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First-aid kits for babies: What should you include?
Guest post by Bobby Dewhurst
If you’re expecting the pitter-patter of tiny feet or simply want to improve the health and safety of your family home, a fully stocked first aid kit could be just what you need. The right supplies will help you administer urgent care, so what should you buy to protect your little ones?
A thermometer
New babies are not very good at regulating their body temperature. That’s why it’s essential to have a thermometer lying around. It will help you check the warmth of their sleeping environment and will ensure they’re not running a fever. If they are, you can act quickly and get the necessary help before the problem escalates.
Painkillers
According to the NHS Choices website, both paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe to use in childhood. They can relieve pain and bring down fevers, but always speak to your GP before administering any type of medication – just to be safe. Avoid using aspirin and always give your child the correct dosage to avoid making their illness worse.
Calamine lotion
If you’ve got little ones, you’ll know that chicken pox is common during infancy. It can be extremely itchy and uncomfortable (particularly for young babies), so keep a bottle of calamine lotion to hand. This provides instant relief to sore, irritated skin and can even sooth sunburn and rashes making it an all-round useful product.
Plasters and bandages
Kids love to run around and play, but this can lead to a nasty cut or two. Luckily there are a wide range of child-friendly plasters designed to save the day, so get hold of some bandages that feature their favourite film and TV characters to cheer them up. While you’re at it, invest in some antiseptic cream of spray to help clean the cut and throw in a few wipes for good measure.
A first-aid manual
First-aid supplies are a must-have for any family, but a first-aid manual is just as useful. It will tell you how and when to use certain products and provide you with useful information to refer to. If your child’s burning up or has received a nasty injury it can be easy to panic, but a bit of advice could put your mind at ease.
The health and safety of your loved ones is of paramount importance, so head to the shops today and buy everything you need. Plasters, antiseptic wipes and painkillers could all save the day and they’re available at an affordable price!
By Bobby Dewhurst
Homecoming dads supercut
If you’re having a sh*t day and need some inspiration to spend time with your kids or family … watch this. Even if you’re having a great day watch it anyway especially if you’ve never seen it!
By DIYFather.com
Treat your business like a second child
Some great thoughts and a fantastic analogy between how we parents our kids and running our businesses from Gary Vaynerchuk!
-DIYFather.com
Show Affection and Appreciation
One of the greatest thing you can do for your kids is to make them feel loved and appreciated. Here’s a list of ideas (adapted with kind permission from Mark at allprodad.com)
Unconditional love
Your son’s room is a complete mess. Your daughter just got her 3rd speeding ticket and she is still 16. One brought home a poor grade in science. One snuck out of the house and didn’t get home until 2 am. Safe to say, all these things are going to make for interesting parenting. Through it all, never let your child feel as if your love for them has limits. These are the moments you let it shine the brightest. Unconditional love is the greatest gift in life.
Quantity time – not quality time
Time slips away so fast doesn’t it? One minute you are teaching your daughter to ride a bike. The next minute she’s backing down the driveway in your car. Were you there enough for all the time in between? Your child wants your attention more than any other thing you can provide them. Make it a top priority to spend as much time with your children as you can.
Tough Love
Don’t shy away from the crucial moments. The hard times. The big decisions. This is when your love is tested the most. A parent has to do the right thing. The responsible thing. Not the popular thing. The love you show now will be reflected back when they are adults. You’ll be rocking your grandchild in your arms one day and your son will tap you on the shoulder and simply say “thank you Dad.
Affection
Hard to believe, but some men have a real hard time with this one. Some dads just aren’t keen on hugging and kissing. We are raised to be tough and strong. That’s a good thing. However, your child needs your affection in the most vital of ways. Frequent demonstration of genuine affection provides children with a sense of security and harmony. And of course you could probably use a big ol’ hug yourself anyway. So knock down those walls and extend those big arms. You’ll be addicted in no time.
Special Occasion
Always celebrate the big moments in their lives. Birthdays. Recitals. First day of school. Graduation. Everything. Make a big deal out of each and every one. These are the days they feel special. The moments that honor life. Who do they want to notice more than anybody else? Dad.
Believe In Them
This is a hard one. We want to shelter them. Protect them from any and all harm at all times. However this will not do any good in the real world. They have to learn to stand on their own two feet. Teach them well. Give them the skills and values that are required for success. Then let them fly. Trust them. Believe in your child. It will mean the world to them. Also – and especially believe in them if they show interest or a liking in something that you don’t like. That’s when it really counts to support them anyway – if you hate ballet and your daughter wants to be a ballerina – be her biggest fan!
Inspired by AllProDad
21 practical alternatives to smacking
We’ve all been there – our offspring has managed to drive us up the wall. Amazingly this can happen at all ages … and we just feel like lashing out and giving them a good old smack, right? It’s a natural reaction but it’s not that great for our children – there is endless research on the negative effects (short term / long term) of using physical force to discipline children. So what else can you do instead? Here’s a list of alternatives to smacking – just handy to know there ARE alternatives and we don’t have to use the same method of disciplining that perhaps our parents have used on us. (created by Barnardos and published with kind permission here).
1. Take a deep breath and gather your thoughts
2. Show them what they can do instead of what they cant
3. Taking them outside for a run around
4. Saying lots of positive things when they are good
5. Walking away, thinking about what you are going to do, but keeping them in your sight
6. Thinking about whether they are tired and or hungry
7. Keeping your expectations and rules simple
8. Accpeting mistakes and showing them how they can fix them
9. Clapping once to get their attention, then giving them a simple explanation
10. Explaining consequences (ge if they throw a toy it might break)
11. Putting them in a quiet safe place so they can calm down
12. Getting down to their height to avoid being threatening
13. Putting precious things out of reach
14. Singing some loud songs together
15. Ringing a friend or neighbour
16. Sharing stories with other parents
17. Turning tasks into a game
18. Speaking softly
19. Being firm, fair and friendly
20. Ignoring tantrums
21. Acting as you want your child to act.
By DIYFather.com
Breastfeeding – you are doing it wrong!
Just loving this photo from one of our buddy blogs. Originally posted on icanhascheezburger (we don’t own or have created the material)
By DIYFather.com
Top 5 last minute Mother’s Day presents
Mother’s Day tends to sneak up on us every year … if you’re anything like us you probably haven’t got a present yet or thought of what to get for your good lady. Panic not … here’s our last minute list of free presents to help you out:
NB: Some of these you can also use for your own mother … you’ll know which ones
1) Make a Mother’s Day card from anything that your kids have drawn or painted on (check with your day care, pre-school or school in case you can’t find anything suitable in the house). Make sure you get your kids to write their names on it or do it for them if they are too small
2) Give your partner a few hours of extra sleep – a recent survey found that one of the things most mums wanted for Mother’s Day was to simply sleep in or sleep a few hours with no interruption. So take your babies, toddlers or kids away for a few hours and give your partner a nice break.
3) Make a TLC voucher – e.g. for a back rub, or do something for her that you know she really doesn’t like doing
4) Pick some nice family photos from your phone or camera and print out at work and use to make a Mother’s Day “post card” – write a nice message and get your kids to write on it or sign it as well (or do it on their behalf if they are too small). Go down to your post office and get it stamped so it looks like a real post card … then tell her on Sunday morning that there was a special delivery.
5) Record a video of yourself (and the kids) with a special message for her (or sing a song if you dare) and upload to youtube – get your kids to give her a piece of paper (or card) on Sunday with the URL on it
Whatever you do it’s probably a good idea to go the extra mile on Mother’s Day to make sure your partner has a nice day. It also doesn’t hurt to tell her what a wonderful job she does and how cool it is to have her as the mother of your kids. Finally – don’t forgot to do something for your own mother as well!
Have a great Mother’s Day
-Stef
ps.: Don’t forget to do something special for your pregnant partner this Mother’s Day
Massage – the perfect gift for the whole family on Mothers Day (or any day)
A good therapeutic massage is better than having sex … seriously, you get touched in places that you cannot reach yourself (unless you’re a contortionist). If you haven’t had a massage – splash out and experience it for yourself. Tell yourself that you have earned it and that with all the demands on a modern dad (or mom) you deserve a little treat. Try out relaxation, deep tissue, Thai or Swedish massages to experience the bliss of therapeutic massages.
Once you have done that and you know what it feels like to have a massage you can give massages to your kids, babies or your partner. Even if when you’re not professionally trained it’s still likely to be highly enjoyable for the recipient in your family. What you lack in skill you can make up in enthusiasm and devotion to looking after your family.
Massages are also a fantastic way to get your kids to fall asleep easily at night. You can start giving gentle massages to very young babies (literally from the day they are born). Babies rely on touch as an important form of communication … they love being touched and caressed. It also gives them a sense of security and knowing that someone is there to look after them. As your children get older you can still keep this up to relax them and take the stress out of every day life. Just because they are little doesn’t mean they don’t tense up or get stressed. There’s no better way to de-stress than getting a nice gentle massage from dad (or mom) at night.
If you want to go the extra mile get your hands on a book about therapeutic massages … you’ll be able to pick up a few basic skills in no time. If you don’t want to do the massaging yourself you can always give your partner a voucher from a day spa … a sure winner for Mother’s Day!
Enjoy
-Stef
21st century dad issues – oversharing
Parents have probably done it since Adam and Even had their first child (what was his/her name incidentally?) – we tend to tell every man and his dog about our babies and kids. Whether or not they want to know, have any idea of what we are talking about, have met us before or have just had an abortion is irrelevant … we will tell them anyway. And what with the wonder of social media and mobile communication that urge to keep everyone constantly up-to-date about our babies has increased several fold. That’s why Blair Koenig felt compelled to write a book called “STFU Parents” – based on his blogs about the bizarre and horrifying details that parents share. Pretty much a manual of “what not to do”!
The perfect Mother’s Day gift we think 
(you can get it at all online retailers and most high street book stores)
Enjoy
Stefan
Retro games
Recently a number of toy manufacturers have put out “retro versions” of class board games like snakes and ladders, ludo and the amazing robot.
If you’re into a bit of retro – check these out! (the examples below are from a brand called “Retro Range – Toys and Games”). You can find them on eBay and many other online retailers.
Enjoy – Stefan!
