Baby Care Basics for the CLUELESS Dad

Well okay, Rai might not be a total Supahdad when it comes to baby chores.  He messes up sometimes leaving me seething!  While i read and devour baby books, parenting books and net articles, he does the complete opposite.  Sometimes when i shove a book up his nose, he reads a page and fell asleep.  While books may not be the only source for good parenting, experiences do count too! , i still get upset that he does not feed himself with all those parenting info and live his daddy life in a as-you-go basis.  But don't get me wrong, he's one great dad and STILL learning.  I can't blame him.  While moms are instinctively wired to care and nurture babies, most dads are well..clueless and terrified. 

daddy and boys bonding moments

Here are some tips for dads to get started on the right foot.
>  When it comes to changing those stinky diapers, don't run!  Changing diapers are just as much your responsibility as hers.  don't cringe and run away from this essential baby care basic.  It's a fact of life.  Babies do pee and poop and someone's gotta change that wet and dirty bottom bottom before it gets sore.  But don't look at poor little wifey.  Don't screw your face in disgust.  Just jump at the chance, hold your breath, grab a diaper and some baby wipes and wipe everything that looks rather wrong.  And it will put a smile on wifey's face. 

>  Feeding time.  When your wife's breastfeeding, it may kind of leave you out of place and wishing you had boobs in the first place. But you still have a job.  You can bring the baby to mommy come feeding time.  She'll most likely gush and appreciate  the fact that you're finding ways to help.  I sometimes extract milk and let Ryan do feeding time in a bottle.

>  A new late night activity-- walking the floor with your new baby.  Don't whine.  Remember that you loved sleeping late, you used to sleep late hanging out with friends, playing your fave sport or watching basketball on tv, why not do this for your little man?  Don't complain that you have work the next day but instead, when baby wakes up, jump and take your turn.  Once again, your wife will thank you.  I let Ryan watch tv, his fave channel while cradling the baby to sleep.  In a way, he won't get sleepy and be more alert in tending the lil one.

>  Another baby care basic is bath time!!  Daddies should take part in bathing baby because it's really fun and it establishes a connection.  It also serves as a good bonding experience.  It would be great if you start early from bathing your newborn til he gets older.  But not tooo older please.  That would be aaaawkwaaard!  Ryan gets scared if I ask him to bathe Kliven because Kliven is such a hyper water baby and gets more scared with our 2 month old because he's afraid he might mishandle Korby's little joints.  But still, daddy could always take his turn in bathing the baby while mommies look on.

>  Changing baby's clothes.  Daddy can change baby's clothes.  When mom is busy with something, dad can take charge.  Just make sure though that you're handling baby with care and not sloppily do it just for the sake of doing it.  I never trusted Rai when it comes to changing my kids' clothes especially when we go out.  They oftentimes end up with mismatched socks and ridiculously paired outfits.  What I do is, I personally hand picked their clothes for the day and for a certain occasion and hand them to hubby.

>  Entertaining baby.  Babies need to be entertained.  The range of entertainment varies from baby to baby.  Some babies might need mellow entertainment while others crave for all-out fun.  Daddy, don't just stand there and stare at your baby.  Babies love to be bounced, held, rocked..  or you can sing to them, dance if you want to, act silly or make silly noises.  You know you're hitting the mark when you hear that giggle and coos of approval.

So there, some tips.  Daddy's presence and assistance are so well appreciated for us raccoon moms.  Yeah, definitely!