Actually I’m mostly interested in how long it takes until you as a amateur photographer “recover” from having children. I was out and shooting and traveling so much before, but now 95% of the photos are the baby. But to be honest I’d love to go out and shoot, but I can’t. I have to take the baby with me and then it’s all focus on him and the camera is then only heavy and in the way. Changing lenses is the worst.
Our oldest was around four and the younger one was around 18 months before I picked up a J5. That camera really was a gateway drug back into photography. It’s small enough to fit into a somewhat larger pocket (gym shorts, cargo pants, most coats) with the 10mm (27mm FF EQ) prime on it. I carried the body, with a lens attached, two additional lenses, and its charger in a truly tiny 3l bag - basically the size of a fanny pack. Before the J5 I would break out my D5300 occasional. The J5 got me back into the habit of carrying a dedicated camera again. It was extremely unobtrusive, both from a blending in perspective and a size/weigh perspective. It took me about 6 months to move onto a larger mirrorless body for better low light performance and I haven’t really looked back. The only other thing I can offer up is getting a peak design camera strap. Carrying your camera cross body at your hip, with the lens pointing down, is way more natural than walking around with it sticking straight out in front of you. It also will help the camera not move around as much with you or when you bend over.
It’s true that we don’t do a ton of travel, and that our trips are now in-state, but we’re still doing something most every weekend even if that’s just going to a park. There are plenty of opportunities to take interesting photos of the scenery around us, as well as the kids interacting with the world and getting to experience something new for the first time.