Evan

I’ve been a dad for 8 years now, and as of this writing, I have two girls — 2 and 8.

In that time, I have learned a lot. And it seems that, somehow, I have more and more to learn each and every day. New mistakes to make! New ways to screw up!

As a first time dad, I knew next to nothing. The amount of responsibility in front of me was totally overwhelming.

It would be impossible for me to write an entire manual of everything you need to know as a first time dad.

But here are just a few simple first time father tips I picked up that I wish I knew from the very beginning.

Let’s get right into my list!

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It’s no secret that daycare cost a fortune these days.

So for all that tuition you might be wondering…

… do daycares help with potty training? Does your child need to be potty-trained before starting daycare and when will daycare start potty training your toddler?

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Dads often don’t have the best representation in literature.

In a lot of novels, the father character is some combination of:

• Toxic
• Absent
• or dead!

So if you’re looking for the best books about dads, you might be having some trouble finding good options.

Without any further ado, here are my favorite novels about dads and fatherhood — many of which (but not all) are actually positive and uplifting!

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If this is your first baby, there’s no getting around it.

You’re gonna need a lot of stuff!

The list of things you need for a newborn is long and expensive, which is why registries for baby showers are so helpful.

But beware! A lot of the products put out by Big Baby are really just a Big Waste of Money. You won’t need a lot of fancy gadets and gizmos to survive baby’s first year, I promise.

Here are 9 baby registry products you almost certainly don’t need — and a few that you actually do.

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When you become a new parent, it’s inevitable that you’ll be bombarded with advice from nearly everyone in your life.

Much of it is well-meaning. People are just trying to help!

But whether the advice and tips are outdated or just plain wrong, you should probably ignore most of what you hear.

Here is some of the absolute worst parenting advice new parents hear all the time, and why you should definitely ignore it.

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Men don’t get a lot of compliments.

It’s true! Many men report almost never getting unsolicited compliments, not to even mention how touch-starved and affection-starved most men in the U.S. are.

Though many of them would never say it out loud, the dads in your life would absolutely love a good, genuine compliment every now and then. It does wonders for anyone’s self esteem, especially when they’re not used to getting them.

So if you’re looking for some ideas, here are some fantastic compliments for dads that any dad would absolutely love to receive.

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Bluey is such a fantastic TV show.

It’s one of the best kids shows on TV and there’s plenty there for adults to enjoy. I genuinely love watching it with my daughter and, to be honest, I’d probably watch it without her!

Bandit Heeler is also an all-time best TV dad, though he sets the bar pretty high for the rest of us.

If you’re feeling inspired by Bandit and how silly and fun he is with the kids, you’re in luck.

You can play a lot of the Bluey games at home right now, and here’s how!

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Daycare is an absolute must for working parents. But with so many children in one place, it’s easy for illnesses to spread quickly.

That’s why daycare centers have strict sick child policies in place to protect the health of all children in their care.

I know, I know. It’s a massive bummer when you child wakes up with crusty eyes or a fever, and you’ve got a busy day ahead of work, errands, or other responsibilities.

So let’s get right into the heart of the matter here:

Do you have to pay for daycare if your child is sick? And can you send your child to daycare if he or she is sick?

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When you’re planning your baby’s nursery, two of the things that you’ll want to consider are the temperature of the room and the airflow.

If you live somewhere where the climate can be hot and humid in the summer, then putting a ceiling fan in the nursery can be an efficient way to cool the room.

A ceiling fan is a permanent fixture, you may need to call in a professional to install it and it could be very expensive.

So before you bite the bullet, let’s chat: Should you put a ceiling fan in the nursery?

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Putting together a new nursery before baby arrives?

There are lots of decisions to make from:

• Color scheme
• Theme
• Layout
• Furniture
• And, of course, the crib!

If your nursery is small, you have twins, or you’re putting the crib in your older child’s room, you might consider a mini crib to save a little space.

What is the difference (in size and features) between a regular crib vs a mini crib?

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