I Made a Baby!

[NightLad]

Congratz!

AND you've given me an excuse to share two links I've been holding on to.

Top Ten Things a New Dad Shouldn’t Do

Dad, Man of Steel

 

[BladeRunner001]

Gezz Louiz jtb...you get that much sleep (even interrupted)? How did you manage that? Lucky dog

Cheers,
Robert

Congrats!!!
1) Don't believe all the hype about all the things you "need"
2) Avoid babys-r-us
3) Start getting use to 5 hrs of sleep (interupted of course)
4) Try to start getting up early enough to enjoy some shave time
5) You don't need to baby-proof the house yet. It takes a while for them to get around
6) ENJOY!!! it's the most rewarding thing you can do!

 

[a_bit_crafty]

Congrats! Kids are wonderful things...

But sleep now, while you can.

 

[BCatl]

All I can say is that you will have more appreciation for your own parents pretty soon. Good luck!

 

[honed]

Congratulations!



Advice?

Get used to shave with someone tugging at your leg

 

[BCatl]

and money!

Er yeah, forgot about that. What money?

Seriously, you'll muddle thru somehow, like we all do. Congrats!

 

[calcustom]

Congratulations Stud!
Its time to start practicing holding the little shaver in 1 arm and the razor with the other.

 

[Sal]

Congratulations!

Better you than me.

 

[patrisVII]

Congratulations!!!

Been through it seven times myself - the last is just exiting his toddler years.

Advice?.....

Your time is no longer your own....sounds obvious, but it's too easy to forget that.

Enjoy the early years - they laugh so free and they always want hugs and kisses.

Don't fret.....you'll figure everything out in plenty of time.

Forget the expensive, elaborate toys and 'educational tools'. Little kids love Boxes, Balls and Balloons more than any gizzmo that talks and flashes.

Don't forget to love and fawn over your wife - she needs more attention, not less, after jr. arrives.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Congrats!

I'm not a father (yet) but am very much an uncle. My sis and the kiddos live less than a mile away, so I've been around through a lot of the early years. They're 11, 8 and 5, so manageable these days and more self-sufficient.

After the birth, there will be a swirl of activity and relatives. The reality sets in a few weeks later when the excitement is gone. If you have relatives or friends, the best thing they can do is drop in every week or two with dinner, then maybe do a load of laundry or two, clean the kitchen, mow the lawn, etc. You have no idea how helpful these ordinary tasks will be. It might be tough to ask for these kinds of things, but if someone says they can help, this is what you want.

Next, stockpile entertainment. Books, music and movies. You're going to have a lot of nights in. Be prepared.

Speaking of books, get lots and lots and lots of children's books. Hit junk stores and thrift shops to take home boxes of old books. Do it now, you won't have time later. Then start reading to the kid straight away. Make it a habit.

The three kiddos have a couple thousand books around the house and were read to pretty much right after birth. All three were reading on their own between 24-30 months. And they're voracious readers. They're all at the top of their classes, too, due to early reading. Also, their parents love being able to give them books and they'll entertain themselves quietly with a new book. In fact, I have a box of books in my trunk that I need to drop off.

Also, consider turning off the TV. The kids get to watch movies now and then, but there's very little TV. It's good to avoid the heavy merchandising of children's TV. They can be very happy with books and a movie or two.

You might also consider investing in a pair of decent audiophile speakers, reasonable ones like the Magnepan MMG for $600. You'll enjoy them and early exposure to music is great.

What else... oh, toys. Go for two categories: creative and social. Skip the commercial junk. Creative toys are things like crayons and paper, Legos, Erector sets, that sort of thing. A great social toy is a ball so you can play with someone else.

Set up an IRA or 401k at birth. Pull up some online calculators and see what even $1,000 will compound to over 65 years. If you can get relatives to contribute, even better. It'll be a wonderful gift in the future.

Lastly, a word from my legal self. You'll want to do some minimal estate planning. Set up a will, make sure your affairs are in order. I also recommend purchasing life insurance (term or whole) and set it up to fund a trust in case of the worst. You should be able to get a cheap term policy, hopefully. Then if you die, the term policy will pour over into a trust set up to care for your family. I can't give you specific legal advice here, but I strongly recommend speaking to a trusts and estates attorney and asking about this. It's a common practice and a smart thing to do. Look into it.

 

[RF1963]

Congratulations! Don't worry about it. It will all come naturally.

Congratulations. I agree. You don't need a manual (and if the sprog arrived with a manual we wouldn't read it anyway!)

 

[DE Shaver]

Congratulations on the "mini me"!

 

[mretzloff]

Congratulations!

 

[Slash McCoy]

The title pretty much explains it all. I attribute it to the fact that I recently started shaving with a DE and therefore became much more manly. Expected arrival is 2/21/11. As it will be our first, any advice you current dads have for me would be greatly appreciated.

Will

Yes indeed. Shaving like a real man definitely plays a factor in getting a good toe hold and planting the little swimmers decisively and authoritively in the basket.

Best advice I can give on raising the little shavelet is back off and let the mother's instincts take over. Mommy is the boss while they are still in diapers and hanging on the ***. That's the best way. Women are born knowing what to do. Until they are old enough to understand at least what "no" and "be quiet" mean, you won't have a clue. Just hold the little lap-wetter when it is your turn, show it off until the novelty wears off, and get ready for the real work ahead. If it's a boy and you decide to take a turn with the changing, watch out cause sometimes they will let fly right in your face and probably think it's funny (baby humor can be pretty lame) when you jump back with a face full of pee. So stay out of the line of fire. Once they are toddling, yours is the firm voice of authority that gets their attention, if things go as they should. Remember that they will look to you for their view of how a man is supposed to BE. How you raise them is how they will raise theirs. Take them hunting and fishing, even the girls if they seem interested. That's quality Daddy time. Try to find the right balance between letting them have fun and adventures vs staying out of serious trouble. Encourage them to rise to their true potential and to think of obstacles as just challenges. Then when they are 18 tell them okay, time to go. Daddy needs a break, now. Don't let the door hit you on the *** on the way out. The world is your oyster etc etc.

Then you can look forward to being a Grampa. You get the enjoyment without the hassle. You can spoil the rugrats and not have to put up with the consequences. That's your reward for doing a good job being a Daddy.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Oh yeah... and Erik is spot on about the TV. It is garbage and makes them envy the kids whose parents buy them all that throwaway garbage. They get the idea that posessions are too important, and spending money is the only thing you can do with it. And watch out for the next big thing. Some day TV as we know it will be passe and obsolete. Some other form of brainwashing will take its place, so watch out for it. Make sure they have activities. And the reading thing is very good advice. Instill them with a fascination for the printed word and they will practically educate themselves.

 

[Matt R.]

Congrats!

 

[SRock]

Congratulations! Don't worry about it. It will all come naturally.

Exactly even if it is slow and painful!