First Time Dad Advice: Dos and Don’ts

For the past few months, on Brielle’s monthly birthday, I’ve been sharing some advice and recommendations from my perspective as a first time mom (FTM). Today, I have a very special collaboration which features my hubby in honor of his first Father’s Day! Here are some points Super Dad Derek is passing along to other new dads or soon to be new dads!

• DO take the morning shift. While it is hard to get up really early, this is usually the most smiley and happy time for baby. It’s nice to soak up these happy times before a long day at work and better than the possibly grumpy/nap deprived baby you’ll come home to later.
• DO take over bath time. At first it’s nice to have all their attention while you clean them since they don’t do very much, but later it’s fun to watch them splash around with their toys.

• DO baby proof early. In our case, Brielle was crawling at 6 months and walking by 9 so babyproofing early, like adding this banister to banister gate, was a must! UPDATE: Here’s a post all about the babyproofing we did in our home!
• DO get a routine. Be prepared for unexpected things, but for the most part, life goes easier when everyone has a little bit of a routine.
• DO still continue hobbies. Sometimes dads need time away from the baby too.
• DON’T make a lot of evening plans. This might seem contradictory to the last point, but you can make the occasional plans! Just know that it might be fun to be out late at the time, but baby still gets up at the same time no matter how late you were up the night before and you might have to pay the price!
• DON’T miss out on things so DO find a work/home balance. When you leave work for the day, try to leave work at work. The baby is only this little once so enjoy it while you can. Do work at night when they’re sleeping if need be.
• DO practice bottle feeding so it works when you need it. Brielle is still breastfed but the occasional bottle allows mom or both of us to be away for a few hours.

• DON’T stay up late and DO sleep whenever you get an opportunity. That old advice “sleep when the baby sleeps” is very true when it comes to newborns!

UPDATE: Note from Tara – make sure to read my follow up post Top 10 Ways you know he’s a good dad to a daughter to get the dad-to-be in your life ready for this great adventure!