Dad Blogs - Useful Parenting Tips for Dads

Top Five Safest Cribs

Contributor — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:41:19 +0000

Babies are very intuitive and they are influenced by anything they come in contact with including their parents, siblings, and possessions, including cribs, clothes, and bedding. Often parents shop for a nice looking crib within their budget neglecting other important quality concerns. Organic cribs are considered the safest for babies, but these are undoubtedly more costly than the average non-organic cribs. Natural cribs are equally good as they are made of high quality wood and non-toxic finishes. Choosing a natural or organic crib helps reduce health concerns to a minimum and you can be assured of your baby’s safety. Here are some of the best cribs for concerned parents.

Neutering the American Male

Paul Banas — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:10:26 +0000

One of the biggest challenges that dads face in these days of shifting roles is that of maintaining a healthy masculine/feminine balance within themselves. Both men and women have the ability to be masculine or feminine in their approach to life and the situations that life presents.

It is this ability that makes it possible for women to defend their children and for men to be brave and courageous and still be able to express tenderness. For centuries, the roles that were set for both sexes dictated what they could do and could not do. The roles for men were totally masculine, while roles for women were totally feminine. The side-effects of these older roles were that many men had difficulty accessing their softer emotions. They were limited in their ability to express tenderness and compassion, because it was considered unmanly.

Dads at Toy Fair – Martin from Ohio Art

Paul Banas — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:17:11 +0000

In our series, "Dads take on Toy Fair," Martin from Ohio Art writes: I am a Dad of a 7 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. When I am at toy fair I am generally focused on selling our company’s products but do get the opportunity to sneak out and walk the show to see what catches my eye. From a Dad’s perspective, I like toys that allow me to spend some memorable time with the kids in a way that is fun for kids and Dad. From a tech perspective, I am always looking for cool new innovations in the RC category and from a learning perspective, I look to the science based activities. What’s better than taking a 2 liter bottle of coke, dumping in some mentos and watching the kids eyes light up as a geyser of coke spews from the bottle?

Last Minute Shopping Tips

Contributor — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:00:29 +0000

Don’t Cry or Pout. Last Minute Shopping Doesn’t Have to Stress You Out

The holidays can be a wonderful time or togetherness and celebration and it can also be a time of stress and anxiety. Don’t let the rush and excitement of the season allow you to overspend or be careless with your money and purchases. Here are a few last minute shopping tips to help you keep your sanity.

Stocking Stuffers

Don’t forget stocking stuffers – when creating your holiday budget, stocking stuffers are usually not in the budget. To avoid blowing your bank account at the last minute, look at the dollar store for trinkets. Another great place to look are the dollar shelves at your local retailer.

The Power Struggle Continues

Bill Bounds — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:33:16 +0000

If your child is anything like my little girl, they’re clamoring to find where their lines are drawn and how much control over anything they have. This often manifests itself in rather loud ways and bitter arguments between you and your child. (If your child isn’t like mine, they probably will be soon.)

Lately, our girl has begun making very spur-of-the moment decisions about what she is and isn’t going to with respect to things like going out to dinner or going to the store with us. As my wife and I are getting ready to leave, she will just say, “Daddy, I’m not going. I’m going to stay here by myself.”

Dads taking over as carpool kings

Contributor — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:51:31 +0000

I'm surprised this appears to be a national trend, but it sure is true at our house. My wife works at a traditional job downtown (with no parking). I work at home and supposedly have lots of time to take breaks and drive kids all over town to the doctor, soccer, and assorted playdates. I have to say it's a part of parenting that is the least ennobling to me. I know some moms and dads say it's a special time where they actually get to talk to their kids, and maybe I'll feel that way when they are teens and I'm glad for any time I have to plug into what they are doing. But right now, it feels like underpaid taxi work

Damn scientists making me look like a fool in front of my son

Contributor — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:00:27 +0000

Just a few short weeks since I told my son emphatically that there could never be a planet with 2 sons, NASA comes along and discovers one.

The simulation is fascinating in that the reporters talk about a planet that "revolves around two stars," which seems clearly impossible without defying all law of physics. In fact, one of the suns is simply orbiting around the larger sun, with a planet on a an outer orbit ring. Still, it would be pretty amazing to see the light of two suns ever changing in their tandem sunrises and sunsets.
The planetary system is only 200 light years away, so not in a galaxy far, far away, like that of Tatouine, the birth planet of Luke Skywalker, which is where my son got this wacky notion in the first place.

Review: Cybex Aton Carseat

Contributor — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:21:35 +0000

The first thing I noticed when unpacking the Cybex Aton is how impossibly light the carrier and base are. At only 8.8 pounds, the Cybex Aton is one the lightest carriers on the market. I’ve really come to appreciate this after making numerous trips up and down the two flights of stairs to our house.

Potty training: How and when to try

Bill Bounds — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:39:33 +0000

While we wish there was an easy way to go about potty training our toddlers, there just isn't, and there isn't even an easy way to know when to go about trying.

It is commonly understood that the process will be much more difficult than necessary if we try to force training on children before they're ready or go about it in a way that puts too much pressure on them.

One Question to Help Stop a Tantrum

Bill Bounds — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:27:01 +0000

The other night, our little girl had what my wife and I call a nuclear melt-down of a tantrum while we were in a store. It was one for the history books. It was our fault in that we went to the store with her after her bedtime, so the littlest thing was guaranteed to snowball into a melt-down of at least some proportion. This one, however, was a monster.

Because I won’t tolerate a tantrum in a store or similar public place, I left my wife doing the shopping and took our girl outside. Normally, this separation from the venue and a firm talking to will start her calming down. This time, calming down wasn’t in the cards.