This just in from the Armenian Medical Network website (story available also in Russian).

I love the “failure to launch” reasoning.

Italian men become fathers at a later age than any other nationality, and do little or nothing to help their wives once their babies are born, statistics office Istat said Thursday.

Italian men have their first child at an average age of 33, compared with younger than 31 for fathers in Spain, France and Finland, Istat said.

Part of the problem is that many Italian men live with their parents for longer than elsewhere in the world, with 40 percent of 30-34 year-old Italian males still staying at home.

[From And the world’s oldest first-time fathers are… - Gender: Male -]

I can’t find the average age of first time fathers in the U.S. It’s 32 in the U.K.

Our friends at DadLabs.com are at it again with a new book that tries to put in prose what they do so well in video. And, they do a great job, with tongue in cheek article son everything about pregnancy through Year 1 (subsequent volumes will treat older kids).

The new book is DadLabs Guide to Fatherhood. It has many practical tips on subjects like picking a baby name and how to change a diaper, just as you will find on DadLabs TV, but much of the value of this book is the ability to laugh at the early stages of parenthood, just as your pregnant partner is taking it so seriously. There is a time for soulful feelings about incipient fatherhood, but also a time for having a beer and making some crude jokes using all the new vocabulary you’ve just learned in Childbirth class.

Recommended for nervous dads who need to see the lighter side, or as a fun shower gift (you are throwing a man shower, right?).

$16.95 on Amazon and other fine booksellers.

For you men hoping to have a baby at a more advanced age, here are a list of your potential heroes:

David Bowie (at 53), Mick Jagger (at 57), Michael Douglas (at 58), Rod Stewart (at 60), Paul McCartney (at 61), Eric Clapton (at 59), Pierre Trudeau (72), Charlie Chaplin (at 73), Saul Bellow (at 84), Pablo Picasso (at 68), David Letterman (at 56), Larry King (at 65 and 66), Woody Allen (at 51), Warren Beatty (at 62), Dennis Quaid (50) and Jack Nicholson (at 53)

In general, I like toys that teach – stationary toys that don’t do anything quickly become one-hit-wonders in my household. Instead, I reach for toys that educate in some way – they needn’t be fancy, only captivating.

The Cloud b Twilight Ladybug is anything but a one-hit-wonder. Honestly – it is the one toy that I was thrilled that I had bought and has yet to disappoint. Let’s look at the all around picture of the Cloud b Twilight Ladybug.

Pros:

• Has yet to let me down – entertains, provokes questions, helps illustrate during stories
• Construction – plastic shell is rugged, while the body is soft and excellently built
• Color Selection – 3 colors means 3 levels of brightness and illumination

Cons

• Red Color – the red color selection is almost impossible to see, even in the darkest room
• Star Placement – I cannot find most of the constellations in the mini-guide – it may need to be placed at an exact spot within the room, but I haven’t been able to find it.

In the end, it is up to you to pick out the toys for your child – and for my family, the Cloud b Twilight Ladybug is top choice. From its tough (and soft where it matters!) exterior to the way it lights up the room (and a child’s eyes), I have yet to find another toy that elicits such wonder from children and parents alike.

This one hits closer to home since I was already 43 when w had our first.

A recently released study finds that children of older dads score lower on IQ tests even after weighing socioeconomic factors.
Australian and US researchers analyzed test results of more than 33,000 US born children born to fathers between the ages of 14 and 66. The tests included reasoning, concentration, learning, memory and speaking and reading skills, at eight months, four years and seven years.

[From Fatherhood Examiner: Older Dads Father Dumber Kids?]

The lead author, John McGrath says that he was surprised by the results, since a lot of the “blame” for DNA errors usually goes to older eggs in the mom. Luckily, McGrath says the “effect we see is very small.”

Despite my advanced age, my kids are still among the smartest, most beautiful and well-behaved on the planet.

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

The charge in the courtroom was manslaughter, brought by the Commonwealth of Virginia. No significant facts were in dispute. Miles Harrison, 49, was an amiable person, a diligent businessman and a doting, conscientious father until the day last summer — beset by problems at work, making call after call on his cellphone — he forgot to drop his son, Chase, at day care. The toddler slowly sweltered to death, strapped into a car seat for nearly nine hours in an office parking lot in Herndon in the blistering heat of July.

It was an inexplicable, inexcusable mistake, but was it a crime? That was the question for a judge to decide.

[From Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime? Gene Weingarten Reports. - washingtonpost.com]

This is a particularly chilling article on how leaving babies in the back seat of cars to die in a closed car is a tragedy that happens to all sorts of people. As a society, we demonize these poor people who already have suffered the worst event that could ever happen to a mom or dad. And then, we subject them to criminal prosecution. The truth is that this is a horrible unintended consequences of an unrelated safety issue. When airbags were put in cars, new laws required babies and children to move to the back seat, putting them out of sight, and sometimes tragically, out-of-mind.

With the plethora of new glass bottles on the market you might look at the bottle and say to yourself “huh, I’ll just grab these and go” – but you need to look closer; not all glass bottles are created equal!

The Munchkin Mighty Grip Glass Bottle (pictured above) is an excellent bottle to seriously consider if you are in the market for new bottles. And, if you’re like me and terrified of dropping one, a snug silicone sleeve can be purchased to protect it!

Pros:

• BPA free
• Easy to clean
• Silcone sleeve is easy to remove and clean and just as easy to replace – all while keeping the bottle safe and secure from accidental drops or bumps.
• The glass on the sides are ribbed, giving the bottle a good grip no matter what

Cons:

• The nipple is vented, but I would occasionally have to break the seal from my baby’s lips and let the bottle draw air in order to release the vacuum.

If you are looking for some exceptional glass bottles – these are an excellent choice. Thanks to natural glass, you will feel much better knowing that you are feeding your baby with only what was intended and nothing more (not to mention you won’t have to worry about butterfingers!)

The
Mico Cosi Mico car seat is a seat you can easily use everywhere. Thanks to rigorous European and US standards testing, the sleek and brightly colored Maxi Cosi Mico car seat is known for its safety, surpassing US safety standards. Most people choose it for its safety features, including the padded harness and side impact protection, but also enjoy it’s ergonomic design and distinctive colors. The snugly padded seat also makes your baby feel safe and comfortable.

Off its base, the seat is light and easy to carry around with its retractable carrier handle (4 different positions!). It also fits nicely into the Quinny Zapp stroller, which we use a lot. Snapping in the seat to the base in the car can be a bit tricky, but you get used to it. The Mico will carry your baby from five to up to 22 lbs and the shoulder harness, buckle and infant head cushion are all adjustable as your baby grows from infant to toddler. We also use the sun shade a lot where we live but it could ideally be a bit longer. The nice thing is the shade tucks away behind the seat when you don’t need it. When you’re on the go, the Maxi Cosi Mico is overall just an easy car seat to reckon with.

$169.99 MSRP and 144.95 on Amazon.

There are planes – and then there are private jets.

There are cars – and then there are Bentleys.

There are houses – and then there are mansions.

There are strollers…

And then there is
Mutsy!

Super chic, super sleek, and oh-so-indulgent, never before has there been such a posh stroller!

European design is just one of the fantastic things about this wonderful stroller. Your little one will be the center of attention in this one-of-a-kind experience. Now, if I sound over excited, I am – simply put, The Mutsy Urban Next is just too cute for words and definitely a conversation starter!

Pros:

• Amazingly smooth ride – large, easy-swivel tires make any terrain a snap (the stroller comes with a second set of smaller wheels, but I prefer to leave on the bigger ones)
• Stands upright when folded – easy to maneuver folding means less time fussing with folding and more time with baby!
• Wheels easily remove – with one-handed removal, this feature makes Mutsy all the better for quick storage
• The Mutsy Sitter turns your seat into a wonderful, detached seat for your little boy or girl.
• Soft, Graspable Leather Handle
• Lots of accessories, including bassinette, hard-shell backpack, Eskimo muff (which is just too cute and warming!), rain cover and many more.

Cons:

• It seems larger than other strollers – tight turns or small grocery store aisles may pose a problem
• It can appear weighty for some – at around 25 lbs for the stroller alone, it can be considered by some heavy duty.

If you’re in the market for a stroller and you like that modern European stroller look, then Mutsy is the stroller of your dreams. Combining functionality and charm, it will never fail to impress and charm onlookers.

To purchase, please visit www.goores.com

Great Dad Readers, receive 10% off of your order by using code “gdmu” at checkout

In our careful watch to ensure our baby slept on his back to avoid SIDS, our newborn son started to develop a flat head. While only a cosmetic concern, our pediatrician recommended we put him on his side while sleeping to mitigate the potential problem. The challenge was, our active son actually rolled over by himself at 1 week, so was not likely to stay on his side.
We found the Symmetry Sleep Positioner useful to keep him on his side (and rotated sides). In the months before he was able to really move on his own, we place him in the SSP within his crib, and he slept comfortably. The device stopped being useful once he could roll himself off of it, but by then he was moving enough that the flat head syndrome was not an issue.
While we never used the caliper to actually measure change, the improvement was visible.