MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
So, just had 3 month scan and everything a okay.
Thought I would seek out the wisdom of the crowd. Any tips?
Bit worried it spells the end of mtb action for a while, say it ain't so. . .
Alex
You like cycling at night, right?
Firstly, congratulations and good luck!
Secondly, it's awesome! Don't be put off by naysayers, you'll find time to ride.
Unless of course, you think that riding is more important than your impending child, in which case, erm....
Best tips?
a) don't take any advice from anyone. It will be conficting and confusing. Trust your own judgement.
b) 10 minute rule. When your baby screams as it inevitably will, put him/her down in his/her cot, walk away and have 10 minutes. He/she is more resilient than you think. The chances of you breaking are far greater than him/her. If after 10 minutes they are still screaming, give them a hug/cuddle and don't feel you can't repeat the process again if you need it.
Good luck. Best times ever.
Rich.
Yeah it's awesome. Hardest job you'll ever do, but it all comes naturally.
Look after the mum. She's done all the work 🙂
Congratulations
I only started riding when my son was born. We thought it would be easier to fit the odd hour ride in rather than the 4-5 two hour gym workouts a week I'd been doing. Plus we'd save on gym fees.
11 years, 100 miles a week, 8-9 bikes and frames later..... 🙄
Though I only started commuting by bike when I realised I was so sleep deprived I couldn't remember the drive to work....
Do lots of the following now before you have no time left, ride bikes, sleep and drink large quantities of beer. That's basically from now until baby is about 3 months.
It's great by the way.
Oh, and buy all the stuff you need from NCT sales, it'll save you a fortune.
It's awesome.
One didn't effect my riding I got our when she was at nursery. The second has as one was a nursery the other preschool, I know find little time to fit it in but that's partly because I work weekends when the Mrs is off and off during the week so have to do school runs.
Once the baby gets there its all about routine
Eat poo sleep
Takes a while for you to get it dialled and illness can reset it and once you get it dont break it, even if you want a night where you all stay up late etc
Oh and you need a similar routine to look after yourself !
Overated,7 billion people on earth.
Its OK. If wastral-like chavs can do it, doing it abit better ain't that hard. Just chill.
The fun bit comes when he hides the remote to preserve his programme choice, smacks you in the nuts for fun and can lie perfectly all at 4.5yrs.
Your about 3 months too late for my advice, good luck and get yourself some good lights.
Overated,7 billion people on earth.
And there's still room for people who make such inane comments. Pretty cool, huh?
Congratulations firstly, secondly life gets better once they've left home 😆
Seriously you will find your own way of being a Dad, it will come naturally, children are great....I'm now a grandad too and grandkids are even better as they get taken home after a while 😆
Buy a cow, we constantly run out of milk.
As above night riding becomes normal, my neighbours think I'm mad though.
It is at the same time the most amazing thing ever and the hardest, most frustrating, relentlessly exhausting thing I've ever endured. Having said that, now we have two, having one would be so easy 🙂
Tips for keeping your riding ticking over during the worst of it... get a turbo.
got more kids than most, have always ridden bikes more than most. hope that helps.
no advice for a noob other than try to enjoy the whole experience.. it is for the rest of your life afterall.
Congratulations!!
Decent lights, get a road bike and ride to work.
Get some nice comfy slippers to walk around the house.. you'll spend alot of time doing this quite often at 3.48am.
You'll learn how to deal with sleep deprivation after about 12 months.
It will also test your levels of patience and will to/and/or past breaking.
There will be tears of joy, frustration and exhaustion.
*We Have 3 girls 2,4,6 yo.
My first is four months. It has been a whirlwind but I've still got some decent mileage in (mostly commuting). If you really like riding you'll find time.
I traded walks in the pram for bike time, worked well. As above support the Mrs and it will be fine. It is also like Christmas every single morning.
DO NOT GET A TURBO!
Congratulations mate. Sat on the settee with my wife and our beautiful 11 day old daughter. Best thing that has happened to me.
This is the first contact I have had with a newborn and I was worried how I would cope, but the majority of the thing are either common sense or come naturally.
-Support the missus throughout the pregnancy, is obviously key... but you also need some support too (its very easy for it be ALL about the missus).
-Read up on pregnancy related things. My wife is quite neurotic and had a few panicked moments when she thought there was something wrong with baby. It helped if I could understand where she was coming from and calm her down.
-When baby is due make sure you have plenty of snacks and energy drinks in your hospital bag. Make sure you prompt you partner to eat and drink whilst in early labor, she will need alot of energy.
-When baby is here and you have visitors coming left right and centre, you will feel that you will have no time with your child yourself and all you do is tidy and make drinks. Grab all the chances you can to bond with your child before you have to return to work.
-Get as much information and advice as you can. Then keep an open mind, go with flow and see what works for your family.
Enjoy mate.
Tommy Tippie Perfect Prep machine, worth it's weight in gold.
You're gonna take some shit when Jr is tiny - just take it.
For the first few days you might need to act as Baby/Mums driver/bodyguard/lawyer/agent. If you have issues with your OH decisions about baby you keep them between you and Her - everyone else you sing from the hymm sheet breastfeeding can be impossible / difficult for example and midwives can be proper arseholes about it - if the decision gets made to go bottle you might have to upset a few people - sod 'em.
Same goes with relatives and well-wishers, some will be on the doorstep 30 seconds after you get Jnr home - whist you're thinking you'll never feel calm again they're "just popping in" you can tell them to foxtrot too.
Everything else just go with the flow - doctors are generally okay with you calling in for any "little thing" which is go - but they can be dismissive too - ours is intolerant to diary which meant a grumpy baby and no sleep honestly she didn't sleep for more than 3 hours on the bounce, ususlly 2 FOR FIVE MONTHS! Doctor just kept saying "well babies do cry".
It's great though, make the most of the summer though 😉
Thought I would seek out the wisdom of the crowd. Any tips?
Most important of all, make sure your kid knows you love them and that you think they're brilliant.
After that, just wing it - that's what the rest of us do.
I'm riding my son to school and back tomorrow.
It's awesome just becuase I can do just that.
All tips are equally valid and invalid . mine is second hand clothes and hand me downs are perfect we have not bought new clothes for our son in 3 1/2 years .
When he was born my mate sent me a text saying "the fun starts here" at the time I thought it was a bit twee but he was right .
Congratulations support your partner be tollerent of each other and everything will be better than alright.
MTB action for me has certainly slid but crankbrat joins me on my commute to work on his balance bike and is now demanding to take his bike to the woods .( I drop him at nursery)
Yep keep breeding flashheart.
Congratulations! Kids are bloody awesome!
They can also totally stuff your existing routine. So be prepared to change it.
Lights for bike is worthwhile expense and do it now while you have money still!!!
My riding dropped off for a while but in hindsight I could have been more disciplined and organised and done more when number 1 was brand new. 2nd one was easier as I was back into regular night riding.
Get a bike trailer with a baby sling and ignore the recommended earliest age for things, just use instinct and remember it's a person like you. If you're cold they're prob cold, get them eating solid food as early as possible as they start becoming a wee person once they do and sleep better.
Ive reduced work to part time to see my 10 month old as much as I can
Definitely agree on the breastfeeding issue. It is yours, your partners and your babies decision... no one else.
Wife wanted to breastfeed, we had trouble feeding in hospital with baby not latching properly. The midwifes were adamant we carry on trying with breastfeeding.
Got home after 48hrs of no sleep, screaming newborn that would not latch and feed properly. For the wife's sanity we went for formula, 10 minutes later baby was sound asleep.
Either breast or formula is fine, as long as baby is being fed something.
Enjoy every lie in you can get before baby comes.
1. It's awesome
2. Keep your sense of humour
3. Adli "mamia" range of nappies and wipes is great and cheap
4. Don't buy fancy clothes, they grow REALLY quick
5. Uppababy vista is the best pushcotchair thingy
6. Enjoy. Did I say that they grow REALLY quick?
Definitely agree on the breastfeeding issue. It is yours, your partners and your babies decision... no one else.
Ah yes. It's bordering on emotional blackmail with some midwives and I found the pressure heaped on new mothers pretty disgusting. Do what works for you.
I'm riding my son to school and back tomorrow.
Piggy back or on the shoulders?
Some light reading if you missed it the first time round: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-feel-nothing-towards-my-baby
Coming up for 5 weeks in. Haven't ridden my bike since. Still waiting for it to feel like anything but a bit of an annoying chore to be honest.
🙂 He's six, and rides his own bike.
Three months in?
Shit I can't even remember when I was three months in......
This is the single most important bit of advice that you will get: Make sure that you make time for you and your wife to do the things that you enjoyed before kids.
Welcome to road riding!
Just play it all by ear, like any normal person.
There's some other good advice but a couple of things I would add
1- do not be afraid to tell people that now is time to leave / to come at a different time. You should be in control
2- baby raising books are potentially dangerous. They often give conflicting advice and have you aspire to levels of perfection that are not realistic.
3- never be afraid to ask questions or seek help or support. Ultimately you have to be the parent but that doesn't mean that you have to do it alone.
4- get stuck in and enjoy it.
This is the single most important bit of advice that you will get: Make sure that you make time for you and your wife to do the things that you enjoyed before kids.
That's how you end up with more kids.
Sorry and another...
2nd time round we dropped the odd formula feed in (close to midnight normally) which I usually did. This gave mrs a longer period of unbroken sleep and meant that we could easily slip an extra bottle in if she was tired or I took him or on my own in the day to give her a break.
I think we started this after a couple of month's. The first was exclusively bf and we had a mare getting him to have formula at a later stage.
Babies are NOT interactive so don't expect too get much out of it start with.
But when they run to greet you home from work, later in life though, best feeling in the world.
Nappy contents can be ANY colour.
Invent your own bed time stories based around the same characters every night , they will still remember this all their lives.
Walking (with a crying baby in your arms) in circles, under a dimmed ceiling light, tires their eyes out and the rest usually follows.
You will get peed on, accept that truth now
Don't lock them away in a room on their own, (look a how apes do it- always carrying their young everywhere) Babies are sociable and like voices and contact.
Work hard to make "Daddy" their first word - Minor victory
Accept knitted gifts/stuff gracefully, though we never did find a use for any of it.
Build shelves everywhere and get everything out of reach. "Did she just swallow that" maybe one of the worst sentences I have ever heard.
Don't ever let junk food become a treat - My biggest failing
All the technicalities are dead easy. Everything you'll probably be nervous about like nappy changing, feeding, being up all night. Nothing to it at all. After a few months you can do all that nonsense without even thinking about it.
The hard stuff is being a good parent. The benefit of kids is they'll get you to recognise your own failings and often copy you to show you what a terrible human being you are. Learn from them, Become better.
Ignore all the other parents. They'll tell you their kid spoke at this age and walked at this age. Ignore them. They all catch up.
Someone said keep your sense of humour. Nothing truer than this. Otherwise you'll break down.
Reflections on a year of fatherhood:
the cliches are true - you love them more and more each day
mums need more support than they ask for - so give it without asking
the birth is ACE - don't listen to retards saying it's like watching your fave pub burn down. think more along the lines of realising you've found a new function on your swiss army knife.
The birth is both boring, scary and eye poppingly weird . but overall, ACE.
take every second of paternity leave you can and then some - my biggest regret from last time round was not taking enough time with the family. WORK CAN WAIT.
you will recoil from baby poo like it's molten lava initially. then you won't.
don't buy everything you need - you will almost certainly get it bought for you.
but DO get the essentials.
Invest in a good buggy.
invest in amazon prime - cheap nappies & wipes, on your doorstep tomorrow. you'll also get another source of online TV when you/baby can't sleep.
don't give into the breast is best bullies. if your missus finds she can do it, great, but don't let the ****ers demonise her if it doesn't. do whats right/best for you.
keep a very close eye on your missus for post natal depression. it's nasty, and it's common.
I can honestly say it's been the best thing that ever happened to me, and in the days after my daughter was born I was genuinely worried that I wouldn't be able to think/talk about her without tearing up. This passes! But now, at a year old, I can have the worst day ever, and it's all put right by a smile from my little girl.
Enjoy it!
^jimbobrighton
Did you have your own gas and air line??
ACE??
Blood, shit, goo and other holy mother of wtf is that!!.. maybe.
What has been seen cannot be unseen.
Holding the baby still attached to umbilical is the ace bit..
Watching its undignified exit from the womb is not.
yeah ACE. honestly, I found it amazing. As a publican I see my fair share of blood, piss, shit, vomit and goo, so maybe I'm more desensitized than most.
loved it!
Congratulations - We are 3 months in today - It has flown by, I found it so so hard at 41 to adapt to the change of me not bing the important 1. I was on the phone to a mate last week and told him it was like losing my wife and gaining a flat mate with a kid . I will say it is awesome though playing and singing and having fun with him . Save up ,let family and friends treat you and cloths will be out grown very quickly .
Plus 1 on Breast - we latch on use a pump and formula - he sleeps from 7pm to midnight then from 1pm for 3 hours then he is awake . don't let nurses bully you and they will try .
My wife is amazing - i am rubbish .
we just got some pictures printed today and we can see him developing into a person already
Enjoy it and do not feel guilty for having some me time - I get 1 evening alone on my own to drink beer , you will need a break from work and parenting -take it and do not feel guilty 😆
I'm dad to a 10day old boy, I'm the least likely person to ever be a dad.. never had paternal instincts, happy living alone doing as I please. Took some time to get my head around it but we're a family now and my little lad is awesome, ok he's only a wee one but he's deffo got some of my traits and features.
Don't be afraid to muddle along, I'd never held a baby jet alone put a nappy on.
Read a couple of new dad type books but take advice with a pinch of salt.
Get a good road or mtb ride in the week before and be prepared it'll be a couple of weeks before you're out again.
Go for a run, I'm doing the occasional 5miler during nap time to keep ticking over.
If you've any box sets on stuff recorded hammer them and get everything watched. I've 3 episodes of Hannibal to watch but time's precious.
Lastly enjoy but keep an eye on your partner.. mine went through hell but she's doing amazing.
Congratulations.
I did it once. She's 18 in June. I will do absolutely anything for her. I love her to bits.
It was the single biggest mistake of my life. Given the choice, not a chance would I have become a parent.
Very contradictory but that's just how it is for me.
I notice (yet again) that the mass of responses are all coo-ing, best thing you could ever do etc. but it's really not like that for everyone.
Like I said, nothing comes close to how I feel about my daughter but given my time again, I wouldn't.
Some days it's great, some it's not.
Get used to that. As an older parent it is hard work as I am a selfish bugger.
Learn to be organised. The ability to get us all out of the house in a couple of minutes with everything we need is priceless. This also get easier the older they get. Don't get too comfortable staying in as it appears easier. Get them outside loads either in the pram or some carrying instrument and let them look at stuff and get loads of fresh air.
Also buy the equivalent of a hack bike pram. We bought an old 3 wheel off road pram off eBay for £20 and it goes up rivington pike several times a week, gets slung in the back of cars, left in the garage caked in mud ect.
Buy a blender and learn to cook without salt and sugar and blend whatever your eating for the little one, get loads of veg into them and get them started in real food instead of jars for years.
Don't get hung up on what you think you should be doing or when things don't go to plan. Just enjoy it
http://www.commandodad.com
😀
I know the author, Neil (we share a common past). Great chap and sent me a book with a personal message in. It's a good book but common sense prevails.
Have some baby paracetamol AND baby ibuprofen in ready for the evenings they get their jabs.
Our eldest had his latest set yesterday, woke up in the middle of the night screaming like a banshee, bright red and soaked in sweat.
All personal to me, so take it or leave it but 🙂
Don't strss if you don't feel immediate attachment and love for your child, it took me a couple of weeks to get my head around the idea that this little bundle of noise, strange smells and poo was actually wonderful (yes I am a terrible person)
You really don't know love until you have your child in your arms! I am already sad about the day when they won't want to give me a massive hug and a kiss when I get back from work!
You will drop down your wife's priority list, your child is the most important thing to her bar none, suck it up, support her (she really is going to be doing all the heavy lifting, and overtime as your relationship is redefined it wil be better.
You have the most wonderful but greatest responsibility ever, you are raising another human being!
Two biking tips:
1) If you don't already, buy some cheap lights and take up night riding. You can still get regular rides in without any feelings of guilt as they will (hopefully) be asleep. My daughter is 3 I took up night riding 3 years ago and love it!
2) Make sure you still get out for the odd weekend ride with mates etc, have a morning or afternoon to get away from it all and enjoy it. [b]BUT[/b], for every morning or afternoon you take off to go biking make sure you organise for your other half to have at least the same amount of time with her friends, doing lunch, shopping or whatever, but time away from the baby...... = happiness!
Congratulations!
Our second is 4 months old. For me kids have been the source of some of my greatest joy and deepest pain I've experienced.
The unconditional love, watching someone develop and grow is amazing. Seeing the strength of the woman I love on exhibition bought me new found respect for her.
Trying to be parent, doing the right thing but not always being on the same page as the missus has at times distanced us from each other. Lack of sleep doesn't help in those situations as I think it can make existing relationship traits become exacerbated.
It's been a true test, feels like we're coming out the other side of it stronger now that the little one is sleeping a little better, last night excepted.
You will get a shed load of unsolicited advice from anyone and everyone. Feel free to ignore it and trust your instinct. You will be the only people in the world to have your baby.
I was recommended to get a good camera - its awoken a deep held interest in photography I continue to explore as well as the odd baby photo!
Time to stop rambling! Good luck!
My daughter woke me up at 5:30am this morning by prising my eyelids apart. Apparently i taught her to do that. And climb over her door gate thing to keep her in. But then she climbed into bed and snuggled down and all was well. That's the good bit. Then she ate most of my breakfast for me - they are good diet tools kids.
Only one tip, ignore everyone's tips, you'll find you're own way.
P.S. The birth is in no way ACE (in fact nothing is ACE unless you're an early teen in 1985).
Bit of a chore until they are 18 months or so, then they start to talk and stuff.
Routine certainly helped us – give them the minimum of sleep through the day so they sleep well at night. Set meal times too meant that they only cried when ill or had a full nappy. (Gina Ford is “full on” extreme routine, but good for a guideline, her food stuff is good). Had the kids sleeping in their own room from 8 weeks and it was brilliant to have the evenings as adults.
Baby monitors are handy – the video ones allow you to see if the baby has rolled off the heart rate/movement monitor bit and prevents you having a heart attack.
Them sleeping bag things are ace.
Huggies wet wipes are awful and their nappies not much better.
Napisan works a treat for cleaning tainted clothes and mtb gear too.
Not so much now, but buy a clarks shoe sizer and then buy 2nd hand clarkes shoes from ebay, kids when little do not wear through shoes much and £40 a pop for shoes that will still look very new and outgrown gets old fast.
When changing nappies, do it from the side – also open the nappy quick and waft/blow some fresh air in there, replace nappy quick. The cold air means they pee, but it’s caught by the nappy – being at the side means you’ll rarely get hit if you don’t get the nappy back quick enough.
Enjoy the surreal experience of being in your dads shoes and understanding why he kept telling you “pull my finger”.
Knitted gifts go on the doll we bought to put the knitted stuff onto.
I avoided the birth of all my kids – I’ve no interest in that malarkey, wife was happy enough for me not to be there - YMMV.
Get a copy of the local paper/national paper on the day it’s born. It’s doubly interesting in the case of the wife as she was on the front page of nearly all the newspapers when aged about 30 minutes.
Congratulations.
I became a first time dad last September - its been ace, but there have been some really tough times along the way.
The bith was ace and awful at the same time; out little one didn't want to come out so at 14 days my other half was induced. This wasn't a nice experience becauce it seemed like a competition to get him out ASAP. She ended up on the drip, which was constantly getting cranked up, making her want to push when things weren't ready. Having joked that I would stand head end, I ended up busines end and saw it all...including her being cut. However, once he was here, all of that was forgotten.
We struggled with breast feeding; he just wasn't interested. The mid wifes were helpful but they just got him latched on. There wasn't much tution / tips. The breast feeding support workers who came to see us in the first week were brilliant and got that bit going. We still ended up mix feeding though so that I could take the pressure off my other half. He also slept longer and we found that he'd use my other half to comfort himself anf sleep rather that feed.
He was also taken into hospital at three weeks old due to a high temperature which turned out to be a blood infetion. That week was awful, but he suddenly started putting on loads of weight.
Things like the first big gummy smile, first roll and getting greeted by a grin when you get home are ace. Really ace.
I've stuggled more than I thought I would with the lack of sleep - I think I try to take on too much so my other half gets a break. I feel guilty if I try and get a night off.
We're getting better at ensuring we each get some time out - she has one night a month off at her mum and dads plus goes swimming three times a week and I try and fir riding in when I can. My riding has really dropped off but this is partly down to shitty weather over the last months. I bought a turbo but haven't used it enough because I hate it. We also have one night / afternoon off a month to go for dinner / cinema on our own.
We havenn't read any parenting books, we've just muddled along and found what worked for us. Things that were good for us:
- On demand feeding instead of sticking to a strict regime when new (he slept much better as a baby when we did this).
- Getting him to sleep upstairs in the evening in a cot / crib instead of the moses basket helped us get a gew hous downtime
- Sleeping in his own room fairly soon was better for all three of us (although this week he is being mega clingy and won't)
- Grobags are brill - Toby is a fidget at night and we don't need to worry about blankets over the face etc.
- Don't but too much (we did)...you will get LOADS of stuff.
- Baby Bjorn carries are ace - I much prefer it to buggies etc.
- Talking to each other; it's easy to forget why you are together in tehe early hours of the morning, one of you is asleep and the other dealing wtih an upset baby who won't settle. You will do daft things - sometimes it makes sence at 3:30am....not so much at other times.
- You will need your own time out. Being a parent can feel relentless, especially when you add work to the mix. Just make sure that it is 'fair'.
- You will be forgotten about...suck it up! This took me a while to get my head round.
- Just enjoy it, approach it with a sense of humour and no preconceptions (your baby will ensure these are all wrong).
Good luck.
Any tips?
Having sex with your SO will feel weirder and weirder the more pregnant they become.
Don't have too many preconceptions about who they will be or how they will develop. I'm sat waiting for my daughter to finish a final audition for the Royal Ballet school in London. Did not see that coming 11 years ago and would have freaked at the thought. Support and guide them, don't pigeon hole them (oh and babies are rubbish, don't worry if it takes 12 m9nths to bond, don't feel guilty, it's not unusual).
Get a bike trailer with a baby sling and ignore the recommended earliest age for things,
+1. My two are 16 months and 3.5 years - they went to nursery in the Burley this morning.
Babies are all different so tips are of limited use, but I will say that due to the obsession with buying everything new, second hand gear is really cheap. For example, we bought a Phil & Ted's buggy in good condition for £150 - would've cost around £500 new. Plus of course you can sell it for what you paid if you don't like it.
Oh, and congratulations!
Get a bike trailer with a baby sling and ignore the recommended earliest age for things,
-1
Just wait a wee bit bloody longer. You can have your Daddy/lifestyle moment you know. Just wait until the kid isn't THAT fragile.
Fall through own accident etc and its not good.
Add into the mix- your sharing the road with absolutely idiots who are sexting/still hungover/driving with misted up windows/stressed/tired/stupid.
I never bothered with the trailer thing. 2yrs+ he rode himself to school.
Add into the mix- your sharing the road with absolutely idiots who are sexting/still hungover/driving with misted up windows/stressed/tired/stupid.
And the same is true when you're driving, crossing the road, or even just walking on the pavement.
Concrete advice?
Lidl nappies are better than branded and much much cheaper should you use disposables.
And the same is true when you're driving, crossing the road, or even just walking on the pavement.
True but at least its not coming up behind you.
True but at least its not coming up behind you.
And?
Cycling with a trailer is (mostly) a refreshing experience, as motorists seem to temporarily suspend their hatred. I even had a car let me out of a side turning the other day.
I'd never have used or will use one- its too low and especially if you are using one at the crucial work starting/kicking out times its sharing the road with the great and the unwashed in towns etc.
Sorry, we should agree to disagree on this one.
I'd never have used or will use one- its too low and especially if you are using one at the crucial work starting/kicking out times its sharing the road with the great and the unwashed in towns etc.Sorry, we should agree to disagree on this one.
Yes, it's much like pushing a pram.
As you acknowledge, you're commenting from a position of ignorance.
So, am I the only one that read the original title and thought, "Well surely you just stick your thingmagig into her whoogywhatsit and waggle it about a bit?"
Only me then? 😳
B.
p.s. I might add that Mrs Beagleboy and I decided to go for cats rather than children, so the whole process is a bit vague to me.
You don't push a pram down a 1/2mile long road two metres from the kerb though. I said agree to disagree. I can see how it works and what road space you have to share.
Enjoy it, make the time for just the two of you as well as family time too, riding might be a bit less but I still got out and got plenty of miles in and that's with the house renovation too
I was a hesitant dad but it's the best, I love my wife but my son is just another level again (She's sat here and agrees)
Warning contains NSFW langauge so posted as a link.
[url=
[i]This father of four hasn't heard silence for over ten years. Watch the magical moment when thanks to break through technology he finally experiences it again. [/i]
You'll look at this in a few years and understand it so much more...
Congratulations buddy. I have two daughters (3 yr & 17 mth), they have been the source of some of the best and hardest times of my life. Many have said it, and i cannot emphasie enough: they are all different and most of the tips you read will be for amusement than usefulness. The things i found useful (no particular order or merit):
- get some more birth control (my wife got broody too soon after the first one arrived)
- wear and old tee shirt when changing nappies and stand between the wall and the babies butt (binning a tee shirt covered in liquid poop is easier than trying to clean it off the wall)
- lidl nappies work great. Pampers resulted in nappy explosions (you'll know it when it happens and it will happen)
- never go out without spare vests for baby (ref nappy explosions)
- get an mpv (best move i made - it fits in bike and most of John Lewis baby range)
- even when you are ****ed (and i mean seriously worked 50hrs with no sleep), just never go home and say your tired
- have no aspiration of riding at any particular hour. Fit it in when you can (i have a bike on the turbo trainer ready just for those 30min when the world is quiet)
- enjoy it. The baby will drive you to hell and back but when he/she smiles at you for the first time....
You don't push a pram down a 1/2mile long road two metres from the kerb though. I said agree to disagree. I can see how it works and what road space you have to share.
Is that why baby trailers keep getting run over, and no-one is ever knocked down at a crossing, or by a driver mounting the kerb?
As I said, you're commenting from a position of ignorance. If you'd used trailers and had negative experiences, your opinion would be of some value.
Congratulations
My little girl is 11 weeks old.
She is just starting to become a bit more interactive and its brilliant.
The first weeks are hard. Not much sleep, screaming and nappies but they start to settle down, either that or the crying stops bothering you so much!
Personally I wanted to be involved in the birth I thought it was an amazing experience, I cut the cord (they drew the line at letting me use my Park cutters though) but each to their own
Breastfeeding is a good idea - Yay free milk! But if its causing pain and stress then don't let you other half feel pressured into doing it and for the love of God don't feel guilty about adding in formula at the start if it makes life easier.
Aldi for nappies they are cheap and brilliant
Is that why baby trailers keep getting run over
Because there are so very few trailers on the road, that's not much of an argument. And yes I owned one, and used one, on roads. And then decided not to do it again!
Congratulations, I have posted this before but hopefully it will bring a smile to your face but ask any parent and I'm sure they will agree that it is good advice. 😉
FOLLOW THESE 14 SIMPLE TESTS TO CHECK THAT YOU ARE READY TO HAVE CHILDREN.
Test 1 - Preparation
Women: To prepare for pregnancy:-
1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.
2. Leave it there.
3. After 9 months remove 5% of the beans.
Men: To prepare for children:-
1. Go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the
counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself
2. Go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to
their head office.
3. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time.
Test 2 - Knowledge
Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their
methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance
levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest
ways in which
they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table
manners and overall behavior.
Enjoy it. It will be the last time in your life that you will have all
the answers.
Test 3 - Nights
To discover how the nights will feel:
1. Walk around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag
weighing approximately 4 - 6kg, with a radio turned to static (or some
other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. At 10pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to
sleep.
3. Get up at 11pm and walk the bag around the living room until 1am.
4. Set the alarm for 3am.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a cup of tea.
6. Go to bed at 2.45am.
7. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs in the dark until 4am.
9. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up when it goes off.
10. Make breakfast.
Keep this up for 5 years. LOOK CHEERFUL.
Test 4 - Dressing Small Children
1. Buy a live octopus and a string bag.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that no arms hang
out.
Time Allowed: 5 minutes.
Test 5 - Cars
1. Forget the BMW. Buy a practical 5-door MPV.
2. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
3. Get a coin. Insert it into the CD player.
4. Take a box of chocolate biscuits; mash them into the back seat.
5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Test 6 - Going For a Walk
Wait
Go out the front door
Come back in again
Go out
Come back in again
Go out again
Walk down the front path
Walk back up it
Walk down it again
Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely and ask at least 6 questions about every piece of
used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbours
come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.
Test 7
Repeat everything you say at least 5 times.
Test 8 - Grocery Shopping
1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can
find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you
intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your
sight.
3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having
children.
Test 9 - Feeding a 1 year-old
1. Hollow out a melon
2. Make a small hole in the side
3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side
4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to land them into the
swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.
5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.
6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the
floor.
Test 10 - TV
1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney,
Teletubbies and Disney.
2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.
Test 11 - Mess
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains
2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean
walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor
& leave it there.
Test 12 - Long Trips with Toddlers
1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly. Important
Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include
occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.
2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.
You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Test 13 - Conversations
1. Start talking to an adult of your choice.
2. Have someone else continually tug on your shirt hem or shirt sleeve
while playing the Mummy tape listed above.
You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a
child in the room.
Test 14 - Getting ready for work
1. Pick a day on which you have an important meeting.
2. Put on your finest work attire.
3. Take a cup of cream and put 1 cup of lemon juice in it
4. Stir
5. Dump half of it on your nice silk shirt
6. Saturate a towel with the other half of the mixture
7. Attempt to clean your shirt with the same saturated towel
8. Do not change (you have no time).
9. Go directly to work
You are now ready to have children.
Good luck and enjoy.
Because there are so very few trailers on the road, that's not much of an argument.
So no evidence that it's dangerous. That's not much of an argument.
The only truth I know about being a parent is that however good you are at it and however hard you try, you'll get it wrong a lot. Once you realise that it's easier.