SAHD's (Part or Full Time)

scm306

For any SAHD's that might read this, I'm wondering what you do to keep your sanity when you're home alone all day with your kid(s).  DH just quit his job to be a SAHD (we're expecting our first LO any day now) and I'm nervous that he's going to be unhappy.  I've searched the hell out of groups that he could hook up with but there's not a lot in our area (we're outside the Philadelphia area).  Any suggestions or advice you might have would be very appreciated.  And I'm sorry for hijacking your board.

Wulfgar

Scroll down we have a feed that covers something similar to this so you should be able to get some answers from there.  My one friend is a stay at home dad and I am not sure how he keeps his sanity since his oldest is hyperactive and needs extra handling.

Coltsdad

Keeping your sanity is a daily battle, it honestly is.  The bottom line is, no matter how trying they may be, you love them.  I am a 2 day a week stay at home dad due to my days off falling in the middle of the work week.  My 2 boys (2 2/3 yrs old and 6 months) are awesome, but there are days where my patience is just gone... mostly due to the toddler.  I actually look forward some days to my days off ending and going back to work to some extent.  That being said, those days are not constant and we have a bunch of pretty awesome days too.

Depending on your LO, it may be pretty easy for the first couple months.  They tend to sleep and eat a bunch, unless they are a particularly fussy or colicky baby.  If he's doing the bulk of the overnights, the key is to sleep when he/she sleeps.  Once they get a little older and start getting more interactive, that is when the fun starts.  You can take him/her places, play games, etc.  When they get even a bit older, probably about a year or so, that is when it can be a blast.  Being you are just outside Philly, he get get memberships to the Please Touch Museum, the zoo and maybe Sesame Place and have some real fun.   Philly is a great city for a toddler... we visited when my oldest was 1 1/2 and we plan to return next summer for the youngest to get to do Sesame Place and Please Touch Museum.

bklyndad

Our daughter is 5 months old, and if I'm not on the road for a story I work from home (magazine writer/editor).  One sanity-saving device has been to get out of the house every day. Even though she's not at a point where she's going to really enjoy the zoo, for example, I'll put her in the stroller, toss the laptop in the basket underneath and head to a cafe to sit outside, have a coffee and work for an hour or two. She'll usually sleep; sometimes she looks up at the trees. When she starts to fuss we'll head home, but those little breaks keep the cabin fever at bay.

Another option for him might be to start a SAHD group (you mentioned you couldn't really find any where you live). Good luck.

scm306

Thank you guys for the responses, I really appreciate them. I'll definitely pass on your suggestions, and I'm going to try to get him to join the bump so that he isn't completely secluded, I think it would be a big help.