Prior to becoming a dad, I worried about the effect this new role would have on my relationships – the one with my wife and also with my friends.It didn’t take too long to learn that worrying is as much a part of new parenthood as sleepless nights, dirty diapers and repeatedly singing dull lullabies to soothe the crying baby. Some of these worries are just the result of our own “mental mushrooming” – it’s easy to blow things out of proportion since everything is so new.Then again, some fears are completely valid. Among them are the changes to one’s social life. As scary as it seemed in … [Read more...]
Babies / pregnancy
These articles are all about babies, pregnancy and baby/pregnancy related issues.
‘Happiest Baby’ Pediatrician Wants to Help Dads Calm Baby
Like nails on a chalkboard, the sound of a crying baby is one of the most irksome known to humans.Lucky for you, the latest Modern Dads Podcast features the author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, Dr. Harvey Karp, who joins us to talk about his approach to calming crying babies and the crucial role dads play. We also discuss his groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper crib that took him five years to create with MIT-trained engineers and designer Yves Behar.Karp, a pediatrician who practices in Los Angeles, is on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Medicine and a … [Read more...]
A Dad’s Place is in the Delivery Room
"Dads in the delivery room" has arisen as a topic several times lately and, to my surprising, it has often been by people saying they are against it.Instead, they want a return to keeping dads out.Some dads I know have written about witnessing the birth of their child having dampened the spark of marital intimacy with their wife. One “expert” claims a man’s presence causes the mother more stress, prolonging labor and increasing the need for more medications or C-sections. Another even suggests that if a man is there he can’t really do anything and ends up feeling like a failure of a … [Read more...]
I Don’t Regret Giving My Baby a Weird Name
I’m one of those parents who gave his kid a weird name.I know. It’s kind of weird. The wife and I weren’t sure about it either. In fact, there are days where I’m still not sure we made the right decision.Our first two kids have regular names. Sure, they’re kind of hipster-cool/over-popular, but we like the names we gave them just the same. She’s Harper: Her name was inspired by author Harper Lee and musician Ben Harper. He’s Wyatt; we gave him a laid-back name that could fit easily on the nameplate of a future judge’s office or on a blue-collar work shirt. And the Weird Name is … [Read more...]
Raising Children to be Bilingual in Baby (Sign) Steps
Like all first time expecting parents, I knew everything. Not as much as people who don’t have kids, they’re the true experts. But one thing I knew for sure was that my children would be bilingual.My wife and I are both sign language interpreters. Her parents are deaf. On top of that, we both have backgrounds in education and linguistics. We understood language acquisition. Our kids were going to learn American Sign Language (ASL). It was a no brainer.“Oh! You should look into baby signs!” people would say to us when they found out our backgrounds.This would be the cue for my wife … [Read more...]