Baby Accessories for the Daddy
Jon is about to become a proud papa of an infant for the first time and has asked for experienced dads to let him know what he needs to have in order to take care of the baby. Since I was a single dad for a couple of months just after my daughter Erinne was born, I figured I'd do my part to help.
- First and foremost, you need a baby sling or pouch. Mama carried Jr for the first nine months; now it's your turn. I'm not a parenting expert or anything; I'm just a parent, but babies need lots of physical contact for the first several months of their lives, and a sling makes this easily doable. When Erinna and I were on our own, she lived in a pouch on my chest. At first, I'd bundle her in a receiving blanket, and later, as she grew, I'd put her legs through the saddle of the pouch and she'd ride with me that way. We went shopping for groceries, out to dinner, out to the movies, one time even out on a date. Where I went, she went.
I prefer the slings that face the baby towards you; especially when they get old enough to make eye contact. Once they get a little bit older, say 6 months, and want to start exploring their world, an outward facing model may be best.
- Next, you need a guy's diaper bag. A back pack or gym bag work just fine if you aren't comfortable with bright yellow plastic with orange duckies and bunnies. Your diaper bag should be stocked identically to Mama's and if that means buying duplicates, so what? If you're like me and Mama is unavailable, here's a starter list of things to carry:
- Diapers. 2 per hour of expected trip length. You don't want to run out. Believe me, you don't.
- Baby wipes.
- Diaper rash ointment.
- Plastic bag for storage of soiled diapers. I used recycled grocery bags, but you might want to invest in some garbage bags with odor protection.
- Bottles. Two full meals based on your babies age and eating patterns. When babies get excited and active, they eat more.
- Extra nipples
- 2 complete changes of clothing for Jr. Babies are messy.
- A clean shirt for you. Babies are messy.
- A clean shirt for Mama. Babies are messy.
- 2 burp cloths
- Nasal bulb
- Spare pacifier if you use one.
These items will get you through most short trips, and with a little planning, can be fitted into a standard back pack or gym bag. It sounds like a lot, but wait until Jr gets a little older, and you have to start carrying toys.
- Portable play pen. This may not seem like much of a Dad thing but it is. These boogers are incredibly handy, but they are also fairly heavy. Not to be unduly sexist about it, but that puts it squarely on Dad's shoulders, so to speak.
That's pretty much it for the Dad specific list. Of course, this assumes that Mama is right there by your side, and that the two of you have already covered all the other basics, like a car seat, a bassinet, a crib, a swing, bounce seats, and the like. The biggest thing for a new dad to remember is what I said at the beginning, Mama has carried the load, literally, for the last nine months. Now it's your turn to do the same. Bathe the baby, change her diapers, rock her to sleep, feed her, play with her, and in general spend every minute you can with her.
And do the dishes while you're at it.
Posted by Rich at April 10, 2007 4:12 PM
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