The Balanced Father

At this point let’s say we are a week out from the due date/ induction date if your partner is being induced! Having everything washed and set up is super important and to be prepared as possible. A huge tip I can give to anyone is take the time to make some meals leading up and just throw them in the freezer cause when the baby is home and you are sleep deprived and don’t have the patience to cook a hearty healthy meal this can go a long way. It definitely avoids the skipthedishes or uber eats aspect and having any takeout isn’t good for the mental health when you are already battling through no sleep, and don’t want to feel gross when you are navigating the first 2 weeks of being a new parent. If you have a good support system a lot of friends and family will bring food over but to prep a few meals doesn’t hurt either! For example I had cooked and had frozen, chicken fajitas, bbq chicken and vegetables, beef stew and egg cups. If you wanted any of the simple and healthy recipes for these just comment below ! Another helpful tip if your partner cannot or decided not to breastfeed is the best invention since sliced bread and it’s a baby breeza, it’s essential a Keurig for baby formula and instantly makes bottles to room temperature or body temperature. When it’s 3am and you are up and getting bottles of milk with one eye open and confused on what planet you are on it’s a game changer for sure. Me and my wife had been using liquid formula for the first month and heating up water then the bottle with a screaming baby isn’t ideal but this baby breeza saved our life and it’s still used now with our baby at 10 months old. Another game changer was the baby sanitizer. I didn’t know this but you need to sanitize the bottles for the first 4 months and you can find them on Amazon, it just takes a little bit of distilled water and an hour and 8 minutes of your time to sanitize and dry the bottles and lids which saves so much time instead of boiling water and doing it in that way. I can add the link of the sanitizer we have if anyone is interested in the brand. In the coming blogs I will address the hospital stays for us dads, the first couple weeks at home, the mental load of heading back to work and what kind of routine I try to follow ! Thanks for reading and remember you aren’t alone !

-S