Moms and dads pre-birth worries compared

Many resources for new parents treat moms and dads in the same way - they speak of a generic "parent" which is essentially dealing with the same challenges of adjusting to a new life style once the baby is hear. Reality is very different of course - depending on the particular family arrangement the pre and post birth world is experienced very differently for moms and dads. Here's a list of key concerns and worries as reported back by moms and dads we work with:

And post birth:

Bully proof

What can you do to make sure your child doesn't get bullied at school? Find out about "bully proof courses" in your area! Bullying is a major issue for all school children and parents these days and it seems schools or government initiatives are relatively ineffective in dealing with this problem. So it's back to us parents to sort it out - fine. I've recently come across so called "bully proof" courses which a number of martial arts disciplines offer. The courses are based on standard entry level martial arts classes but offer a few elements of how to deal with being bullied specifically.

After attending a number of karate classes I think enrolling your child in a martial arts course will address various aspects at play when it comes to bullying at school.

10 Things I wish my parents had taught me ... better

Enough time has passed in my life where I can look back and (mostly) understand the things my parents taught me, or at least tried to teach me, or maybe forgot to teach me as I was growing up. I wish now that I had paid attention and listened to the importance of knowing these things and how they will ultimately shape the person that I have become, or have yet to become. I plan and hope that I will be able to teach these things to my son, so he truly understands the importance of each lesson as he begins his life. Here's my list:

Scotts Weekly Review - Safe and Sound Car Seat

This weeks product review is on Safe & Sound Car Seat, Pyper has just about grown out of her capsule, I'm a bit sad about that as it meant we had to buy another car seat ... so more money down the drain. But once again it's all about safety so there's no excuse really.

We got the Safe&Sound Car Seat as a gift and initially I thought "it's a good looking car seat". Here's what I found:



Pros

• Certified up to a weight of 18kgs
  
• Sturdy with lots of cushions and padding
  
• Pretty dirt resistant from what I can tell

Cons

• Needs hooks in the car to lock the seat in place
  
• Only reclines in the back facing position
  
• Quite expensive
  
• It has a 3 point (6 straps) harness - quite complicated to put on and secure

How to save space in your kids' bedroom

The central piece of the bedroom is generally a large bed which occupies most of the space; in order to win free space, you can search for a bed appropriate for your room size at bedstar. Another reason for having not enough space in your bedroom is due to the fact that we are used to having lots of toys in the room as well.

So one of the easiest things you can do is to buy a size appropriate bed. E.g. consider the following:

• Sofa bed – it can be folded during the day to occupy less space
  
• Storage Bed – the storage spaces can be used for keeping all the toys in the storage compartment under the bed
  
• Murphy bed – can be lifted during the day to give you floor access

DIY with dad: top 5 easter egg designs

Here's some inspiration for Easter craft projects with the kids - depending on what you're into and what resources you've got at home you can pick a project from the following:

The ultimate Easter Gadget I guess ... the "Egg-Bot Kit" by Evil Mad Scientists - prints illustrations and patterns on eggs (other other spherical objects). Getting one of those will set you back $195 ... but hey what price tag can you put on being the coolest parent on the block.

Here's an awesome tutorial on how to create marble eggs ...

Make your own LEGO egg - get some felt floor scratch protection pads (usually used on chairs / tables to protect wooden floors) and stick on your egg. Afterwards paint over in typical LEGO colors (yellow, red, blue, etc).

What to do when your child has headlice

It seems inevitable that at some point in your life as a parent you have to deal with headlice (one way or another). Most likely someone at preschool, kindergarten or school has them and you get a letter to say "check your child". Or perhaps you discovered your little one scratching their head a lot or noticed some strange skin irritation around the neck or behind the ears. Either way - it helps to familiarize yourself with this pest.

Headlice are tiny insects that crawl from head to head and may be passed on through shared objects such as hairbrushes, towels and hats.

Detecting headlice - what to look for:

• Check your child's head and look for small light or dark brown insects without wings (check the entire head but especially the back of the head and at the sides and around the ears).
  
• Also look for tiny whitish eggs (nits) like grains of salt attached to hair shafts.

Ten things to do on Mothers Day

What can you do on Mother's Day to make it special for your partner (and your children)? Here's a list of treats for partners/mums and activities with babies/kids.

What you can do for your partner on Mother’s Day:

1. Let her sleep in (which typically means taking care of the baby and kids in the morning)
   
2. Give her a nice backrub / foot massage
   
3. Run a bath for her and put some nice aromatherapy oils/soap in it
   
4. Cook or bake something for your partner that you know she really likes
   
5. Make her a card with photos / drawings from your kids

And don’t forget your own mum – send her a card or give her a call to say thank you for bringing you into this world and looking after you all these years.

Best Apps Review

Our DIYFather app is making appearances in App Reviews around the world - great to see dressify delivering results for dads around the world. Here's the story on Nine MSN's Today show:

If you haven't downloaded dressify yet - check it out ... it's free.

DIYFather.com

Does my child look good in this?

Emma Brannam at TV3 News discovered our Dressify App and did a nice segment on the news this morning! Dressify delivered an instant fashion result on screen and provides definitive answers to the ultimate question of whether you child looks good in the outfit they are wearing!

Download Dressify here - it's free.

DIYFather.com