MSE New Dads Club

Be prepared in terms of nappy changing get everything ready and as soon as you remove the offending article and clean the mess and replace the nappy asap there's often seconds.

Keep you nails short and always take a change of clothing whenever you go anywhere.

Sleep is a luxury make the most of those moments when she/he's asleep by sleeping not getting jobs done.

Stuff keeping the house tidy! You won’t have time. Any time you do have SLEEP! Anyone who comes round and tuts, ask them to help!

Oh ear plugs can be handy these babies put out the equivalent of a pneumatic drill. Sometimes you’ll try everything to stop them crying, feed them, change their nappies, add clothes/blankets take off clothes/blankets, hold them, put them down… I did find carrying the mosses basket around the garden helped, as did the extractor fan in the kitchen oddly enough. Jaydene for the first 6 months would virtually always sleep when in the car.

Oh finally they grow, if you have a load of new born clothes take 1/2 of them back and replace them with 0-3. They'll live in baby grows and vests for the first month. Accept anyone's offer for clothes from their childrens hand-me-downs. They're hardly in them long enough to wear them out.

Tip for baths.

They say don't bath for the first 3 days (just cold water on cotton wool top and bottom) but then bath her/him every night.

Babies won’t drown because you will have both hands on her/him and keeping her/his head under water. If you're worried still bath her/him with your partner.

Invest in a plastic temperature triangle until you get used to what temperature it should be, it warns when it's too hot. You can get bath thermometers too but over time you will be able to tell.

Just water, no baby bath, no baby shampoo, at least for the first month or two. No matter how mild they are they can make the skin be irritated, and gave Jaydene cradle cap.

I recommend to get a blow up bath (from Baby's r us) they take up less space and less harsh, and you can take them abroad.)

Get two towels (they sell baby ones with hoods but it doesn't matter just nice new fluffy ones.) one to lay on and wrap her/him up afterwards then the 2nd one to move him onto.

For Winter babies, put the clothes you're going to change them into on a radiator beforehand, they don't like the cold and nice warm clothes soothe them.

Another tip you wont need to spend hours drying every inch of skin and crack you'll end up her/him !!!!ing all over you. Drying should take no more than a few minutes.

Use olive oil as a nice treat to massage after you've dried her/him.

I’m sure all babies love baths if you introduce them to it early Jaydene likes splashing too because that's what I did from the start. And make it a regular thing. Babies do like routine.

Now she's older and can keep her neck upright there are baby floats which are is ace, she can kick her legs and get more freedom, she sits in it and the base is like plastic pants with holes for her legs. It also gives you two hands free, although is hard to put her in and out of it on your own.

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It doesn't matter if you can afford it, re-using children’s stuff is so important. Clothes they tend to wear a few times and then normally for 1/2 a day. Some of the best things we have were given to us.
The vibrating bouncy chair was excellent. We bought a chair swing for £20 and a car seat (for when she's a little older) from my cousin for £10. A momas and papas cot for £25 (worth £200), the crib was my sisters (looks antique in a good way) the mosses basket was given to us by my sister and the travel system (car seat / buggy) given to us by my cousin. It's blue and yellow but who cares these things cost like £250. My sister doesn't earn a lot has just bought a new house and she insisted on buying everything brand new (but she's always been like that).

Buy brand new mattresses (they're about £20 depending on size) and obviously bottles. I recommend the breast pump from Tommy Tippy. It comes with its own microwave steam sterilizer which is the ideal size for the bottle you want to sterilise.

If you haven't got your paint yet there is a child paint you can buy (nothing to do with fumes it basically is tough). When they're older and have crayons which go up the wall etc this paint enables you to just wipe it off. It's bash proof from toys (to an extent) too. Remember they'll probably want to change the decor when they're older, plus other than sleeping they'll tend not to be playing in their room, keep it simple, maybe wall stickers.

Top purchases you might not have thought about:

Swaddling blanket - Mimics the security of being in the womb avoids them kicking off their bedding.

After that a grow bag for the same reason as above.

Dummies - Life saver! You can weine them off them when they're 2-3 with the dummy fairy or some farms will let you give them to new born lambs.

Microwaveable steriliser

Thermos flask - Ready hot water, you can top it off with cooled water from the kettle if it's too hot.

Moulded bath insert. This sits in your normal bath or large sink and enables you to have both hands free, they're normally less than a tenner too.

Bumbo seat - Great idea for when your child cannot sit up unaided but is frustrated at being on their back.

Blackout curtain lining.

Musical projector.

If you have two young children (or plan to), a Phil and Ted 3 wheel push chair with the tandom chair. Compact and really easy to manouver.


Waste of time purchases include nappy disposer... you'll want them out of the house asap not festering in a box, nappy sacks from home bargains straight into the dust bin. Wind up mobiles, they don't play for long enough and once they can sit up they become a hazard.


Join all the Parenting clubs, bounty, tesco so you can get money off vouchers, they are worth it esp for nappies.




Finally...It is the hardest job in the world but very rewarding.

Yup just waiting for people to use it. I thought with the parenting posts and "I'm 3 months pregnant" posts it would be popular...
Thanks for the kudos.

halight wrote: »

Hi all,
Im a dad to twin girls aged 20 months.
Im willing to join in here and answer any Qs that new/to be dads have.

We thought twins would be a good idea, get the difficult times done and out of the way... after having had 2 (close together) I think any parent who has twins deserves a medal!!