Brewing with a baby

[zarfus]

My baby is due in less than 48 hours, and I just finished my 4th rebuild. I'm totally going to wear my daughter when brewing!

congrats and good luck!

I try to plan baby naps during mash and boil, quiet times. Otherwise I'm holding my brew assistant while doing things like hop additions, or he's in the high chair when I'm carrying 5 gal of hot wort to the chiller!

In general, more difficult than I expected -- you will probably forget something

 

[Billy-Klubb]

OMG, there are little BK's running around in this world?!? God help us all!

that's right, you're all doomed!

 

[cjgenever]

Traditionally they've been too short/weak to be of much help. They also roll off the counter into the kettle a bit too easily. If the diaper needs a change your srm just went way up!

Seriously though... brewing and babies are both full time jobs. Mixing the two without an extra hand could really ruin a brew or get the kid hurt. I'm sure I would have tried it when mine were babies, so it must be a bad idea...

 

[berrywise]

This is how my daughter and I roll on brew day.

 

[Psylocide]

No effing way... bwa ha!

 

[cjgenever]

This is how my daughter and I roll on brew day.

I think I've been watching too much American horror story... I need to go cry under my blanket with a flash light now

 

[Bensiff]

The first week of life I set my little guy by me while I wired my brew panel. Once the system was up and running I put the pack and play on the garage and bundled him up. I talked to him the whole time explaining everything I was doing. Sure he couldn't understand a word; but, I figure my voice was a comfort to him and helped me feel like I wasn't putting my hobby before my son. Expect the brew day to go not as planned, know where in the brew things aren't critical (ie let the mash go long), and try to plan as best as possible to take care of your child's needs in those down times.

Right now I'm on 2nd shift while my wife works 1st. That makes weekends at a premium for family so I'm working on a plan to do some brewing in the morning before work on stove top that will somehow work with an 18 month old running around. Probably BIAB, sad as I have about $5k in my brew system that is sitting idle right now and I'm dragging out old equipment to make things work stovetop.

 

[Psylocide]

Totally forgot... I took this family picture a couple of months ago. Thought it went well with the others.

 

[lawlslawls]

Lol try it with a toddler. At least your kid isn't mobile... should be pretty darn easy. Put the baby in a bouncy chair or whatever... work on your brew, check on the kid, work on the brew, check on the kid. You can do it man.

+1
I may sleep for longer stretches at night now, but a 2 month old is definitely much less maintenance than a 3 year old. Newborns just lay there and sleep; toddlers are running at full capacity the whole day

 

[hio3791]

My SWMBO surprised me by leaving our 2 month old home with me while she runs errands. I planned for today to be my first brew day in 3 months. Anyone have any advice for "brewing with babies"

Late response but, umm, why not just brew when your wife returns from running her errands? Too much could go wrong, not just with the brew so why chance it? Wait for the wife, so at least there's another adult around should something happen.

 

[bobeer]

I brew with my daughter strapped to my chest all the time. I put her in the walker thing when I have to mash-in but other than that I can do mostly everything with her attached to me. There's enough down time in a brew day that if a diaper needs changing, or a nap needs to happen, I can stop what I"m doing and take care of it. I can't wait until she's older and asks questions about it. Or for her to run around outside like crazy woman! Life is more fun with kids you just have to reinvent the way you do things.

 

[Trox]

Problem solved.

 

[azscoob]

My son is now three and change, brewing gets harder as they get older, but now my son is finally getting interested in helping dad, so I'm on the path to easier brew days finally!

 

[DocScott]

I laughed my way through this thread. My wife and I just had our first baby 3 weeks ago and I'm starting to get the itch to brew something. Was thinking of ways to be able to brew with her around. Great, perfectly timed thread!

 

[azscoob]

At first I thought I could brew when my (at the time) baby son was asleep at night, you know the drill.... Pull a late night brew session.

Then I realized that babies get up every few hours to eat, to be changed, to interrupt a possible brewday.

First it was that I was too bloody tired, then it was because we used the sleep time to catch up on chores and such around the house.

I now have the problem that I've grown accustomed to wearing myself out all day with him now that he is older, but when he falls asleep, I'm right behind him going to bed myself.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

I have chuckling to myself reading these posts until SWMBO asks what is so funny. She is not laughing, and i have been warned...
So much for breaking the "baby Bjorn" with the 7 week old this weekend.

 

[Gentlemans_Ale]

Baby wearing. Long mashes. Pausing after wort collection, playing while stuff heats up, and timed naps at boil.

 

[jrgtr42]

We're expecting this coming spring, and SWMBO (she saw that and liked it a lot higher in the thread) said that I can continue my brewing.
I did see a onesie somewhere that said "Assistant Brewer" that will be in the house around then.