Diapering 102

What's the first negative that comes to mind when you think about caring for a baby.  If you said diapers, I'll go ahead and assume you're not a father.  While daunting to the newbie dad at first, these quickly become one of your least concerns.  Mom probably told you how to do it, but here's a few tricks for getting your son in a clean diaper:

• Use a changing table (if you have one) and pad unless you want to be cleaning all night
• Make sure you have wipes and a clean diaper with you.  (You say 'duh' now but when you're in a hurry cause that baby won't stop crying, it'll happen.)
• If his 'boy part' is sticking up, he's probably going to urinate.  If the diaper's not too dirty, your best bet is to strap him back in for a few minutes and wait till he's done.  If it is bad, put a wipe over it, and then clean his backside.  Once that's done, get the clean diaper underneath him.  That way you can clean his topside quick and get that diaper back on (hopefully) before anything happens.
• He'll probably go anyway, and he'll get you, or the wall, or himself from time to time.  Don't worry about it just clean it up.  Your best bet is to make sure you're ready, and get him back into a clean one fast.
• Be fast, but make sure he's actually clean.  Babies don't like being dirty and they'll let you know it.  On top of that, they could develop diaper rash, which makes a rather ornery baby, and a very unhappy mom.
• Making sure he's clean means wiping everywhere BM may have gotten.  That means get into all those little baby fat rolls.  It also means you'll have to touch his 'boy parts' to get under and around them.  It's ok, I promise you won't screw him up, and you really don't want him getting an infection there.
• If he has a BM while you're changing him, it's probably not your best day, but it does happen.  I've found the best way to handle it is to clean up the pad around him, then start on his back and the pad underneath.  After that you're back to a normal diaper change.  The trick is not to panic.  You'll probably want to rinse out any of his clothes it may have dirtied afterwards so you don't ruin any of his outfits.
• Try your best to talk to him and smile while you're changing him. It may not be fun, but you'll thank yourself later.  By 3 months, Oliver thought that it's a really fun game, and it's way easier to change a diaper when baby is smiling and giggling, instead of crying.
• Make sure you get it on right.  That means those little ruffles need to be out, otherwise you may be doing laundry.  Also, you want his 'boy part' pointing down, into the diaper, for the same reason.

So there you have it.  The Household Heroes tricks and tips for changing a babies diaper.  Here's to clean babies everywhere.

Being a dad is a lot like being a tree...

When I first stepped into fatherhood, I didn't know what to do with myself.  It wasn't like a panicked, "OHMEHGERSHIMADAD!" it was more of a "Oh, you're here.  What do you want to do now?" feeling.  You see, the problem is you spend 9 months thinking about how much fun you're going to have teaching your baby to do things and play games with you, but when he finally arrives, you realize he's just a noisy, squirmy, often dirty, but adorably tiny person.  Sound like fun?  It's ok if it doesn't, that feeling goes away pretty quick.

Once you get past that, you'll realize there are a lot of fulfilling activities you can do with a newborn.  Here's a list of some of Oliver's favorites:

• Sit outside and describe everything you see. Remember to make sure it's shady, nothing is worse than a sun-burnt newborn, except his mother.
• Read a book.  It doesn't have to be a children's book, you can read whatever you're interested in, they're still just getting used to your voice and developing a sense of language.
• Take pictures.  Lots of them.  It's fun and mom will love it.
• Just hold him.  Stare at him for awhile.  It's more rewarding than it sounds, you just can't enough of your own baby.

In a few months time, there'll be plenty of time to laugh and play games.  Just enjoy the relative tranquility of a newborn while it lasts.  Being a first-time dad is a big challenge, and it can be pretty confusing.  Awkward moments will be abundant, you'll make mistakes, but it's ok, you know you're parents did too.  Just remember, being a dad is a lot like being a tree, in that it has nothing to do with being an elephant.

The Blog

I'd like to start by taking some time to explain what this blog is going to be about.  I'm a new dad, my son, Oliver, is about 4 months old now.  I've learned a lot of information in that time, and I continue to learn more each day.  So what I want to do here is pass on some of the hard-earned knowledge that I've come by, relate some amusing stories, and talk about what it means to work full time and be a full time dad.

So, a little more about me and my family to start with.  My name is Thomas, then there's my fiancee Jessi, our son, Oliver, and our dog Yoshimi.  Jessi and I grew up in the midwest and moved to Austin, Texas, a few months before Oliver was born.  Needless to say, there was a lot of change to deal with in a short amount of time.  Fortunately for Oliver (and Jessi) I'm a pretty quick learner so I got through the basics of fatherhood pretty quick.  I am both a nerd and a foodie.  When I'm not working, or taking care of Oliver, I'm generally either cooking, watching or reading some Sci-fi material, or just messing around on my computer.  My favorite sport is soccer and I follow the Premier League side Chelsea rather intently (Go Blues).  I think that's enough about me for now.

Jessi and I are both DIY and environmentally minded, so it's also likely you'll see some projects or recipes posted on here occasionally, particularly things that have to do with infants and toddlers as time goes on.