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Tips, Tricks, and Must Haves for a New Dad!

Spider said:
We made up our bottles ahead of time for the day, and kept in the fridge. Bottle warmer took under a minute to heat them up. It’s really not that bad. We would have never spent $200 on that, even when we had twins bottle feeding.
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Oh...I know it's a luxury. And yeah...I get it...it's not for everyone. But everyone I have talked to (and it's been quite a few) said that this is a game changer! One of our relatives is likely to buy it for us anyway. I know we can plan things out and have things ready...but that doesn't mean I can make my life that much easier. I am 47 years old with my first child (at least that I know of... 🤪 )...believe me...if I can make life that much easier for me...Oh I will!

Majorrich said:
Don, when you brought up feeding it brought back a lot of memories for me. Please get a WHOLE MESS of Soft white cotton shop towels! They are indispensable for urpage and all the other fluids and discharges that a baby generates. If you are burping a freshly loaded baby almost certainly there will be a bit of discharge. Have the towel in place to protect your shoulder and back. I still have a couple of the towels we used in my dresser because I found the towels handy for all kinds of other stuff. Sweat rag, glasses cleaner, etc..
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This is the kind of stuff I am looiking for...Thanks Rich. The wife has bought a bunch of these dainty burping towels, but to be honest...if the kid takes after me....those things won't do. I'll be going this weekend to get some shop towels.

NurseDave said:
Just want to point out that if she’s able to, then there is a good chance you wouldn’t need formula at all with pumping and freezing milk for a return to work situation.

Anyway, the next few months will be fun watching your mental process of overthinking everything. But what an enjoyable even to be able to overthink. Just remember babies were being born even before electricity (I think) so you realistically don’t need to worry as much as you will about doing everything “right”.
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So we are not sure we will be able to breastfeed. Like I said earlier...I won't get into why. But the limitation is a real physical thing. And if she is able to...she likely won't be able to for long. So we are most assuredly going to have to use formula.

I appreciate the reassurance that I am not the first person to become a parent. Some times the wife and I lose site of that. And yeah..I am sure I will overthink EVERYTHING! And while would love to keep things simple or do things a certain way...the wife has other thoughts.
 
CBLindsay said:
I loved the breastfeeding thing because it meant I had the PERFECT out. Middle of the night feeding, grab kid, nudge wife to notify her she’s about to receive a surprise and BAM, my jobs done. But our first son didn’t go so easy. I did what KJ did, made the night time bottle(s) ahead of time and heated as needed. The baby keurig would have been a sure thing though had it been available. I know there will be a million people saying “CBLindsay did WHAT?” But we started night bottles with rice cereal really early. My memory says within a week or two but it might have been two-three weeks. It bought an extra hour or two.

My other recommendation is to absolutely embrace the idea of a bassinet next to the bed for the first several months, especially if breast feeding works. There will be an appropriate time to move to another room but the bassinet offers separate sleeping quarters without the need to travel. A glider rocker in the corner and you’re set.
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Yup...we plan on the bassinet by the bed for a little while. And we have a glider...though it is in the baby's room. And yeah...bay Keurig...it's a no brainer with us. I am intrigued about the rice cereal early on though. Not sure how I feel about rice cereal in general though. I know it's what you are supposed to transition to...but it doesn't seem all that natural to me. Just something I will look into...when I get through everything else.

GearNoir said:
Mainly...keep chill, go with the flow, don’t overthink things, just be as helpful as possible to the missus.

As soon as that little one makes an entrance, everything changes, all plans go out the door, the world clicks in a different way. You won’t know what you’ll need until you need it. Unless the plan is to rapid fire more kids out, there’s no reason to invest heavily in stuff that you might need for only a short time.
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So in other words...complete and utter chaos! Seriously though...good words...thanks Chris.
 
Cvargo said:
Bottle warmer that is small and can plug into the master bathroom is HUGE for middle of the night feedings. Megan comforted the baby and I got the bottle ready.

In the beginning don't stock up on diapers OR formula. Your baby will have a favorite. and others won't agree for example. Connor was fine in pampers and huggies caused a rash. Sadie was the other way around. It's weird!

Invest in a good swing and bouncer. These are lifesavers!

Don't buy too many clothes in one size they go grow quick in that first year. So for instance buy the same LSU shirt in like 4 sizes!

Invest in a nice glider or rocking chair for mama... this is for feeding and late night rocking.

Dad needs a laz-boy, this is for napping!

Slow down trust your instincts you both are hardwired to take care of this baby. Ask your pediatrcian for a chart that goes based off of weight tylenol and ibuprofen.

Love your baby and remind momma that she's still beautiful. Honestly after delivery your love for your wife will intensify.

Now this one is hard for the first baby so I understand if you don't do it, but looking back I wish we did, we definitely did it with our second. While in the hospital your wife is GOING to be exhausted after delivery. Remember you are paying for it anyways. But take advantage of the nursery while in the hospital. This is the last time you both can sleep. The nurses would call our room and say the baby was hungry and we would walk down to the nursery for feeding. But trust me it was a lot nicer to go home after a more decent night's sleep. Because that first night at home you will NOT get much sleep.
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Chad pretty much gave me the checklist for fatherhood!

But I will discuss the hospital nursery with the wife. That isn't something I have heard before. Thanks Chad!
 
bobmsp said:
Great suggestions so far. I agree with the bouncer or swing.

Also - not mentioned yet - a Diaper Genie.
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We are definitely getting one! Only the wife wants something that is similar but takes regular trash bags...so you don't have to buy the propriety product. Thanks Bob!
 
CBLindsay said:
We used to mix in film canisters because they were a good size per infant and lasted forever. ...and back then we actually USED film.
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You are dating yourself now Chris! Some really good stuff in your post. Thanks!
 
Majorrich said:
but how sensitive is your gag reflex. Seriously! I’ve seen a wee one bring a mighty man to his knees. That’s something you can train on.
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I'm not sure what you are asking me here rich? 🤪 Really though...I am pretty good in that department...but honestly...I guess I won't know until the day arrives.
 
The poop and pee never bothered me. But the throw up and milk spit get me Everytime. I remember Connor little under a year had a slight fever started crying in middle of night... We went into room I start to console him and he threw up all down my backside. So there I was in the shower at 2am. Ugh!
 
dangerousdon said:
I'm not sure what you are asking me here rich? 🤪 Really though...I am pretty good in that department...but honestly...I guess I won't know until the day arrives.
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I’m with Chad, mostly the sour spew that gets me but there’s gonna be some ‘unique’ colors and smells in the diaper and talk about sticky...OMG.
 
Our little guy was born 4.5 weeks early on May 6th and spent 2.5 weeks in the NICU. Those NICU nurses are absolute saints.

My wife is breastfeeding but since he was a NICU baby we had to supplement with formula for the first month for extra calories. We had registered for the Brezza, originally just in case we ended up having to formula feed, but broke it out right away. It is an absolute godsend at 2am and would not hesitate to purchase again. If you get it off the registry, you typically have a full year to return so nice to have ready to go if your little one needs formula.

Keekaroo changing pad felt like an unnecessary splurge but with the about of pee I've had sprayed at me for the last month, the easy of wiping the pad clean with a Clorox wipe has been great.

We got an Ubbi diaper pail as it's stainless steel and takes normal tall kitchen bags. No issues with the smells leaking and the kitchen bags have been working flawlessly.

My in-laws got us the Snoo bassinet as a surprise gift. Now I know it's absolutely insanely priced (they got it 30% off but that's still nearly $1000) but our little dude definitely does significantly better during naps in it vs the Pack n Play (also a must have if you have multiple stories in your home) and I definitely believe it's already getting us an additional hour of sleep a night. And that is pretty damn close to priceless these days!
 
I don’t know if the still make them or if they are totally standard equipment now but we had this little changing table like thing that hung on the far edge of the crib (the side usually against the wall) and had a sort of Hinge or pivot at that end too. It spanned across the crib to the side nearest where you would normally drop the side and/or reach in and grab the little one. Our crib had a drop side that dropped about 6 inches to make it easier for us shortly’ s to reach in. When the side was dropped the changing table would lay flat (when the side was raised it was not flat because the hanging side had a 6” drop.). Since the crib is alway longer than the kid needs it to be this table was in a perfect spot but it was designed to easily be removed and hung from the side of the crib until needed if you wanted. In fact, that was probably the intention. We left it in place and hung a little rack that held powders, diaper creams wipes etc and a bag like thing full of diapers from the end of the crib. But that changing table was perfect for us...4 kids over a span of 12 years (or something like that)mm

And @dangerousdon I’ll make you a 4 or 6 ounce tin of the special cream. I think I made some for Sadie’s bum (didn’t I @Cvargo ?) so I should probably make you some too ...besides, it sounds like you’ve given me plenty of procrastination time to not get it done.
 
Fightingillini22 said:
Our little guy was born 4.5 weeks early on May 6th and spent 2.5 weeks in the NICU. Those NICU nurses are absolute saints.
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Boy are they! Our son was a little over 6 weeks early. The nurses where exceptional!

CBLindsay said:
And @dangerousdon I’ll make you a 4 or 6 ounce tin of the special cream. I think I made some for Sadie’s bum (didn’t I @Cvargo ?) so I should probably make you some too ...besides, it sounds like you’ve given me plenty of procrastination time to not get it done.
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Don take him up on the offer! That stuff works great!
 
Fightingillini22 said:
Our little guy was born 4.5 weeks early on May 6th and spent 2.5 weeks in the NICU. Those NICU nurses are absolute saints.

My wife is breastfeeding but since he was a NICU baby we had to supplement with formula for the first month for extra calories. We had registered for the Brezza, originally just in case we ended up having to formula feed, but broke it out right away. It is an absolute godsend at 2am and would not hesitate to purchase again. If you get it off the registry, you typically have a full year to return so nice to have ready to go if your little one needs formula.

Keekaroo changing pad felt like an unnecessary splurge but with the about of pee I've had sprayed at me for the last month, the easy of wiping the pad clean with a Clorox wipe has been great.

We got an Ubbi diaper pail as it's stainless steel and takes normal tall kitchen bags. No issues with the smells leaking and the kitchen bags have been working flawlessly.

My in-laws got us the Snoo bassinet as a surprise gift. Now I know it's absolutely insanely priced (they got it 30% off but that's still nearly $1000) but our little dude definitely does significantly better during naps in it vs the Pack n Play (also a must have if you have multiple stories in your home) and I definitely believe it's already getting us an additional hour of sleep a night. And that is pretty damn close to priceless these days!
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Thanks for all the great info! And glad to hear the baby is doing well! That is the best part of this post!

Yeah...it's a given that we are getting the Breeza...but I didn't know that it has a one year take back policy...that's really good to know.

The Keekaroo won't fit in our changing table, but Little Tykes has a version of it. Yeah...being able to clean and wipe will be a whole better than having to trip and wash shell liners others come with. I am pretty sure we have one of these on the Registry.

The Ubbi is a must. Also on the Registry.

Okay the Snoo Bassinet. I just saw this in a review the other day and I thought it was ingenious. Until I saw the price ($1,400.00...Yowza!)! I am sure they are worth their weight in gold but it is still a little hard to stomach. But being that they are really sought after...I am sure if well kept it can be sold on something like Poshmark or Ebay. As a side note...You can actually rent the Snoo Bassinet from the website for $3.90 a day ($118 a month for minimum of a month).

I appreciate all the good info! Hope mama and the baby are doing well in these weird times!
 
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