When decluttering the babypalooza that has become your home, just remember to keep the necessary items in close range. You don’t want to hide and stow so much that you don’t have wipes close by when you need them. If you find that you’ve got stuff you just don’t use or need, consider selling or donating it. You’ll feel better for getting your home back and for the mind cleansing that will come with your new found space. 

The post Taking Back Your Home After Baby appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

The birth of your first baby equates to the birth of a new you—the new dad!  As most of the attention is on mom during the nine month preparation period, dad often gets left behind in learning about and preparing for his new life.  Having a family, and the birth of your first child, will forever change your lifestyle, environment, and thought process.  Dads need to be prepared to embrace this change.  Trust me, the rewards will be plentiful.  Just wait until your new baby smiles at you for the first time—or the first time they call you dad!

Newborns wake up every 2-3 hours (as you have likely learned) to have their diapers changed and to eat.  Yes, that means when they are up, so are you.  You are in for a serious change in lifestyle.  In the beginning, that means complete lack of sleep, which means things can spiral out of control. And quickly.  Pay attention to the tips in this guide, and instill them into your daily routine.  Remember that you and your partner are in this as a team.  Find ways to support and help each other out.

1. Teamwork.  Remember that you and your partner are in this as a team.  If mom is breastfeeding, she will likely be up for often than you.  Find other ways to help around the house and with the baby.  Make sure the house is clean, make breakfast in the morning, and get up for a few diaper changes in the middle of the night.  If you do it enough, you can almost change a diaper and re-swaddle in a semi-sleep.  And if you do this as often as possible, mommy and baby will love you even more.

2. Visitors.  Once you get home, you will be tired.  Everyone will be exhausted, busy, sore, hungry, and in a constant state of sleep deprivation.  Dad, it’s your job to keep the family and friends under control.  Help reduce the number of visits, phone calls, and repetitive questions by updating people via email and social media.

3. Diapers. Learn to change diapers.  This is not difficult but it is a little different depending on whether your baby is a boy or girl.  The best place to learn is at the hospital.  Have a nurse help you through the first change so you feel confident when you get home.  Learn the difference in using diaper cream, moisturizing cream, and baby powder.  Be the pro—remember mommy and baby will love you even more.

4. Swaddle. Not only should you learn to swaddle your baby, you should also become the “King of Swaddling” in your home.  Just as learning how to change diapers, learn how to swaddle your baby while you are at the hospital.  A good swaddle makes for a happy and confident baby!

5. Love & Affection. You might not feel the gushy emotions for your baby right away.  If you do, that is great!  If not, that is ok, too.  Give yourself time to process and adjust to your new life.  Make time to interact with your new baby one-on-one every single day.  Believe it or not, the diaper changes, swaddles, and pacing through the house in the middle of the night will help you bond with your baby.

6. Rashes & Baby Acne. The rash will go away.  With a newborn baby, mom and dad can get nervous if all of a sudden baby has a huge rash somewhere on the body.  Calm down, be patient, and reassure your partner that it is going to be ok.  Babies can develop red spots, redness, rashes, bumps, etc. very quickly and for a variety of reasons.  It could be something mom is eating or even something in the environment.  Most rashes will go away within 24 hours, just keep an eye on it.  If the rash persists for more than 24 hours, or your baby appears to be in severe discomfort, call or go see your doctor to make sure all is ok.

7. Get Outside.  Take your baby for a walk.  If you are home, and the baby has been changed and fed, offer to take your new bundle for a walk in the stroller or carriage.  Not only does this give mom a minute to go the bathroom in peace or even take a shower, it is an excellent opportunity for you to bond with your baby.

8. Routine.  Write down the routine.  Routines for babies are extremely important, and they are easy to lose track of when you are sleep deprived, trying to work, and not eating on a regular basis.  Grab and extra notebook, dedicate it to baby, and start writing down the following:

• Wake up time
• Pee or poo times
• What baby ate and when
• Sleep times
• Breastfeeding information

With all this information written down, you won’t have to worry about remembering the last time baby ate, or if they pooped today.  You will have all of the information in one spot.  You will start to learn your baby’s schedule, and suddenly, life gets easier.

9.  Cell Phone. Put down the cell phone when you are with your baby.  Give your baby your undivided attention when you are with them.  They deserve it!

10.  Support.  The last and most important rule is to be supportive of your partner.  Mom is always right-even if it sounds crazy.  Let her have the final say.  She needs to find peace, and you need to support her.  There is zero benefit in arguing over pacifiers, blankets, or types of diapers.  In the long run, it is more important to spend time with your new family, and help in any possible way you can.  I assure you, she will love you even more!

Good luck out there…you’ll do great!

Happy Parenting Dads!

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

Parenting Expert and father of 7, Robert Nickell (aka Daddy Nickell) offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddy & Co., delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel for every stage of fatherhood, and the Daily Daddy Blog.  He is also the creator and producer of “My Life as a Dad,” the groundbreaking new web series that showcases celebrity fathers offering their personal experiences and parenting tips.

The post 10 Secrets Every New Dad Needs to Know appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

In just the last 24 months the term Dadchelor Party has been heard across the USA, radio, TV, and magazine articles.  A lot of new families-to-be, as well as, experienced mom’s and dad’s that already have one or more children want to know; “Is it a good thing?”, “Should we have one?”, “Is it good for my marriage?”, “Is it like a bachelor party?”, “Why are dad’s doing this?”

I have thoroughly researched the topic and in order to experience what the Dadchelor Party is truly all about, I hosted one for a friend, had one for myself and proudly hosted several Dadchelor Parties for celebrity dads, as well.  I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are fun, great for male bonding, but more than anything help push the new daddy another step forward to be ready to engage himself as either a first time dad, or an experienced dad adding a new member to his already expanding family.  I firmly believe that any event, or process that enables dad to be ready to take one more step into the family arena for birth and beyond is good for any family.

I can tell you first hand that new dads-to-be want to be involved in the process, but they are nervous, and sometimes afraid to ask questions.  Simple things like changing a diaper, or swaddling, to the more difficult task of helping to calm the new baby, or dealing with a little post-partum depression with mommy needs to be understood by dad.  After the first baby, it does seem to get easier but, as well, with each addition to the family, the dynamic changes.  I have heard mom’s and dad’s say, one baby seems like a “piece of cake” compared to having two, or even having twins.  But to the family with their first new born baby, it is a life changing and sometimes overwhelming event that truly requires a team effort.

Thus the birth of what is now known as the “Dadchelor Party.”  This is not about going to Vegas, doing shots of tequila and making improper decisions, it is about bonding with your guy friends one last time before “daddy-lock-down”, as well as, getting some good and fun “dad-advice” and information from other dad friends at the party.

First let’s look at the daddy-lock-down.  A first time dad quite often does not realize that the last month of pregnancy until the third month of life, the family unit will go into shut down mode.  First, during the last month of pregnancy, it becomes a waiting period, the Braxton Hicks (pseudo contractions) start up, the baby will normally double in size, mom has trouble walking, sitting, sleeping, and every burp causes concern about the baby.  As well, babies can come anytime once that last month starts up, so everyone has to be constantly ready to go.  The first three months of life will take some getting used to for everyone.  The first month will pass in a blur, and it will get easier after that.  For the new dad, this means a complete change in life style, going to the gym on Saturday morning, or hanging out at a Laker game during a week night needs to be put aside at least for the next four months, so the Dadchelor Party is the night to say thanks to the guys, and remind them that you will not see them for the next 120 days.  However, if dad really has some great friends, then they will set up a meal schedule and each of them take a turn at bringing over some food during the “lock down”, at least then they can say hi, offer to run an errand, or just say “hang in there”.

The other important part of the Dadchelor Party is the advice from current dads. Sometimes the most simple of questions go unanswered and become a worry.  Have you ever sat in a classroom, and wanted to ask a question, and then did not raise your hand because you thought the question was just not appropriate?  Then within a minute someone else asks the exact same question, and the teacher says “excellent question”!  Well that is where the dad-advice comes into play.  Listen up to the experienced dad’s at the party and discover that you are not alone, there are a lot of commonalities in dad’s role of raising children, going through labor and delivery, and learning how to integrate a new child into your family.  This is the time to not only hear first hand, but now to feel like you have someone you can reach out to during “daddy-lock-down”, if you need some further help or advice.

For my Dadchelor Party, we got together with about 14 dads and played Texas Hold Em’, drank some beer and wine, and I got a few “gag” gifts, as well as, some useful items.  Since I was a dad to be with number 7, I was celebrating with my guy friends and reminding them I would not see them for the next 4 months. For the Dadchelor Party I threw for a friend, we went skeet shooting, held a contest, ate BBQ, and had a few beers.  Everyone stood up, and rather than giving a toast, they gave a piece of advice, sometimes in a funny or teasing way.

There is nothing more important than getting the new or experienced dad to be engaged in the process of giving birth and having a new baby added to the family unit.  I believe that as a dad you can begin to bond with the baby in that last month before birth, and then just keep stepping up and doing whatever you can to help with the new born after birth.  Having a family is like a lot of life lessons.  “The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it”

Good luck and Happy Parenting!

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post The Dadchelor Party appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Believe it or not, when you’re a new parent, your driving habits will change if you’re not careful.  All of a sudden you’ll have a beautiful bundle of joy in the backseat when you’re out and about running errands and while sometimes baby may be napping, other times it will be wide awake and demanding your attention.  And when babies become toddlers and school age children, you’ll find yourself not always remembering how you got from A to Z due to the backseat distractions.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re driving with your precious cargo:

Driving Distractions

As a new parent, you’re going to be tempted to try to tend to your crying baby from the front.  Baby may have lost its pacifier, is cold/hot, hungry, tired etc., but for his/her as well as your own safety, resist the urge to reach back and try to find the pacifier or comfort baby.  Before you know it, you’ll find yourself swerving or worse.  Pull over at the next exit and tend to your baby without endangering your family or others.

Multitasking

Parents tend to take multi tasking to the extreme when behind the wheel.  They’re breaking up arguments between the kids, opening snacks and juices, handing back kleenex, looking up directions, making doctor appointments on their cell phones, and so much more.  Keep in mind that when you are behind the wheel you should focus on driving and driving only.  All the other stuff can and should wait.  

Tired Mom

A few suggestions for tired moms or dads behind the wheel.  If you’re feeling exhausted and your eyes are starting to close, open the window, turn down the heat, chew a piece of peppermint gum.  The fresh air, the mint scent and the activity of chewing wakes you up.  You might also want to pick up a cup of caffeinated coffee, tea or bottle of soda.

Is It Ok To Use Your Cell Phone?

When your child is in the car, cell phones should not be in use, even hands free.  Even the sheer act of talking on the phone distracts you from driving as your mind will be focused on the topic of conversation.  If a phone call is imperative/urgent, pull over to a safe spot and have the conversation there.

Making Sure You Do Not Leave Your Child In The Car

A parent’s worst nightmare!  A few ways to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.  Add a safety check into your car exiting routine; meaning when you leave the car, always check the back seat by opening one of the back doors.  Once you do it a few times, your mind will be programmed to automatically do it.  Another option is to put your purse, handbag, cell phone or wallet in the back next to your baby.  We’re used to grabbing those as we exit so it forces us to check the back seat.  

Just remember, keep your eyes and attention on the road.  Happy, safe driving!

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post How To Be A Safe Driver As A New Parent appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

WITH SWEEPSTAKES AND EVENTS

Experience the giveaway frenzy

BRITAX plays a role in the upcoming Lionsgate movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”, in theaters everywhere on May 18th, 2012, and the company is celebrating its Hollywood debut with a tour and sweepstakes.  Join the party as the BRITAX Expect Greatness Tour travels from city to city, in specially branded BRITAX and “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” mini-vans.  The tour offers great giveaways, great discounts, great parent education and of course, the great quality of BRITAX.  There is also an online promotion for those who can’t join the tour in person.

Expectant parents are urged to forget the ice cream and pickles and new parents are invited to run around with their toddlers at one of 40 tour events this May, surrounding the release of the film.  There, parents can touch, feel and buy great products and play fun games to win big prizes.  For example, spin the Wheel-of-BRITAX or weave through the stroller obstacle course for the chance to win a BRITAX stroller, BOB stroller, car seat, baby carrier, accessory or a ticket to the movie.  Winners take home product and bragging rights.  All attendees are victors, though, as there will be product-savings at each location.

Not located near an Expect Greatness Tour stop?  That’s okay; BRITAX is hosting an online sweepstakes, starting April 16th where participants could win one of 45 prize packages totaling more than $25,000.   Fans are asked to visit www.BritaxExpectGreatness.com or www.Facebook.com/Britax to enter.  Each week, winners will be chosen at random.  During the week of May 21st, two grand-prize winners will each win a prize package worth over $4,000 in BRITAX gear and cash! Don’t miss out on your chance to win!

The post Britax – What to Expect When You’re Expecting appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.