Fatherly Tips

How to Turn a Bossy Toddler into an Assertive Playmate - "-Encourage the toddler’s fighting spirit without encouraging obnoxious behaviors likely to do social damage down the line. -Normalize sharing. Structured scenarios can help kids grow comfortable with sharing and help them see there’s no need to be paranoid. -Supervised play in a safe place with a sibling, cousin or familiar friend gives a toddler opportunities to stretch those sharing muscles.

Birthdays for two-year-olds are, frankly, a scam perpetrated by two-year-old birthday party places and Pinterest boards of 2nd birthday ideas

How to Keep a Baby From Getting Sick Around Other People - Make sure that visitors understand that an infant has a fragile immune system. Ask any potential visitors if they’ve been around any sick people recently. -Make sure people wash their hands or slather on some hand sanitizer right in the door. -Limit baby kissing to only the closest relatives and keep them limited.

“Stranger Danger” prepares kids for exaggerated threats, but consent can help them in any situation.

How to Know if Your Kid is Faking Illness or Injury - "-Look for signs that it’s real: fever, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. -Observe a child over time, particularly when the child doesn’t know they’re being observed. Do they look sick? Do they act sick? -While the kid is lying in bed, press around on their stomach, see if any area hurts them. Ask them to jump up and down. Ask them if they want their favorite food for breakfast.

How to Be a Funny Dad Without Teasing - Avoid sarcasm that uses abstract concepts. -When a parent teases a child with a sarcastic comment, he or she is asking the child to not only understand the world, but understand other peoples’ perspectives, and alternative realities. -Avoid leaning on adult humor, that diminishes parental power. That power comes from being a trustworthy, respectable person that a child can rely on. -Children don’t actually care if their dad is funny.

It comes down to the right kind of compliments and a good dose of honesty.

How to Talk to Kids Scared by Bad Weather - Turn off the news. Keep the footage turned off until kids are sound asleep. Or, at least keep it relegated to discreet phone checks when kids are around. -Let them know there are safety contingencies that will help keep them safe, like emergency kits and plans on where to seek shelter in the home. -Offer firm reassurance that they will keep them safe no matter what -Stay away from frightening words when describing weather events.

The idea of letting a baby “cry it out” can be tormenting, but not for the baby. Parents need to establish healthy sleep habits for their infant.

How to Tell if Your Toddler is Smart - Look for the early development of language skills. Children are expected to have a few words by 15 months old, for instance, but if they are stringing together two-word sentences they are likely ahead of the curve. -Observe gross motor skills, like walking up and down steps. Can they alternate feet when they walk up and down steps? - And then tell them a dad joke, such as: Why do seagulls live by the sea? Because if they lived by the bay, they'd be bagels.

How to Discipline a Friend’s Kid Without Losing a Friend - Bring up the possibility of discipline and try to articulate that specific rules are not flexible. This doesn’t have to be a confrontation. It can be totally matter-of-fact. -Agree that kids follow the rules of whatever house they’re in. -Explain and enforce the rules but avoid actually disciplining other people’s kids. -Let their parents discipline them. Discipline is more of a family issue anyway.

Most importantly: don't forget that being a teen is a phase.

When to Stop Cursing in Front of an Infant - "-Many kids typically develop their first words at a year of age and start combining words at 18 months or earlier -If you don’t want kids to use cuss words, stop cussing before they are even a year of age Don't repeat swear words often, because a child will figure out the associated emotion -If a child has learned a swear and has started repeating it, the best course of action is to merely ignore it.

The goal for parents shouldn’t just be creating spaces for free thinking, but defining those spaces. Give the kids the heavens, sure, but tether them to Earth.

How to Put a Baby to Sleep - It’s critical that parents start with calm and self-confidence -Swaddle then hold the infant on their side or with their stomach down (count side and stomach as one S). Once in that position, they can be shushed to, swung gently, and given something to suck. -Supplement tried-and-true cradling and swaddling methods with tactical physical contact, essentially helping a restless infant sleep by emulating womb-like sensations.