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Comment by kazinator | Hacker News Reader

Nobody in their right mind wastes their time on things like this after their first child.

Babies don't have a right amount of sleep. Some sleep more some sleep less. They sleep whenever they want, and will not sleep over an exact interval that you want them to, that some misinformed blog or book says is the right amount.

You can track it but info won't be actionable in the end. Those people who believe that tracking will be used for some purpose will stop doing it after seeing that it amounted to nothing for their first child.

Some people just need to have an app in their hand in order to feel that they are in control, though. That's something to work on. Just acknowledge you're not in control, and put the phone down.

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Hi Kazinator,

Thank you for your comment.

I respectfully disagree. Whether or not you have children, it’s important to recognize that during the first month of a baby’s life, they are closely monitored by doctors and midwives. Parents are frequently asked about feeding frequency and duration, nighttime awakenings for feeding, and the number of wet and dirty diapers in a 24-hour period.

Tracking a baby’s sleep duration is crucial for establishing a routine. Babies need a lot of sleep and often require assistance to settle into regular sleep patterns, and parents play a vital role in this process.

The arrival of a new baby significantly changes the household routine, especially for families with other children. Using an app to track basic activities doesn’t mean controlling the baby; rather, it assists in establishing a routine that prevents overtiredness. Overtiredness can lead to issues such as poor feeding, weight loss, and disrupted sleep.

Best regards, Cauê

> they are closely monitored by doctors and midwives

Here in Canada, you spend around 2 days in the hospital and they send you home.

To be closely monitored by doctors for a month, you'd have to be in a hospital for a month, for which there would have to be something wrong with the baby.

> Using an app to track basic activities doesn’t mean controlling the baby

Of course it doesn't; you can't control the baby. It just means controlling your own fear of losing control, or the feeling of being helpless without a mobile device in your hand.

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