DIYFather is about to launch a new innovative product for dads - "DadTxT". It's a txting service for dads-to-be and new dads who will receive a Text Message throughout pregnancy and for the first year.

DadTxt will be officially launched on Father's Day 2010 but please contact us if you'd like to know more.

-DIYFather

Congratulations to Mikaela Bowmar who won a copy of "Being A Great Dad for Dummies" in a competition Plunket ran for us this week. Her response to the funniest lines new dads came up with got chosen as the winner by Plunket's Facebook fans.

Mikeala's story: "I got two lines on a pregnancy test and my husband said, 'Oh wow, we're having twins!'. The baby turned out to be nearly 10lbs at birth so we had a running joke for a while that he ate his twin."

If you want to get your own copy of Being a Great Dad for Dummies and support Plunket, head over to the new Plunket shop and buy the book online.

Best wishes,

Stefan

DIYFather's second book "Being a Great Dad for Dummies" has been officially launched and is now available at high street retailers and online bookstores. Following the success of "Call Me Dad" (DIYFather's bestselling first book) "Being a Great Dad for Dummies" delivers a comprehensive no bull guide for the next generation of dads with practical information and tips from pregnancy to school-age. Here's the release description from our publishers Wiley & Sons:

Be the coolest and calmest Dad on the block!
Whether you're about to become a Dad for the first time or you're a father wishing to become more actively involved in raising your children, Being a Great Dad For Dummies is your new bible! Packed with loads of resources and tips for engaging with your child right from birth, this user-friendly guide to fatherhood is written by fathers for fathers.

Have you ever noticed that most parents seem to hope their children will be gifted, talented, bright sparks? They mistake unexpected spikes in performance with genius as if having a savant in the family will bring reflected glory. It’s one thing to be proud of your kids, but quite another to expect, desire, NO, need to achieve things through your kids. In any case, it seems to me that those with exceptional ability at one thing always lack profoundly in other ways. What parents should really wish for is children who are reasonably good at many things: i.e. balanced, well adjusted, all-rounders.

Yes, yes, yes ... the rumours are true - we have written another book to add to our portfolio of best selling books (see Call Me Dad outsells Twilight). This time we've teamed up with the folks at Wiley's who publish the "For Dummies" book series. "For Dummies" books are much loved for their simple, straight forward and no bull* style. Many dads-to-be will already have lots of these books in their bookshelf, so it made sense to produce one that is about fatherhood. The book has been written in co-operation with Plunket and is packed with practical parenting information from a dad's perspective.

The book is not officially published yet so we can't talk about it too much but soon you will be able to buy it online and at all your favourite bookstores.

Here's the latest treat from dad and comedian Ryk Goddard (who brought us "Sneaking Off To My Shed") - his take on what NOT to say when your partner is breastfeeding. Another milestone in dad humour - laugh or weep ... it's a must read.

1. That bra’s got more strapping than a 35 gyear old prop’s knee!
Don't remind her that underwear which used to make her breasts look and feel like luxury confectionary now resembles a suspension bridge. Don't mention rugby. Or sport. Go do some hoovering.

2. Come on Daisy, I've sterilised the pump ... its milking time
Bovine reference? Bad mooooove. She may laugh. But only because her brain's working so slow she hears the sound of a joke without actually processing the words.

3. Oh god is that cheese under your boobs!! I don’t think a wine exists that would go well with that. Oh maybe that new Pinot actually ...

We just received a media release about a new site that allows people to announce deaths, births and marriages. In most countries this is done as a (public) register and generally looked after by a government department. Problem is - the information is often difficult to access and not very "user friendly". So someone had the bright idea to create a separate website to publish this information - www.bdmnz.co.nz. The site is pretty empty at the moment but I thought it was an interesting idea. There may be more sites likes these around the planet ... will be interestg to see if the idea takes off. Perhaps give the site a go when you want to tell the world about the birth of your next baby.

Enjoy

-Stefan