The Irish Envy Dad Thread

[IAIrish]

Have a 2.5 week old. Have barely slept. The kid hates to sleep. I'm seeing things and don't know how to get him to stop crying some nights.

Someone please tell me this gets better.

It gets so much better my dude, this from a guy just getting in from 2 hours of sledding with my 5, 7 and 11 year old boys.

Having been through more sleepless nights than I can remember and our first that had similar issues, two things helped:
1) remember newborns were used to being in the womb, and the "4th trimester" always rang true to me. Try the baby burrito wrap method with a swaddling blanket. It'll give a baby a sense they're back in the womb. Get it snug.

2) If that doesn't work, mom might need to pay attention to her diet if she's breastfeeding. Dairy was an issue with the first...

It all feels so alien at first, but trust your instincts. And don't wish any of it away.

 

[ACamp1900]

We got lucky,… ours all slept through the night after a few weeks and before that was just mild waking here and there. Not sure what we did but I will say letting them cry a bit instead of answering every sound was one thing we for sure did,.., 🤷‍♂️

 

[Irish#1]

I’m lucky. I have a German wife who wasn’t afraid to “let zem cry, zay are fine”. They both had strict schedules and quickly found a good sleep cycle.

Kind of like training a puppy. Pick them up on a Friday, into a crate at night and shut your bedroom door to help with the sound. Come Monday morning you're in good shape.

Katz, nothing I can add from what hasn't been said already, but congrats. You'll survive.

 

[MKEagle]

Got 2 under 2 with the newborn almost a month old. Tough to describe but the transition from 0 to 1 is basically turning your world upside down. Going from 1 to 2 is just leaning into the thunderdome of chaos but you relish in it.

 

[Wild Bill]

Getting them to bed is easy. Just make your wife do it.

You're welcome.

 

[NDdomer2]

Must be a Midwest thing. We always call them additions.

Yeah it's an "abbreviation" of sorts on "housing addition" which as someone said above a subdivision

As a kid I always thought it was "edition". You can probably chalk that up to Midwest pronunciation/enunciation.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Forget all this stupid advice. Do what the the Brits do: hire a nanny and let her deal with all of it. You won't even have to see the kid except at Christmas and Easter, and maybe their birthday if you're really sentimental and all.

 

[irishff1014]

Fellas today is different….

I am a sports dad. My daughter dances competitively. My plays travel baseball, little league baseball and other middle school activities.

But he wanted to join a Lego club at school and they had a building competition. Well this turned out to be a robot built out of legos and the have to program it to accomplish different tasks.

This is very different but I am here supporting him.

 

[The Backer]

Fellas today is different….

I am a sports dad. My daughter dances competitively. My plays travel baseball, little league baseball and other middle school activities.

But he wanted to join a Lego club at school and they had a building competition. Well this turned out to be a robot built out of legos and the have to program it to accomplish different tasks.

This is very different but I am here supporting him.

My brother’s boys did FIRST for a while and now VEX. He’s gotten to take them to World level competitions.

It’s different from sports but is really competitive. Your son will learn similar lessons. The competitions feel like they’re from the future.

Enjoy!

 

[irishff1014]

My brother’s boys did FIRST for a while and now VEX. He’s gotten to take them to World level competitions.

It’s different from sports but is really competitive. Your son will learn similar lessons. The competitions feel like they’re from the future.

Enjoy!

Thats pretty cool. If they place high enough here they go to states. It’s is competitive. It is an interesting concept though.

 

[MacIrish75]

Fellas today is different….

I am a sports dad. My daughter dances competitively. My plays travel baseball, little league baseball and other middle school activities.

But he wanted to join a Lego club at school and they had a building competition. Well this turned out to be a robot built out of legos and the have to program it to accomplish different tasks.

This is very different but I am here supporting him.

LEGO robotics is legit. Your kid is going to be an engineer making bank someday. Our school has a robotics program and while it isn’t for me, I love having different activities that students can find a passion for.

 

[irishff1014]

LEGO robotics is legit. Your kid is going to be an engineer making bank someday. Our school has a robotics program and while it isn’t for me, I love having different activities that students can find a passion for.

As much as I have spent on travel ball he can help
Me retire early. Lol

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Just a word of encouragement to all the other young fathers on this thread. Keep grinding!

I’ve had a nagging cough, and runny nose since New Years. Thank god for dayquill and nyquill
Toddler daughter has been struggling with hopefully just a daycare cough for over a week.
Beyond grateful my in laws took her for the last 24 hours + until tomorrow morning.

Wife is struggling with matitis since yesterday.
Thank god for antibiotics.

Two month old son is struggling to take a bottle at all, and it’s really starting to wain on my wife to have to only breastfeed. Only sleeping for two hour increments most nights, because he is always hungry.
We have a wedding next Friday for a close friend, and no idea how we’re going to pull it off.

In summary, I have a surgery with the local urologist Super Bowl Friday. Hahaha
Two is all I need!!

Best of luck to everyone in 2026.
These little guys are the BEST, but they’re kicking my ass.

 

[Terry Jillery]

It’s wild how for like 20 years I agonized, chewed my fingernails, and lived and died in the fall based on Notre Dame football. Now that my daughter is heavily involved in travel ball and she’s legitimately good, I bounce back even when ND doesn’t make the playoffs. Now I bite my nails before her games. 😂

 

[jerseyborn1971]

My good old boy’s Senior year wrestling pic from last year. The Siberian Nightmare.

 

[ab2cmiller]

My good old boy’s Senior year wrestling pic from last year. The Siberian Nightmare.

If he's wearing spurs while he wrestles, he might have an advantage.

 

[irishff1014]

Just a word of encouragement to all the other young fathers on this thread. Keep grinding!

I’ve had a nagging cough, and runny nose since New Years. Thank god for dayquill and nyquill
Toddler daughter has been struggling with hopefully just a daycare cough for over a week.
Beyond grateful my in laws took her for the last 24 hours + until tomorrow morning.

Wife is struggling with matitis since yesterday.
Thank god for antibiotics.

Two month old son is struggling to take a bottle at all, and it’s really starting to wain on my wife to have to only breastfeed. Only sleeping for two hour increments most nights, because he is always hungry.
We have a wedding next Friday for a close friend, and no idea how we’re going to pull it off.

In summary, I have a surgery with the local urologist Super Bowl Friday. Hahaha
Two is all I need!!

Best of luck to everyone in 2026.
These little guys are the BEST, but they’re kicking my ass.

Hope your procedure goes as smooth as mine did.

Hope everyone gets feeling better.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Just a word of encouragement to all the other young fathers on this thread. Keep grinding!

I’ve had a nagging cough, and runny nose since New Years. Thank god for dayquill and nyquill
Toddler daughter has been struggling with hopefully just a daycare cough for over a week.
Beyond grateful my in laws took her for the last 24 hours + until tomorrow morning.

Wife is struggling with matitis since yesterday.
Thank god for antibiotics.

Two month old son is struggling to take a bottle at all, and it’s really starting to wain on my wife to have to only breastfeed. Only sleeping for two hour increments most nights, because he is always hungry.
We have a wedding next Friday for a close friend, and no idea how we’re going to pull it off.

In summary, I have a surgery with the local urologist Super Bowl Friday. Hahaha
Two is all I need!!

Best of luck to everyone in 2026.
These little guys are the BEST, but they’re kicking my ass.

The days my boys were sick always felt like an eternity. Having twins, it felt like they just kept passing whatever virus they had back and forth.
Keep your head up and get some rest. You got this, brother.