Being a dad involves a lot on the job training. There is only so much you can learn from books. As a new dad myself there have been things I’ve learned the easy way and the always fun – hard way.
After 5 months of being a dad, I have realized the following:
- Babies cry. (Captain Obvious here to save the day.) Despite all your efforts, sometimes babies cry just for the hell of it. I think they get some sort of satisfaction seeing dad have a nervous breakdown.
- When your baby’s cry starts with gasps of air and silence – plug your ears. I mentioned this tip in an earlier post. Think of it as the calm before a storm. A very loud storm.
- Babies are not made of glass. New parents often treat their newborn as a stick of dynamite that will explode from the slightest jolt. Relax. They are tough little beings.
- You will learn more about your wife’s breasts then you ever thought possible. Lactating, plugged ducts, sore nipples, the list goes on… I know more about breastfeeding then any man should.
- If you’re running late, don’t play rough with the baby. There is a good chance you’ll be barfed on.
- Keep your little monster’s finger nails trimmed. They will scratch anything and anyone within their reach.
- Don’t wake a sleeping baby. There’s a saying in or house when people are visiting: You wake her, you take her.
What have you learned since becoming a dad?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, Fingernails can be the end of you! They grow so fast too. The kid equivalent to puppy teeth. I used to blow in my boys’ faces when they would start crying. Sometimes it surprised them enough that they’d start laughing instead.
Good trick Keith,
That just reminded me that we used to do something similar. When Little Miss starts to cry we’ll cheer and clap. Results vary, but it can usually avoid a meltdown for a couple minutes.
I agree with the ‘not waking the baby’ part. The problem is that you can never tell what is going to make them wake up. Sometimes I could do the vaccuming right round her and she would still sleep, while other times the slightest noise would wake her. The only thing I found for certain is that she would always wake up just as I was about to sit down!