Photo via Moliv Fotografia/Pexels When I found out, I was holding a six-pack of beer. “I’m pregnant,” she said. Words I knew would be coming one day soon, but not this soon. I always pictured hearing them on a sunny front porch, wind gently rocking a wooden swing back and forth. Or something like that. And there’d be music. Something upbeat and hopeful like what plays before the final credits of a Zach Braff movie. I never thought I’d hear those words standing in the doorway of our dark, half-packed apartment, weary from a long day. My wife, Sarah, eyes puffy and mascara-soaked from her own sh ..read more

Having a baby is a lot harder than many of us want to admit. You’ve undoubtedly heard of postpartum depression, typically thought of as a major risk for new moms due to hormonal changes and the overall strain of motherhood. But a new study just suggested that serious depression after the birth of a child is affecting dads, too — and at way higher rates than we initially thought. A surprising study from the University of Illinois Chicago suggests that new dads should be screened for postpartum depression. Though we’ve been aware of this kind of depression in men for a while, it hasn’t typicall ..read more

Dads matter. But if you’re here, you probably already knew that. The good news is that a new study out of the University of Leeds has not only demonstrated just how beneficial an engaged dad really is for children’s outcomes in life… … it also highlights a few key things all dads can do starting from the baby years, to give their kids the best chance later in life. Let’s explore! About the Study – How Was It Done? The researchers at the University of Leeds analyzed almost 5,000 mother-father households in the UK with kids born from 2000 to 2002, who were followed for the Millennium Cohort Stu ..read more

Playing with babies is so fun. Everything is magical to them. Show them a block and then hide it behind your back. They’ll be amazed! Pull a quarter out of their ear. Astonished! But have you ever seen adult twins interacting with babies? If not… you’re missing out! Screenshots via Stephen Ratpojanakul / Facebook Dad Stephen Ratpojanakul, who is a twin himself, decided to have a little fun with his identical brother and baby son, Reed. Stephen was smart enough to capture the moment Reed met his twin brother Michael on video, and it’s pure gold. Naturally, baby Reed’s brain instantly gets frazz ..read more

Have you ever wanted to ask a bunch of men a question and get an honest, no-holds-barred answer? OK, maybe not — but if you have, that’s where the Reddit community r/AskMen comes in. One woman recently took to the subreddit to ask a piercing question: ““I’m worried about men’s mental health,” user venusemerald2 wrote. “Men, who do you confide in 100%?” The top answer, and the ensuing discussion below, was absolutely shocking and heartbreaking. “Who in your life do you open up to 100%? Dad, brother, friend?” the post continued. u/ElegantMankey’s was one of the first to chime in, and their post ..read more

In our house, we use baby wipes for EVERYTHING. Changing diapers? Obviously. Wiping down the counter? Check. Scrubbing a juice spill out of the sofa? Check! But a lot of new parents find themselves wondering if there are any no-nos for baby wipes. Like: Can you use baby wipes on your or baby’s face? Are baby wipes bad for your adult face? Let’s take a look at what’s in (and not in) baby wipes and whether they’re safe for the sensitive skin on baby and adult faces. Using Baby Wipes on Baby’s Face OK, let’s start here. It’s spaghetti night. And you know what that means. Your baby has red sauce ..read more

When you bring your newborn home for the first time, it’ll probably be a pretty big challenge getting him or her to sleep. In fact, brand new babies usually only sleep for 2-4 hours at a time — if you’re lucky! There are tons of factors that can interrupt even those limited stretches of sleep. So if your newborn baby hates the bassinet, the place they’re SUPPOSED to sleep at first, it can be really frustrating. Why do some babies hate sleeping in their bassinet? How do you get a newborn to sleep in a bassinet? Your baby might not hate the bassinet after all! It could just be that something, i ..read more

Once your kids reach a certain age, there’s a good chance they’ll want to get involved in organized sports. And if they want to, you should let them! Participating in sports helps kids develop physically and emotionally while teaching valuable life skills. (If you don’t let the competitiveness get out of hand, that is.) There’s just one problem: Endless practices. Our girls are in sports practice and swimming lessons around 4-5 days a week right now, for anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes at a time. Usually, we’re expected to stick around. But between you and me… that gets a little boring ..read more

Congratulations, it’s almost time to meet your new baby! The bad news? You have a TON of work to do to get ready. You have to: Design the nursery Baby proof the house And go shopping for all the baby essentials But what exactly are the baby essentials you’ll need for a newborn? If you’re like me, you don’t want a lot of fluff and explanation, just a straightforward list of everything you could possibly need as a new or first-time mom or dad. So if you’re looking for pictures of baby things to buy… Here is (almost) everything you’ll need on your shopping list for a newborn baby, with hel ..read more

Can you imagine this nightmare scenario? (If you’re reading this, you might not even have to imagine… You may be living it!) In any case, it’s frighteningly common, and a huge headache for parents. What should you do if you’re traveling and the airline loses your car seat? What if you arrive at your destination and the car seat is too damaged from the flight to use? If your airline lost your car seat during a flight, make sure you check the jet bridge and the oversized luggage desk to make sure it’s really gone. If so, the airline should be able to provide you with a loaner or replacement car ..read more