I see some babies get the main page yet others are relegated to fanposts. This is why there will always be wars. Just kidding all the best to BOTH babies

JD, as the dad of two teenage daughters, I can tell you that the best advice I got about raising kids was this: pick your battles. Decide what’s important-REALLY important-at any given stage of CJ’s life, and let the other stuff slide. You’ll kill yourself worrying about everything, so don’t. Congrats again, and good luck.

congrats JD!

to both JD and OD!

Mine are 5 and 7 now, and I still go in and poke them to check their breathing. My guess is you keep doing it until they leave the house. I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how much of my life I’ve spent thinking about myself. Having children sometimes makes you finally realize that there are other people out there too. But… a lifetime of a certain behavior is hard to change overnight, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

And remember, though those parenting How-To books are a great comfort, it will become painfully clear that no baby has ever actually read one of those things.

Parenting Advice

I’m no parent, but I’d advise against trapping your baby under a laundry basket with a brick on top of it.

Wow. Congrats, he’s beautiful and already with good fashion sense. The best advice I can give you at this stage is to try and get him on a schedule as quickly as you can. Nothing too overly rigid as adaptability is key, but regularity with feedings and naps is gonna be your sanity saver. The baby should respond relatively quickly and you’ll notice how much easier things become when you ad he know what time is for what action. How’s he sleeping? Are you swaddling? I’m here for you since posting and dealing with babies is all I do. Good luck and e-mail if you need anything at all.

naps are the most important thing. You must teach them early to appreciate the art of napping. Oh wait that is me now.

I would advise any new parents to get The Happiest Baby on the Block. (You don’t have to read the whole thing but read enough of it to learn “The Five S’s” and you may save yourself from some sleepless nights.) I am alomst cynical and skeptical of any self-help and/or how-to books but I must say that this one is worth the embarrassment of carrying around something that Dr. Phil endorses.

[Full disclosure: I think that my wife and I have had what the grandmotherly types describe as “easy” babies (ate well, slept well, no ear infections and whatnot) so if I say “Try this. This should work” I completely understand if someone else is thinking “That hardly ever works.”]

The first two or three months can be frustrating if you don’t accept that your baby is growing and changing very quickly so whatever techniques and strategies might have worked yesterday night not work as well (or at all) by tomorrow. That said, I think that infants/babies/children respond best to routines so if you do find something that works, try to build on it and make it as enjoyable as possible and keep doing it.

And while you’ve got pleasant Spring and early Summer weather, get that boy outside as much as possible! That’s no China Doll ya got there.. that’s a ballplayer!

I would give you parenting advice but I am basically a man-child at this point, and with the help of Durex I hopefully won’t be a parent anytime soon.

1. If at all possible, meet with the breeder before purchasing
2. Select one with healthy plumage
3. Make sure that the bar sizing on the cage is just right
4. Make sure doors and windows are closed when they are out of their cage

... oh wait… you said parenting advice… my bad

(I guess this would have been funnier if I had led with this post

Do you want to be murdered in your bath?

Just remember to get yellow crib sheets and yellow towels. That way, if they get poop stains on them and the stains don’t come out, you won’t be able to tell as readily.

Just kidding. Seriously, though, I actually find that Method baby detergent works very well at getting poop and food stains out of baby stuff. You can get it at drugstore.com.

I’ve heard also that Brendan’s Mom has some advice on baby gear.

(Actually, the Mighty-Tite is a very nice thing to have to make sure the seatbelts securing your carseat are tighter than you could get them without tools. My wife and I use it all the time for cab rides.)

Also, if you’re interested, I have developed a technique to avoid getting “baptized” by my “little squirt.”

Judging from the this good looking kid, his mom must be darn attractive!
4 kids and 3 grandkids later – my advice is make it fun, don’t be afraid to take the kid anywhere at anytime and when the little guy is really driving you nuts (like when you’re out a restaurant and he won’t stop screaming) do what Mrs. M. and I did: Bundle him up and stick him in the trunk of the car.
Seriously – there is no more beautiful child than your first… unless its the 2nd or possibly – 3rd maybe the 4th….

This thread is making me remember that you people (I don’t know you) actually exist outside of game threads. This is startling.

Carter, when your parents are busy watching David Mesoraco’s at bat your Uncle Menace will be happy to sneak you a nine dollar beer. You know, in seven or eight years…