I’m into this Dad thing so far only 1 month 2 weeks.
And holy crap it has been an experience, and maybe even YOU are a new Dad yourself or maybe prepping to be a Dad soon! First off congrats, that’s awesome…secondly…whoa boy, it’s going to be a rough month of change, compromise, patience and tireless nights.
And that’s just some of it….not trying to scare you, it’s just reality…so if you’re a new Dad or getting ready to be one? Here are just some quick tips to maybe help out in some way.
- Everybody has opinions, and they’re gonna tell you whether you like it or not.
Doctors, Grandma, Brothers, Grandpa, Friends, Co-workers, People who have never held a kid….EVERY BODY is gonna tell you “You’re doing this wrong!’ or “Here is how you do it!”….and it’s gonna get reeeeeeally annoying quick. Everyone has multiple ideas of HOW to raise a kid…news flash my friend! It ain’t their kid! They aren’t changing the diapers, feeding it, teaching it, etc….only you know how your kid works, and as long as the kid is breathing and eating that first month? You’re doing just fine.
- It’s gonna take a bit to find sleep.
When they say sleep when the baby sleeps, do it…cause until that baby kinda starts understanding when bed time is? They are not gonna sleep when you do and you’re gonna question yourself, “What the hell have we done?” You created a little monster, that’s what you did! That first week is freakin’ brutal, I won’t lie to you…but wife and I have figured out the bedtime and routine in that month, and she sleeps pretty well through the night until she usually wakes up at 6ish to feed….but if you know babies, that could all change tomorrow.
- Do everything around the house and be there for Mom.
Dishes, vacuum, snow blow, make the bottles, laundry, whatever….and don’t complain about it. Mom is doing 90% of the work keeping that kid alive and you’re just Dad, the support guy. Whatever Mom needs, just shut up and do it. You didn’t shove an 8 lb Watermelon out of you…but also? Don’t make her feel useless either, you hold baby for awhile while wife can do things like take a shower, get outta the house for a bit to get coffee, etc.
- Babies gonna cry, cause that’s basically all they know.
1 month old babies know one thing…crying, and they’re gonna probably do it a lot. Also they’ll just do it randomly as hell! They’ll be sleeping or laying on you, and then boom….I’m gonna cry for no reason seemingly. Even if it means adjusting how they are laying, sitting, need food, or just don’t want to actually be on you for once! Remember when I said patience? This is where that word really shines.
- Dude seriously….you’re doing fine.
Baby won’t stop crying, Baby seems to like Mom more, Baby seemingly never sleeps, you question EVERYTHING that you are doing….guess what? It’s fine man. Your baby has NO idea what the world is yet…all it knows is that there is a human that is feeding me and tucking me into a bassinette. You can sing, read to baby, and whatever….but if the baby is breathing and eating and Mom is happy? Then you’re doing awesome.
Stay tuned for more tips when we maybe hit the 2 month age bracket…eventually she’s gonna be a toddler and that will be a whole realm of learning.
