What every first time dad needs to know – the best advice

When the big news lands, that a baby’s on the way, everyone’s focus turns to the mum-to-be – and understandably so.

Yet this can leave poor old dad-to-be feeling a little bit (a lot) left out.

I remember, just before my son was born, an older friend cornered me for a ‘serious’ chat.

"My advice," he said, "now that you’re about to become a dad is simple. Don’t take advice from anyone."

I decided to take him at his word and completely ignore what he said.

You see, becoming a father is VERY daunting and most of us need all the advice can get. That’s why I’ve collected together the best bits of ‘dad advice’ I can.

Do it! Do it now!

Do you have an ambition? Perhaps there’s something you’ve always dreamed of doing? Maybe it’s just something you really enjoy – something that relaxes you.

Whatever it is, now is the time to do it. Once the baby comes the idea of ‘free time’ will become a thing of the past. I’m serious. In the years to come you won’t have time to break wind unless you put it into your diary (at least) three months in advance.

So, if you’d like to climb Ben Nevis (the mountain), row the Atlantic or simply spend a quiet afternoon in the pub reading the paper then do it, and do it now!

As a father of a 2-year-old, all of the options I’ve listed above seem equally unachievable.

Fetching, carrying and painting

Take a long hard look at your arms. In the months ahead expect them to grow at least two inches longer – stretched by the amount of fetching and carrying you’ll be doing. They’ll also be speckled with splodges of paint – every colour of the rainbow. Moving items from one place to another then painting (and repainting) is 90 per cent of the role every father of a new-born plays.

Get ready for your life will be one long relay race of:

• Taking huge boxes of nappies upstairs (and then, inevitably, back downstairs again – for some unexplained reason).
• Repainting the walls of the stairwell to repair the damage you did inevitably did with the nappy boxes.
• Moving the cot that you just shredded your fingers building into the living room (dining room / upstairs / downstairs).
• Repainting the living room / dining room / upstairs / downstairs to repair the damage caused while repositioning a cot that’s heavier than the Sun.

You get the idea.

I’d recommend that any new dad-to-be invests in a good set of overalls – they’ll be perfect for all the drudge work and they make a great costume should you want to disguise yourself and hide from it all down at the pub.

Mr. Gooseberry

It’s just one of those things. For the first few months of your new-born’s life it’s going to be all about mum and the baby… and (occasionally) dad too. Expect to be a gooseberry in your own relationship – while mum and the baby are (for very good reasons) inseparable. Remember, this isn’t a time for whinging, it’s important that you’re there to suck it up and make sure domestic life keeps ticking over.

Essentially, your other half has just received the best present ever and, frankly, you’ve dropped down the list of priorities a bit (a lot). Try not to take it personally – maybe think of it as the reverse of what happened when you got your PS4 for the first time.

Washing, food preparation and cleaning, even if they’re not part of your daily routine now (If not, why not?) will be your focus after the baby arrives. Do you know how to use the machinery in the kitchen? If you don’t, now’s the time to learn. Make sure you can knock up simple meals.

And no, Pot Noodles do not count.

Mirror, mirror

Is your house full of mirrors? Take my advice, get rid of them now.

Your physical appearance is going to change pretty dramatically over the next few years. The last thing you’ll want is to be constantly reminded about the bags under your eyes and the dad-bod that your new life as a parent has created.

You may think I’m joking. I’m not.

Seriously. I look terrible after 2 years of sleepless nights and the constant drone of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’. I now look so bad that I’m beginning to wonder if there’s a secret portrait of me in my attic – getting more handsome by the day.

Get ready to go gooey

Even though you’re not the one physically having a baby, chemical and emotional changes happen to dads too. Get ready to be that little bit – sob – emotional.

And if you think you’re far too much a geeza for that to happen, you’re wrong – it’s amazing what months of little sleep will do. I guarantee by the time your child’s one you’ll be avoiding Bambi and E.T. like the plague – for fear of blubbing your way through these classics.

After a while, it won’t take much to pull at your heartstrings. I’ve been known to be moved to tears by a generous multi-buy offer on ketchup.

Read More

Out of Depth Dad

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

True friends will still be friends

Let me be clear, regular time out with the lads is going to be a thing of the past – or at least it should be, if you plan to pull your weight with the baby. But don’t fear: you’ll still be able to have (very occasional) evenings to let your hair down. They’ll be like an oasis in a desert for you.

Having a baby is one of those moments in life when you find out who your true friends are. Anyone who wants to keep in contact with you now you’re boring (only able to talk about nappies and Teletubbies), and smell slightly of baby vomit, is a friend for life.

Chris McGuire is stay at home dad to his 2-year-old son, he blogs as The Out Of Depth Dad.

For more from Chris visit Outofdepthdad.wordpress.com, @ Outofdepth_dad

Source: Read Full Article