With our baby’s due date approaching at blindingly fast speed, we had our baby shower this Sunday. It made me start to think about my first baby and the items that I found most useful. Following are ten baby items that I could not live without as a father. I highly recommend them to all new fathers to make their journey into father hood easier.
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Baby Carrier: I highly recommend this for new fathers. It’s important that you not entirely restructure your life to fit around the new addition. Find ways to implement your baby into your life. A baby carrier is a great start. My wife and I are involved in theater. It is a love we share and it brings us together. However, having a baby can present a problem with us both staying involved. We found our solution with a baby carrier. It allowed me to rehearse and perform in the musical “Seussical the Musical” with our baby strapped firmly to my chest. We made it through the musical as a family with neither of us having to stay home. No, I didn’t play the sour Kangaroo, though Aubreigh would have made a wonderful baby kangaroo. Baby Bjorn makes a great baby carrier. There are also more affordable variations that work just as well such as Snugli. |
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Jogging Stroller: Once the baby is here, it’s time to work off that baby weight you have gained with the pregnancy…yes, guys gain it too. A jogging stroller is a great way to lose that weight and for the baby, it provides a joyful stroll. After all, you need to start taking care of yourself so you can be around for all the grandchildren and great grandchildren you will one day have. There are many variations out there. My advice is to research on the internet to find the best combination of price and functionality to meet your needs. |
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Suitable Television: Babies are highly impressionable. Though they don’t understand all they see or hear, it still influences them. Remember: A baby can only dream about what it knows. Make sure they have good dreams. There will be times you are sitting up late at night with your baby and though it may be tempting to turn on “Superbad” and have a laugh or pop in the latest thriller, resist the urge. Avoid violence and harsh language. Instead find a happy median: Entertainment you can enjoy that will positively influence your child. I highly recommend Fraggle Rock. It has great characters, great stories, great fun and best of all, great music. All four seasons are available in a box set from Amazon or your local DVD dealer. |
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Baby Wipes Warmer: A no-brainer. Cold and backsides go together like orange juice and toothpaste. If you have ever touched a cold wipe to a baby’s bottom, you know what I mean. A wiper warmer spares your baby from the discomfort of experiencing a cold chill on their tush. Not to mention it saves you from having a “sword in the stone” moment. This happens when you use a cold wipe and your babies cheeks clench down like the jaws of life. It’s impossible to unearth the wipe from the depths of East Cheek and West Cheek without leaving behind bits and pieces of paper which you must later fish out. Be kind to the behind. Prince Lionheart makes a wonderful wipes warmer and it is available at most baby retailers. |
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Diaper Bag: Aka, the survivor kit for being a father. This will host everything you need to care for your baby while out and about. Don’t leave home without it! Diapers, check. Wipes, check. Blanket, check. Toys, check. Bottles, check. Now you need a way to carry them. Don’t be ashamed to posses one in public, it’s a badge of honor announcing your dad status to others, not a purse. For a more discreet papa, there are book bag style diaper bags. Diaper Dude Diaper Bag is a great bag and Skip Hop makes great bags as well. I personally carry a Vera Bradley Mod Floral Pink diaper bag and yes, I have gotten many nice compliments about it from women. |
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Good Computer: Now that your new life has started, it’s time to save those memories. Investing in a new computer is an excellent start in documenting your child’s path from diapers to drivers-ed. Not only does it allow you to print and store digital images, but it allows you to easily create videos using home movie footage, still images and music. As far as quality, ease of use, stability, and value of software out of the box, you can’t go wrong with a Mac computer. Both the MacBook and iMac are affordable, professional computers for image and video creation. |
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Bouncer Seat: An affordable solution to calm your new baby. I recommend a bouncer seat that includes a rumble motion. This often has a calming effect. A good bouncer seat is a comforting and welcome seat for your newborn. Not only is it great for playtime, but often it can lead to a nap. Find one with bright colors, music, toys and rumble motion. Boppy makes a great bouncer I recommend that is extremely soft and comes in colors for both girls and boys. |
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Infant Gowns: Trust me on this one: Snapping the countless snaps of a one piece sleeper of a crying baby with a dirty diaper in the middle of the night is about as fun as licking a porcupine. Often you will end up with a leg through a hole that is no hole at all or extra snaps that have no opposite snap to buddy up with with the only option being a restart to to porcupine licking contest. Infant Gowns eliminate this frustrating trial. Don’t worry, their for boys too. If it makes you feel better, think of it as a kilt. Gowns allow for easy diaper changing when a child is young and diaper changes are frequent. |
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Baby Toys: As a work at home father, the right toys helped me to grab a few minutes of work time while keeping my baby entertained with educational and stimulating activity. For newborns, I recommend a play mat/baby gym. They provide endless hours of entertainment with varying actives for young children. The one I personally recommend is Bright Starts Baby’s Play Place Play Mat. It’s a Swiss Army Knife of baby play. Starting out, it has sides that fold up to provide a safe environment for your child to lay on their back and stare up at flashing lights and mirrors and listen to colorful music. As they grow, the sides fold down to expand the play mat and provide quality tummy time. A play mat allows your child to be entertained and give you a much needed and deserved break. As your baby grows and starts to stand, I recommend an excersaucer for the same purpose. |
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Most Importantly: Love. Love your new baby and your significant other and your entire family. The love you show and display for your child is the love they will share as they grow. Provide a warm, nurturing environment for your child and watch them bloom into amazing human beings. |
Have a reccomendation of your own? Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite baby items.
So, I totally agree with a carrier being an excellent baby item… but NOT the Bjorn. They are not recommended for long-time use and just aren’t structurally right for a baby. Might I suggest you try an Ergo (expensive, yes, but worth it) or possibly a sling or wrap? Anything but the Bjorn.
Also, TV for babies? Really? Any pediatrician will tell you this is not a good idea, and that kids should not being viewing TV until they are at least 2 years old. Studies have even shown that even just playing a TV in the background diminishes creative play in children.
I think it’s really great that you’re providing some pointers for new dads… I just think a couple of these things are big red flag no-nos to a lot of people.
Oh Jeff, the Baby Bjorn is sooooo 2004. Dads in the know are using Mei Tais or other asian style baby carriers now. They tie on quickly, no buckles/snaps/etc, and they’re more comfortable for parents and baby. We picked a neutral color so we both could use it, and since it ties on, it fits us both perfectly!
Here’s a pick I found of a daddy wearing a baby in a mei tai
http://www.meitaibaby.com/images/daddy5wk.jpg
Thank you both for your comments. Please keep in mind this is one person’s point of view and recommendation and should be treated as such. As a father, I don’t follow studies. I don’t follow magazines. I don’t follow books. I follow my heart and head and use what works for my family. In my opinion, parenting isn’t learned from a books or studies, it’s learned from experiencing life with eyes opened. I can’t tell you how many carriers we sifted through…fancy wraps and such that were suggested by others or was the latest trend on the internet, before we found what worked. I’m sure they may work for others, but Aubreigh only wanted to be carried in a front facing carrier and to be honest she spend the most time in a basic Snugli purchased from Wal-Mart. She is 18 months old now and is as strong and healthy as any father could be blessed with.
The point is that this is my opinion and I want to provide these as a guidelines to others who haven’t been there yet. I encourage everyone to find what works for you, no matter what it is.
Re: TV. Our children have been raised around not just TV (carefully monitored), but around Musical Theater, music, art, etc…. We have encouraged them to explore their artistic side in a creative environment. The point of this recommendation is to provide the parents with a short release with quality entertainment. When I held Aubreigh at night, I would watch TV as she went to sleep. Any pediatrician, magazine, parent or book that tells me TV is bad for my daughter needs only to hear her singing and dancing the “Fraggle Rock Theme” or the “Hot Dog Song” to know it hasn’t stumped her creativity. The point is to provide quality TV, not trash.
Re: mei tai. AWESOME! I like it. That one is on my wish list! Thanks for the recommendation.
Great list! Although it’s not perfect, I doubt anyone could post their PERSONAL Top 10 Baby Items and not have everyone nit pick.
I think you have a honest list here! My husband would agree with most of that, especially since we are both work at home parents. We did the Bjorn, I hated it, but our oldest loved it. We switched to the Mei Tai, then to an Ergo. But it’s trial and error on almost every baby item! And Fraggle Rock is cool! Thumbs up!
Great list Jeff and I totally agree with you that your point is your opinion and I too choose to raise my children through my heart and head and not by the book or what others say is right. My boys have turned out perfectly fine and are very smart from my family practices. I can’t believe how many songs my children can sing on their own at 2 1/2 yrs old! I’m so sorry to see people judging you. Sounds like you are doing wonderful raising your children in a loving home.
You sound like a great dad!!! Keep up the good work!!
[...] 10 Must Have Baby Items for New Fathers by: Jeff [...]
Great tips! I have to add my two cents too… baby carriers are a must, but there are a lot of options out there, so find one that works for you – not necessarily a baby bjorn. Baby wipes warmers are not on my list and neither is TV (at least not for the first couple years). Another one to add once the baby is holding his/her head up well, is an exersaucer – they love spinning around and bouncing it themselves. The newer ones come with a bunch of toys attached around the outside – this one necessity could occupy my baby for over an hour! Sweet!
Very nice list you shared here! Let me show this to my hubby so that he can buy these for our baby girl!LOL
Had fun reading your post..
What an excellent blog, I’ve added your feed to my RSS reader.
i like totes because they are big and u can put a lot of stuff in it i use one for school to put my books and other stuff like hairspray and makeup
A must for fans of the show when it first aired on TV over 10 years ago. Not only does it have all 26 episodes, it has a couple of interesting interviews, storyboards for the original opening, and a bunch of other goodies with it, including deleted scenes. Watching the episodes is like taking a walk down memory lane… and even now a number of them still crack me up!