Kids in the Apple store

Love them, hate them, ignore them - you can say whatever you want about Apple stores but there is one thing they do better than most other stores (across the board) is provide some entertainment for kids while the grown ups are shopping. Case in point:

Every Apple store has a dedicated table for young children. The table is at the perfect height with small chairs or cushions to suit. On the table there are usually iPads with age-appropriate apps. Nice thought and makes a big difference for parents shopping with children in tow.

-Stef

DIY with dad - getting ready for Easter

Here's a great activity for dads and kids when you are preparing for Easter. Many families end up decorating Easter Eggs but to do that you need eggs you can decorate. So you can take the boring route and just buy some eggs in a craft shop. OR you make this task into an adventurous (and perhaps slightly messy ... but in a good kind of way) activity with the kids. Here's a step by step guide for blowing out eggs:

Preparation

1. Get some fresh Chicken or Goose eggs with white egg shells (shouldn't be hard around Easter)
   
2. Find a space that's either easy to clean (e.g. wooden floor / tiled floor) or put some plastic cover / old table cloth / newspaper on the floor. This is just to avoid any stains on carpets etc in case you break an egg or some of the liquid spills on the floor.
   
3. Grab a food bowl to hold the egg white and egg yolk (which you can use later on for cooking or baking)
   
4. Find some 2-inch nails, drawing pins or a high speed drilling tool and have paper towels within reach (just in case).

Blowing out the egg (you can also watch the video below if you're a visual kinda guy)

April Fools Day: practical jokes to play on your kids

OK it's time to get ready for April Fools Day so we thought let's put together a useful list of pranks you can play on your kids and partner.

Babies and Toddlers: well given that the irony of April Fools Day may be a bit lost on babies and toddlers you can just have a good old laugh with them. E.g. paint your face, user finger puppets or put a nappy on your head (a fresh one!!!)
Preschoolers: Find a piece of old / scrap cloth. Place your victim’s favourite toy or other item of interest on the floor and stay nearby. When the victim comes along and bends down to pick up the toy, rip the cloth ... yell out that your little one as just ripped their trousers.
Primary school children: Add a few drops of food coloring into a milk carton for a nice surprise at breakfast! If you have sleepy kids you can also get up a bit earlier and draw something on their face while they are still asleep.

10 remedies for teething pain

Here's a list of things you can do to help your baby with getting through teething:

• Get a teething toy (an old wooden cooking spoon can do the trick as well ... they just need something to bite/chew/gnaw on)
  
• get a teething ring (similar to teething toy but a ring and you can get some fancy ones with liquid inside that you can put in the fridge)
  
• get an amber necklace
  
• get a mesh teething feeder (use with chilled apples or pears)
  
• get some Camilia (Chamomile) teething relief [link to Amazon product page]
  
• give them your finger to chew on (yes ... it is a bit painful at times but most babies love chewing on their parents' fingers ... comfort and relief!)

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Baba Slings - Mum versus Dad Face Off

Welcome to DIYFather Face Off reviews, featuring Andrea and Eric parents of Ava.

Andrea and Eric will review products and give their own views on the products.

This is a review of Baba Slings

Baba Slings allow for 7 different comfortable positions to cater for your baby's changing moods and needs throughout the day. Carry from Birth up to 4 years. With discreet hands free Breast feeding on the go, have the life you want and still be the best Mum that you know how. Great for Jet setters & public transport.
Baba Slings are easy wearing with a specially imported Buckle and comfortable padding, + a safety strap & buckle. Fully adjustable for Mum and Dad, with a double strapping system. By putting no stress on baby's developing hips & spine you can have peace of mind.

www.babaslings.com

From Andrea (Mum)
I wasn’t sure about the Baba Sling when Eric first brought it home, for starters I thought that our little (or not so little) 10kg toddler had well and truly outgrown a sling and as it wasn’t something I regarded as a priority purchase when we had Ava I didn’t really see what there was to rave about.

After reading the pamphlet on the Baba Sling and looking at the instructions for wearing it, I thought you needed a degree to put the thing on correctly and was amazed to discover that it could be used up to 2 years +.

My first atte

DIYFather.com publishes first book "Call Me Dad!"

Yes, yes yes ... the rumours are true ... we wrote a book last year and it got published last week. This week it is available at most high street stores in New Zealand and it will hit the shelves in the UK next month. Major online book retailers have also started selling it ... so "the word" is out! Have a look at our dedicated page for "Call Me Dad!" to find out more and check out the official media release.

Meanwhile we had a bit of a reflection on the writing process ... like the high lights and low lights (and everything in-between) of writing a book in this podcast. Despite the struggles and difficulties of pulling it all off in time and to everyone's liking, a sense of achievement remains and everyone at DIYFather.com is really excited about getting the book out. So a big THANK YOU to all the contributors and everyone who helped with the book! A special thanks of course goes to our children, partners and families for being there for us (and sticking with us) throughout the whole process

Thanks everyone reading this for spreading "the word" ... and if you live in Wellington, come along to our LAUNCH PARTY for drinks and nibbles on February 18th, 6pm at Dymocks on Lampton Quay.

Scott, Eric and Stefan

The DIYFather Book Call Me Dad! Media Release

Call me Dad! A Manual for new fathers
By Stefan Korn, Scott Lancaster, Eric Mooij

There are thousands of parenting books out there, but when three Wellington guys became dads, they quickly realized there was nothing that spoke directly to them as men. They wanted something easy to read, instructional without being overly academic and providing a male perspective on all the stuff first-time dads need to know. Call Me Dad! is written for a new generation of men, to address this lack. Fathers are now much more deeply involved. More and more dads are no longer content with traditional, stereotyped roles and are questioning their contribution to the upbringing of their children.

2008 Weblog Awards

We got nominated for the
2008 Weblog Awards (thanks Jodi!) for best parenting blog. So we thought we might as well give it a good push (as in push the "vote" button).

If you think diyfather.com is a good site and have 5 seconds to spare, please click on either of the following links:

Direct link to the diyfather nomination

Link to the best parenting blog page

and vote for us.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Scott, Eric and Stefan

Motor skills

As parents we get to hear lots about developing motor skills (usually fine or gross) ... and then there are motor skills of a different kind!

There comes a time in every father’s life when they realise their little girl is growing up. She is nearly as tall as you are, can develop strong arguments and the mother-daughter thing can get explosive – particularly at certain times of the month.

She isn’t quite 15 yet but one day asks the question. "Dad, could you maybe take me to a car park and show me how to drive?" When I was young my father let me move the car up and down our driveway well before I was 15. I remember him whacking me for swerving for a dog that ran out when we went on our first on-road outing. Luckily my school had a drivers’ education program so the stress of learning went down for him and me. My experiences led me to believe that learning basic vehicle handling before facing traffic is a good thing.