Dads Page

Welcome to our Dads only page,

We hope this will give some suppport to the father to be.

If you have any help to offer "new dads", please email it to

info@babyonabudget.com.au

and we will have it posted here for you.

Helpful hints for hands-on dads

Wear your baby. Slings and front packs enable you to give your baby the closeness she needs without always having your arms full. Babies are also usually content in these carriers (particularly helpful with fussy babies), which helps promote bonding.
Your forearm makes a nice pillow. If your baby is always looking for a breast when you hold him, try this position: Hold your baby face down over one arm with his cheek nestled against the soft underside of your forearm and your hand cupping him under the crotch. Some people say this is good for gas. I don’t know about that, but there’s something about a manly forearm that seems to fit well with a baby’s head.
Sing her a song. Singing is one of the best ways to get a baby to respond and pay close attention to you. And it doesn’t matter what you sing or how good your voice is.
Go it alone. It’s hard for a father to work out his own style while mom is looking over his shoulder. It can help if fathers are sometimes left to their own devices with no one to bail them out. Short solo stints (as little as 20 to 30 minutes) with a freshly fed baby are best in the beginning. Early morning is a good time to try this, since many babies are in a good mood at this time of the day, and mom usually needs the sleep anyway.
Develop a thick skin. Your partner will correct you at times. Other times it may seem like she wants everything to be done her way. This is normal. It’s just her way of trying to bring order to a situation that often feels out of control (plus she might actually be right sometimes). This should ease up as her self-confidence and her confidence in your parenting skills increase

Here are some of the conversations you can expect to have wih your partner so we hope this will help you be "more " prepared.

· Do you want to know the sex of your child?

· Do you both want to participate in the pregnancy exercising, going to birthing classes, being present at delivery?

· How much time can each of you take off after your child is born?

· Which (if any) family and friends will help out with your new child?

· Whose last name will your child have?

· Which religion (if any) will your child be brought up in?

Baby-based Debates

· Who will wake up at night to change a nappy or comfort a crying baby?

· Do you think cloth diapers are important or are disposables OK or both?

· Will your child wear all-cotton fabrics or are synthetics fine?

· Do your friends have children? Will you need to find a new group of folks to interact with (at least to find other children for your kids to play with)?

· How do you feel about circumcision?

· How about medical help traditional or alternative and in what situations?

· How do you feel about vaccines?

· What do you want to feed your child? Do you think breastfeeding is important, or are you OK with formula? Will you want to make your own baby food or buy it?

Child-rearing Choices

· Will one of you need to give up or put a career on hold while your kids are young?

· Will you want to hire extra help with childcare?

· Who's cleaning house, making breakfast and handling social obligations?

· How much time does each of you need alone or for your work?

· Are you willing to change your life around for your child in case of a special condition or illness?

· Who will change their schedule around when your child gets sick and needs one of you to stay at home?

· How do you feel about discipline and boundaries? Are you a pushover or very strict?

· Do you want your child educated in public schools or private?

· How do you feel about television for your child?

· Are you willing to let kids express feelings? Do you expect them to "snap out of it quickly" or are you into distracting them away from their feelings?

we dont want to alarm you ,

But these are important decisions to be made and its a joint agreement as to what you both decide on which is best for your baby.