5 MUST-Haves for Girl Dads
With a second baby on the way and my best friend, Walt having a daughter... hopefully it helps you.
Please understand we are ALL winging it as parents. Not only did I realize there was technically 9 months to prepare, more like 8 and change. BUT there is NO WAY to actually prepare. It’s unlike athletics or school where you can study and you know what to expect. No no no my friends. In my head I had this tiny human defined but here we are with all the toys and Evy, my daughter, is more interested in the to-go containers and the microwave. Her favorite is your iPhone. If you leave it near the edge of the table, she’ll do this crawl with one knee on the ground and push off with her foot on the other leg to move quickly. The last thing you’ll see is her look back at you, the last thing you hear is her chuckle. BOOM! Your phone is on the floor and she’s licking the screen.
This is a safe space for the guys right… so it’s her mother’s fault for the phone addiction.
All that to say, don’t waist your money on trendy toys. Instead (I’ll explain down below)…
At-least 10 pacifiers
Youtube Premium
Let’s get into WHY I think these are a MUST-HAVE.
UppaBaby Stroller
Evy was very sensitive to light when she was first born. I’m guessing all baby’s are like that, but again I’m just a dad. Talk to my wife if you want to know a wider range of knowledge on babies. She knows SO MUCH about the different stages. I’ll write another post about that later.
While the wife would rest, I’d take Evy outdoors for a walk around the block. For those that know Richmond, we would go from P Street to Chimbo Park, not exactly a block. She would keep her eyes closed because it was so bright but eventually she got used to it. Truly amazing to see her looking around.
Have her up top, a snack and a drink down below (for me not her) in the bottom area, and my headphones. Uppababy has a wide range of strollers but this was the one we got. As she has gotten older we have used it daily. In the rain, snow, heat, long distance, in the car to travel with, etc. Adjustable height and we strap toys to it as well as a pacifier.
Costco Membership
I pledge allegiance to Costco….
Kirkland brand diapers are a must! We do not have Sam’s club so I’m unsure if they do the same but Costco has sales on their diapers 2-3 times a year. We STOCK UP! Ordering them online, they typically show up the next day or 2. The wife, again, keeps me in the loop on when we need to get a larger size. Me being the village idiot, I always make it like I’m saying something of value.
Watch how it works….“Hey babe, I’m stretching these diapers, curious if you think we should get a new size?” Then pause. Full context, the wife and I agreed before the baby was born she would handle input and I would handle output. Meaning she feeds the babies and all diapers are my responsibility. I got the S+#tty end of the stick there huh. After the pause, the wife comes over checks the crime scene and if she agrees. “Yeah seemed like it.” If she doesn’t agree, “Seems like it may be in a few weeks. Just want to make sure we are prepared.” Keep that in your back pocket.
Do not overthink buying too many. Not only can you swap with families around you in some cases, we have a second kid on the way, so we are going to use them. I almost wanted to recall the ones we gave away but the wife says leave it alone. What your thoughts?
Stock Up on Pacifiers
My logical brain thought we only needed 2, maybe 3. It worked when she was not crawling because we knew where she was and would find the pacifier within arms reach. ONCE SHE STARTED CRAWLING…forget it. You need a stash of them, and at the end of the night when the wife is sleeping you get to play your favorite game, Private Pacifier Detective. Where you have to think like a baby, retrace her steps and identify motives of hiding a pacifier under the seat cushions of the couch.
I have 5 upstairs and 5 downstairs. All the downstairs pacifiers are in a $1 Store bucket by the TV so I can just grab a new one if needed. What’s interesting is she hates the glow in the dark ones so we use those during the day. Evy, usually keeps a pacifier until she hears the microwave or someone opening a bag. The priority shifts immediately and she spits out the pacifier. Same when mom approaches. When mom picks her up, she spits out the pacifier on site and gets in position to feed. This can be anywhere, and if mom doesn’t see it she can easily kick it to Narnia never to be seen again.
Youtube Premium
Now while this sounds like something silly, just hear me out.
I watch a lot of youtube for coding tutorials and emerging tech. I’ll deal with commercials. But if Ms. Rachels Songs For Littles is playing, my daughter’s eyes are bleeding from not blinking for the last few minutes and a commercial plays, it’s the end of the world for her. Pure DRAMA! Some of you are better entertainers than I am and maybe able to entertain your little one for hours on end. I can’t. Ms. Rachel is truly valued and the coupled with Youtube Premium gives me an hour of silence and her sitting still. I can do dishes, get work done, and even eat. She doesn’t move. I am a bit concerned she’s being hypnotized somehow but hey I swore my allegiance to Costco so who am I to talk.
Worth the investment until Ms Rachel creates her own platform.
Eufy Baby Monitor
We used several baby monitors before the Eufy we have. Owlet was the first two and we felt like suckers… well me. I made that decision, smh. It the time it didn’t work with 5g, and would always disconnect from the wifi. So when we needed it most in the wee-hours of the night/morning it wouldn’t show. Even worse was we had to login every time we opened the app. Initially I thought it was the camera, so I got a different Owlet. Same issue.
The Eufy is a bluetooth camera/monitor. So it remains connected throughout the house with no login necessary and no risk to someone hacking the camera. So as I write this, the monitor is to my left and it has a clear image of Evy. The camera do have arrows allowing you to adjust the view in 360 degrees and has a microphone. You can also set the sleep settings for the monitor so if you want it to close are 1 minute or remain on while you work, it’s an option. The battery does die pretty quickly if you leave the monitor on though. But Eufy Bluetooth is worth every penny.
Now remember, I’m just a dad. From my perspective these toys are USELESS! With those 5 items, your phone, and tupperware… your kid will be having a blast.
Our Little Secret:
Yesterday morning I left to go to work and she was screaming through the door upset, I left. That hurts.