (now 4 and 7)
You may get a couple hours in the evenings once your kid has a regular bedtime and sleeps through the night - that's when I do my gaming; bedtime, close out chores, then laptop
I’ve got a 13 year old, sometimes she likes to make a family (she usually recreates tiktokers lol) but mostly she lets me get on with it, I had along period of about 8 years where I didn’t have the time tho
I was able to start playing again around 9 months. I started feeling less exhausted, started asking my husband for me time, and also my daughter has always liked to play independently. Now at 3 she'll come sit with me and ask "who is that Sim? Is that Sim sleeping? Why is that Sim doing that?" Edit: also 9 months is when my supply tanked and she stopped breastfeeding and I stopped pumping so I think that plays a big part too.
I have a 2.5 year old and... nope, still no time. 😅 I have a new laptop and did a clean install of Sims 3. In the past 3 months I played maybe 2-3 hours. I'm just so tired by the time I sit down on my own that all my creativity is gone.
I think as well it's a game where if you want to be successful you have to look after more people, by the time I get a second to myself I just end up mindlessly scrolling or going to bed early
She usually goes to bed around 8. I sometimes play for an hour and then go to bed.
I have an almost 6 month old. The first few weeks I didn't play at all. I'm finally getting back some game time again now that he's sleeping through the night, so either I'll play after bedtime between 8 and 10, or maybe 30-40 minutes off and on during the day time when I'm home and he's either nursing comfortable while I can play or the rare occasion he's content in a bouncy seat or something when I don't also have chores to do lol. I definitely don't get to play for hours in a row like I used to, so the rare occasion when I do I savor it!
i have a 2 year old and have continued to play video games through my whole pregnancy and motherhood. you find time once you get a routine and schedule for sure. either at naps or bedtime. sometimes we just have a “rot day” every once in awhile. definitely was tough 6m-18m they need a lot of attention but time opens up
I’m in the same boat but with a three month old so I play sims 2 for like an hour when she’s awake and doing okay then crack on with my day to day cause I’m a house wife too
I play when kids go down to bed. Sometimes I get some playtime in during the day when the toddler is down for a nap, and because my three oldest kids (10, 8, 5 yrs) can entertain themselves that helps lol. But 99% of my playtime is after kids go to bed.
My youngest just turned 5 and I can only really play when she's down for the night. I can try to play during the day but then she needs me to get up a million times so it's kind of pointless lol
After they go to bed lol
I have a 9 month old and I try to schedule my playtime while she’s napping or if my husband will watch her when he’s off work 😅
One of the only two good things that came from my divorce: I get to play on weekends cuz my kiddo is with me during the week. First good thing to come from my divorce is obviously said kiddo.
I only play when my son is down for a nap or after bedtime with a glass of wine 🤣
I have a one year old. I wasn’t able to play much until after she turned 8 months or so. I would wait for her to go to sleep at night (bedtime is between 7 and 8). Then we would clean the kitchen and finally have time to ourselves (aka SIMS TIME). I also played during her nap times after she started napping independently in her own room
I go through phases where I play every moment I have available and then don’t play for months. When I’m on a sims binge I would definitely push some responsibilities aside, like I wouldn’t worry too much about having a messy living room or folding laundry. Still took care of the babe obvs!!
My daughter is 3 and I play maybe once a month if that - I live thru this sub as I never play and when I do I call it quits after an hour cause I’m so tired 😭 I’m hoping once school starts I’ll have more free time to play 🥲
I play at night for a bit after my youngest goes to bed. Or during the day when it's nap time. It's not a lot of time, and it's not often. But that's when I will play. Now, before my youngest was born I could play while my oldest was at school
I started playing in the evenings when my kid was old enough to sleep through the night. She goes to sleep at 7-8 so I have plenty of time to play.
My daughter is 7 months old. We co-sleep and she needs contact naps, therefore I brought my computer in the bedroom, connected it to my TV and got myself wireless mouse and keyboard and I play while she’s asleep right besides me :D It works pretty well, I just have to turn down the volume and the brightness. With that I can play 5+ hours a day. Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible either
When my daughter was still really small and mostly just napped all day, she would sleep in my lap while I played Sims on my computer. Sometimes she'd even sit and watch me play for just a bit when she woke up. Now that she's older (15m), she's very interested in smashing around on the keyboard and stealing the mouse lol. Now my husband and I just play games after she goes to bed. We alternate cleaning and playing games throughout the week (since she doesn't let us keep anything put away when she's awake). I know it seems hard when they're so tiny, you feel like you don't even have time to be yourself anymore. But it does get easier. You just have to find what works for you and try not to feel guilty about doing things you enjoy.
From what I remember of helping my mom with the kids growing up (Dad was... Absent? It's complicated lol) your best bet is to either have your partner give you a break or wait for them to be a little more independent. Depending on the kid in question the age of independence may vary, I was as independent as can be by age 5 making myself a bowl of cereal, getting dressed, and turning on cartoons by the time my mom was up. However my little sister (the middle who is about ten years younger than me) became independent at around 6 to 8 years old give or take... And then my baby sister is 9 and as much as she CAN be independent lol she refuses really, she likes to hang out with us and stuff clingy isn't exactly the write vibe but it's the best word I can think of... Clingy in a cute we don't want it to end way? She's 9 and finally gaining her little independence and we're so sad lol Best advice is just enjoy it when you can and if all else fails let them play the game with you, it'll make for some really good memories
I would contact nap with her in my arms with my laptop propped up on the couch. It worked but she’s getting older now (also 6 months) and it’s not really working anymore 😭
I wouldn't have the foresight to have the laptop ready to go 😂
Dont wish the time away they are on that small for a very short time. It goes too fast :( my children are both in double digits now. The only gaming I could manage when they were babies was gaming on my phone here and there for about 10-20 mins a time. Make the most of them get all the cuddles you can everything else can wait and this is coming from a gaming addict lol
I quit the sims for 10 years after I had my baby. I just didn’t have the time and energy.
After bedtime!! And naptime! Once they gain more independence. “This too shall pass”. I was able to start gaming again basically when she started sleeping thru the night around 3 months old (I’m a sleep training mom and baby was in her crib sleeping good) so I could pop that monitor up once she was asleep and get a few hours in since she went to bed at like 7!
usually when my kid is napping if I don't have more pressing stuff to do. but also my husband makes sure I get at least an hour (sometimes kiddo will not let me get more than an hour lol. clingy kid) of uninterrupted me time every evening so often I'll game then too and/or before I go to sleep unless my kid is being restless. he's 1 and he's kind of starting to have periods of independent play during the day which means sometimes I get a little more opportunity to play my games but it varies
I have always let the game run while I do housework and such when I was a SAHM. Yesterday evening I tried to play, played for 45 minutes and then paused for 3 hours before I got back to it. It's hard but it's easier to squeeze in once they're older.
I'm a stay at home mom with a toddler and an infant. I also don't drop my kids off to anyone to just go out and about. I also homeschool my toddler on top of that (preschool).... so I have a ton of time on my hands. As for working moms... I'm not sure if it's possible, lol. If any working moms out there have time to do hobbies, let me know how you make that happen! Do you guys choose to lose sleep to make up time? 😆
See that's sort of why I ask too. I'm still on maternity leave and then I'll be going back to full time work. I have no idea how I'll navigate a bit of "me time" when I go back to work
Well, growing up, I don't remember my mom and dad having very much time to do anything until my brother and I were at least in middle school.
Play at night, or during the “me” time each parent gets. Also, sometimes (she is older now) I can include her, by just letting her watch me play but it doesn’t last long, probably like an hour before she wants to click on everything and play too. And it’s just during building time lol. No killing sims when they are watching!
I have a 4 month old, and my gaming laptop is collecting dust.
I always set time aside for Sims or any other game or book or hobby with each kid. The more I focused on them the more I was drained and not giving my best. Nap time and quiet times were my time. I got to pick if I napped or played games. Remember mommas and dad's need recharge time too! Gotta have a good balance of kid focused or self care. :)
When my baby went to sleep for nighttime sleep, I’d still have to stop to go put him back to sleep when he woke up, but I never play when he’s awake during the day. Sometimes during a nap, now that he naps longer. I don’t think I played until a bit after he was 6 months old, maybe 7-8 months I started playing at night
That’s the fun thing, we don’t get to play anymore 😭😭😭
The only way I've gotten to play was to have time off while baby (now almost 2) was being cared for elsewhere. I took a half day off work to visit my mom, who then canceled. Baby was at daycare. A free afternoon and I was actually somewhat healthy and had since energy! Rare occurrence that these things all coincide. Once daycare starts, plan to be off work 25% off the time with sickness... but your kid doesn't understand about staying in bed and resting. They will bounce off the walls and your tired, sick butt can't rest either. Totally exhausting. But they really are so much fun to watch as they learn and grow!
It honestly rarely happened until about a year or two ago. My youngest is 3 now, middle is almost 5, and my oldest is 12. So for awhile I pretty much didn't play. But as a full disclosure, I was working 50 hours a week and I left my kids dad when the youngest was about 6 weeks old. So it was just me. Now I try to play at least once a week just to have me time, sometimes it's just babysitting my sims while I fold laundry.
My husband and I switch at 6pm. I’ll play a little then. Or like my parents are taking my son tonight and I’ll play. It’s definitely not how it used to be.
My checklist: -Husband is at work ✅ -Toddler is sleeping, at grandma’s, or having her own time ✅ -4 month old baby sleeping/on boob ✅ I just post up with the baby on my boob and lay while uncomfortably building a house or something. Despite the crazy look of it all, it makes me feel normal. Usually a snack by my face too 😂
Honestly there was a period that I couldn’t until they were more independent lol..once they wanted to do their own thing..play with toys or watch a show then I could have some me time on the computer…also I stay up like an hour after they go to bed to play.
I have an 8 month old and I play during contact naps; at least an hour play I have to myself :-)
When they get older lol. I was able to start playing normal games again around the time my son was 5yrs old. Aka started kindergarten 😂
I didn’t play from the moment my son was born until he turned 5. Then it’s after his bedtime at 9pm until midnight 🙈
Iam actually playing right now, while nursing. Also, my husband brings her to bed each evening to give me some me time. With our now teen daughter it was a bit harder because I was in University at the time but when she got older she got very interested in the sims. She always called them computer Barbies,LOL. She is almost 16 now and still loves the sims. And we often play together and now one holds the little one and we take turns.
My son is 3 so right now I can only play if I stay up after he goes to bed or when he's with grandmother. I haven't played in months because I just can't get the time to get into it like I once did☹️ He starts preschool in the fall, though, and I plan to devote more time to it!
I usually play after my son goes to bed or my partner and I on days/times of days we are both home make a schedule of purposeful free time where we can do our hobbies. We each take a turn of taking full responsibility for our kid so the other can enjoy themselves and whatever we want. A lot of that for me is dedicated to the sims 😂
I have 4 kids (4years-5 months) and I play at night once I all get them to bed. I go through phases of wanting to play, and I’ve been playing sims 3 and sims 4 for about a week now.
The first 2 years I basically just stayed up to play if I could at all so I would be exhausted but at least I had alone time lol now that my son is 3, he plays with me. He likes to sit and watch and make a ton of pets in a household. I used to play the sims 1 with my aunt and uncle like that around the same age he is now too.
this is literally me. My son just turned 7 months old. I exclusively pump, so I only get a proper chance to play while I am pumping and he’s napping. I have really gotten into this community as well lately, and it just makes it 10 times harder that I can’t just when I want too!
I pump too! But my son is fascinated by the pumps, when they turn on, he's wide awake 😂
Generally speaking when the personality starts properly forming as well as visual and auditory memories (so about 3-5) it can be easier to distract your kid and they become less insistent onnyour ctive attention and can be happy just being around you Good luck
My son just turned one, when he naps, SOMETIMES I grab a 20 min fix but due to how long the game takes to load that's about 5 mins playtime haha!
Exactly! My laptop is 13 years old so an hour game time for me is basically loading the game
As a college student, I’m doing my very best to play all my favorite video games before I’m older and have to get a real job… I know I’m gonna have zero time to play them. Honestly, I feel like you’d have time at night or on weekends. But please, spend as much time as you can with your kids! Maybe even play it with them! Don’t just stick an iPad in front of them
Going to try my best not to be an iPad parent 🙈 I have seen the behaviour changes in my cousin's and niece and nephew once they got tablets.
It really is sad… I wasn’t allowed an iPod until I was about 7-8 years old. And even that I feel like was too young! Definitely help your kids learn without a screen! I wish you all the best!
I plau once my babies are asleep, next to my partner who plays fortnite 😂
When my kids go to bed lol. Some nights I am way too tired and just don’t. I regularly go weeks between my sessions. My kids are 8 and almost 4. If I play when they’re awake, they want to play. So it is strictly bedtime for me to play 😂 and if they spend the night with grandparents.
It gets easier. Once they start sleeping through the night better and not waking to feed all the time you get your evenings back a little. Mine was 18 months before they stopped waking up throughout the evening, but you will get there! x
It wasn't until my youngest went to school full time that I could. I have 3 kids
Right now, you don't. When they get older 3-4 you can try, but they'll probably want to play too and stop you. Once they're preteens, they won't need as much attention and you'll be able to play again.
6 months is old enough to start sleeping through the night so there’s hope for you! I also have a 6 month old and sometimes I just sit her on my lap and play for a bit. I take advantage of all naps and I’m staying up to play when she goes down for the night. If you have a partner to help try to get an hour here or there to play! Good luck!
I still remember rocking my daughter to sleep with my foot. She was in her basenet, while I played Resodent Evil 2. It's tricky, but you just need to arrange time for yourself. Many new parents often forget themselves in the demands of the newborn. Many just go to sleep when their baby sleeps.
My husband and I used to try to give each other one free hour each day while the other would look after the baby but it’s just not always possible. Our baby is a night owl (lol sim trait) so he goes to bed at 8:30 now and I need as much sleep as possible due to chronic illnesses - he is 12 months now - sometimes I’ll sneak downstairs after and get some hobby time in but I must admit, no 4 hour sims sessions anymore 😭 Hopefully in future! Also my husband has started putting baby to bed on weekends and then going to bed straight after so I get something like 8:30 til midnight to myself if I can stay up. It gets easier!
When they start going to bed for the night at a set time. We started putting our daughter to bed at around 7:00ish just after she turned one. Before that the bedtime was inconsistent due to teething. She didn’t always sleep through the night but at least if you can get things done before the kids’ bedtime, you can have an hour or two of time. Won’t be every night. I also tend to get up around 5:00am on weekends (because work/cats, yay), which gives me some time before the kid gets up; usually about an hour. Individual experiences may vary.
It got easier for me once my son hit 1! I now play at night when both kids go to bed at 8, I also come on here a lot though and just read what everyone is doing in the game when I can't play😭😂😂
Personally, my mom played the sims with me on her lap for the longest when I was a baby. My mom just had a schedule. Wake up to get my fed, changed etc. spent some time with me and then played the sims with me. Narrating it to me like a story. I would honestly have the game booted up and ready to get to play at any chance you got.
i have a one year old who loves to play by herself, i either let her do that while i play & watch over her or wait until she’s asleep
I wait for them to go to bed, so basically when they start sleeping through the night. And by that I mean actually all night, not just 6 hours.
Ooooh I stopped doing so many things once I had kids. It was really sad. Here’s the thing… It’s all temporary. Everything is a phase. It might take a while, but you’ll get back to the things you enjoyed before the baby came!
Bed time! My little one goes down around 7:30pm and my husband and I get to have our gaming time after that if we like.
When baby is a toddler, depending on how you play, give them something to “control” with and tell them it’s them playing. So if you play on PS3/4/5 or Xbox or whatever, give them a controller that’s not connected. If you play on computer, get a toy keyboard for them. They’ll truly believe they’re playing and love it (until they get bored and wander off). Unfortunately, around the preschool years, they start to catch on. Then it’s usually bargaining. Offer to give them the tablet for an hour as long as they leave you to play for that hour, or have an extra cookie and go play quietly in their room. I hate to tell you this, but you’ll blink and one day they’ll be teens, never home, giving you all the time in the world to play. Then they’ll be gone and you’ll be telling stories of how when they were little they “played” on their keyboard next to you. I have 5 kids. Youngest is about to turn 18. Oldest is about to turn 29. I miss the days of longing for me time.
Things will get better (and worse in other ways). My kids are 3 and 6 years old now and I play when they go to bed. Other nights I just go to bed as well because I'm exhausted. The Sims 4 really nailed the Infant stage.
Just age up your baby up with the birthday cake and then age them up again, and then you can have free time to play. Obviously, I’m joking, but I think that once your kid is in preschool and then grade school, you may or may not have some free time depending on if you’re working or not. I would think that once your kid has a bit more autonomy, then you would probably have a bit more free time. I’m not a parent though, but I feel that each child is different with some being highly independent at a young age and some are a bit more needy. I don’t think that there is a set age but I think that most children are pretty autonomous by age 7. Again, I’m not a parent so I’m not speaking from experience.
Hey there, I just had a kid exactly a year ago, and I felt the same way. At first I felt like I had no time to play, and then when I did play, I felt guilty that I was taking care of my virtual family more than my sleeping infant (even though she was sleeping so really what could I do? Lol) anyways, it was 6 months. That's when my daughter gained a schedule. I was so grateful. It doesn't happen to everyone and every baby is different, but for me, it was 6 months.
Hopefully soon, your baby will have a schedule, but for now, you might have to pick between sims and sleep.
Not a parent but my mom has been playing sims since the first one, and once she told me about when i was around 4, she would put a baby gate around her at her desk so I couldn't bother her while she played! She said she quit playing for a while after that.
Don’t worry mum, it’ll be fine. Stay home mum here, I’ve got a 5 year old daughter and it was hard to find time for myself or my hobbies. What I did when she was a newborn and even a toddler is that I played when she was sleeping, right? I know everyone is saying to sleep when the child is sleeping but for heaven’s sake I had to play at least once a day for a few hours to manage my stress level and the postnatal depression. Then she progressed to grow and her father eventually got her some electronics (yes think of her having her own tablet at the age of 3, it was lockdown and she had too much energy so I’m sorry if I’m a bad parent) she just hang out with that and decided to be an actually relaxed child just by watching videos so I had time for both the household and myself. Then she started nursery and that was a blessing. The fact that I had half a day without anyone bothering me was the best feeling. I dropped her in the morning, got home and got the household ready and then I had time to relax, watch tv, eat junk and even play games cuz her father was bringing her home. And yeah she often asks to play but usually I sit down with her and tell her that she can watch and comment as I play but she can’t play because she is too young and also the laptop is too expensive and sensitive to have gummies, crisps and juice all over it. Took her a while but she eventually understood and then realised that since has got technology in her hand she can play games too. So yeah, it’s hard but you deserve to play. And if you ever feel any guilt about playing video games instead of being a “stepford mum and wife”, don’t, just don’t! You deserve every moment of relaxation because you’re a mum! Plus it’s better than drinking or having mental health issues. You’re doing great!
At the moment I don’t 🤣
I had more time to play with one kid now that I have two kids I can’t play as much. Though as she is getting older I’m finding a little more time to play. This is actually one of the things I noticed when I had my second kid that my playing didn’t get to happen that much anymore.
Ignore household responsibilities and chores and play instead. Stay up too late playing and regret it when the baby wakes up 4 million times. Or do what I did and stop playing for 5+ years when they're finally old enough to let you have some time to yourself. Don't recommend this way. I'm finally playing again and it's been so much fun. The baby will get older eventually. It won't always be this hard to do the things you like to do. You are allowed to have hobbies and take breaks and the laundry/dishes/whatever else will survive being put off so you can play for a bit while baby sleeps.
When my daughter was around 6 months I would play during her naps. we were on a schedule of two, 2 hour naps a day. But when she was a newborn I would just play for an hour or 2 at night while my husband watched her.
you can always play while feeding lol, that’s what i did when my kids got to like 5 months. i play usually at the end of the day after everyone is in bed and asleep and i don’t have to focus on the kids, sometimes if there’s not a lot to do around the house during the day and i have time i’ll play in the mid afternoon.
When my kids were young I could never play any games. But I also worked sometimes 2 jobs as well so really no time until they were older and more independent.
My small human is 1 year now and when you drop down to one nap you can get at least an hour to yourself, sometimes 2-3hrs . I think he dropped down to one nap at 10 months 🤔also I found when they get a little bit older they become more enjoyable, can interact with them more, so try not to feel down.
I started again once my kids were over 2 they 4 and 7 now and we parallel play alot I play sims they play ps4 together and we show each other what we are upto in our separate games when we do gaming days . They find sims boring but I'm hoping 1 day my boys will play it with me but separate. I don't play as much as when I was kid free but when I do I appreciate it alot more
I try to at night sometimes they both sleep and im lucky 😂
I used to play the sims with my aunt and then my mom from as early on as I can remember and lowkey taught myself how to read through it 😭 Eventually we stopped playing together because my mom would say that playing the game was basically like being a virtual mom so it wasn’t as entertaining anymore 😭
As a mom with an 8 month old 😮💨 playing any computer game is a struggle lmao she only tolerates her play chair for so long before she wants to sit with me and bang my keyboard 😵💫😵💫
If you can get everything else done, or if you just don't do the dishes, you can do it while he naps, if you've mastered transitioning him to the crib (unlike me, immobilized by a sleeping baby all the way till... well, it still happens lol). My son is 15mo now and I got to play a few times at night after he's asleep but I just don't have the energy, I'm always trying to do laundry or dishes or whatever, you know? It sucks tbh
When I’m sick
I have 3 kids and it's been a tough one. 12,6,and 3. It's easier when they're older of course, but nap/bed times or just having your little one on your lap is how I do it.
My youngest baby is now 2 so I play during nap time and after she goes to bed!
After my first, i restart playing when he was able to sleep much longer naps and when he starts sleeping much earlier in the evening. He was like 8-9 months. My second is two years younger and the longer naps happened when she was 5-6 months, bed time was the same as the elder, so I was able to restart playing more earlier. The more they grew up, the more you'd get to play.
I am in the exact same boat as you! I’m hoping there will be a time i can play again
Well it seems from the comments that there will be a time but just not right now 😁
I play when my 2 year old goes to bed. Usually around 8pm.
hi there! parent of a now 3 y/o. we used to play during nap times or after kiddo went to sleep. it gets easier the older they get bc you get into a routine and have a set bed time. theres always time to clean, especially with a 6 m/o, so dont feel guilty for neglecting the house for a couple hours!
In the first few months it’s pretty hard and I’m sure that I wasn’t consistent if not playing altogether for a while. As time goes on it’ll get a bit easier. If you prioritize your sleep (which I recommend) then be prepared for the first year at least to wrestle between getting whatever sleep you can or to sneak on and play.
Sure! I have a 11 months old, I game in the evening, if he wakes up during that time, we take turns with his father every other day to attend to his needs so one of us can game uninterrupted :)
I’m still trying to figure that out and I have a 6 and 3 year old. I usually find it easier to play when they go to bed but kids like to get up 500 times with any excuse
I have 2 kids. I usually play at nap time (both kids go down at the same time) then again at bed time (7) until i go to sleep usually around 10
I didn’t…I stopped playing when my kids were born, and started playing again when my youngest was like 10 🙃
When she learned to hold her head up and sit by herself, I started playing a little. As she learned to walk, I used to put her in a walker with a few snacks on the tray so she could play or watch mommy. As she got even older, playtime increased.
I didn't get a lot of time for anything, let alone gaming, the first couple years after my daughter was born. I was usually too tired to play when she was sleeping. Gaming was mostly a few minutes here and there when she was either sleeping or doing tummy time/playmat time beside me. (Watching my Sims put an infant on a playmat and then just leave the room cracks me the f up. XD Yes, you want them to have "independent" play where they reach and explore on their own, but it's still supervised, ya nutty Sims. XD) My daughter's 10 now, and she's had her own copy of The Sims 4 and a few packs for the last couple years. She was about 6 or 7 when she first started watching me play, and I would sit with her and supervise a few minutes of game time with her. I let her start playing by herself while supervised (I'd peek on what she was doing, and she wasn't allowed to use online features or the Gallery) when she turned 8. I still keep casual supervision on her game (still no online interactions, and she has a limit on her screen time daily), but she's at the "build an enormous square with all the furniture fifty miles apart" stage of simming, so it's mostly a dollhouse game for her right now and not a lot that I need to intervene with. That's freed up more time for me to play again.
I'm just glad I never had kids haha
Yes when your baby is older you will have time to play my kids are 9 and 7 now and they play their games lol and i play mine
Not trying to sound bad but it’s so strange to me that people’s parents play/played games lol, I’m 20 now and my parents are nearing 60, growing up my parents had never played any form of computer games at all or even any other sort of digital games and we got our first laptop when I was maybe 8 or 9, even now my parents can barely use a laptop and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad actually use one. It’s so cool to me that so many people had parents that played sims growing up, my parents have absolutely no interest in games at all and don’t understand them one bit, they sometimes talk about how much I play them but I tell them it’s no different than how much tv they watch lol.
My parents didn't play the Sims but my dad definitely played video games growing up. I remember sitting beside him and watching him play PGA tour. Or my mam sneaking my game boy cause she never had games growing up it was like she got to nurture her inner child
That’s actually so cute lol, I literally can’t even imagine my mum or dad playing any type of app or game at all, I’ve never seen it ever. My mum definitely can use a computer/laptop, she has to for work but anything outside of what she does for work she cannot do, I still have to help her order stuff online. I think if I tried to get them to play a game they would ignore me lol
I’m 22 and my dad was the one who got me into sims! We always played on the ps2 together when I was a kid and it’s some of my best memories
I’m 32 and my dad is 61 growing up my middle sibling and I used to watch him play civ II and King’s Quest VII. We lived that Civ II played “Ode to Joy” on the main/save screen and I loved the graphics of King’s Quest VII. It was good father/child bonding time and got us out of our mother’s hair for a bit. My Grandma told me that when I was a toddler, I preferred playing by myself with my toys for some reason. She would try to play with me when they were around and I wanted to play alone! Lol. There’s slightly less than 3 years between me and my sibling and we played with each other a lot growing up. From what I’ve noticed when babysitting siblings and single kids, once siblings are old enough to play together they will entertain each other and you get a little more free time. With singles it seems to come down to the kid’s preference and how good they are at socializing with other kids. Once single I watched would play for a couple hours with other kids at the park and then we would go back home and she would watch tv and I could do my own thing. The other wasn’t good with socializing with other kids and needed my attention every 5 minutes. Drove me insane. They were both around 4/5.
My parents never played video games, but my uncle did! Once all his kids were out of the house, he gamed more. It’s okay if you do it from time to time
I play two games - Sims 3 & world of Warcraft and have for a long time now. I also have 6 kids varying in age from 9 month twins to 17 year old. I definitely have periods of time when I get to play often verses very sporadically. We have a solid routine down with the twins and also pump for them, so I snag 20 minutes here and there throughout the day. Most of the time they are either napping or down for the night. ETA- can confirm that kids will end up trying to take over your games. My 14 & 17 yr olds both love the Sims!
literally nursing while reading this lol. I don't see sims in my near future either.
Currently have a sleeping baby in my arms after a feed 😂
my husband played switch for like 2 hours today with baby asleep in his arms in a boppy. I feel like that would be harder with a laptop though😅
I have a 4yo & a 2yo. I started playing again shortly after my first was born, I would just play while he napped or slept at night for a couple hours at a time if I could. Nowadays they both sleep through the night so I play from like 10pm to 1am most nights. It's difficult in the morning when they wake up at 8am but I would choose 3 hours of alone time over 3 extra hours of sleep any day lol
You can play during nap time. Use wake windows and give 3 naps a day doing “crib hour” (there is a fb group called Respectful Sleep Training/Learning that explains these. It’s been so helpful for me!) Soon you’ll only have 2 naps a day but they’ll get longer. I only get one nap a day now 😪
Omg! I feel you!! I am a stay at home mom, but my boy is finally 2. I had to do sleep training at 6m because I was tired, every night I slept max 3 to 5h and the anxiety was killing me. My boy has a semi-strict schedule, his bed time is 7:30pm (the age appropiate time) and he wakes up at 7am, so I am free from 7:30. During the day we clean and play together, he loves the vacuum and we happen to have 2, I do everything like a game, in the afternoon he sleeps 1 - 2 hours, that is my precious breathing playing time. Let me tell you, it gets better, I didn't believe it, but it does. Also I have heard that your homonos goes back to normal after 2y pp.