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.

Check out the brave people below who submitted their Dressify photo to us - good on ya! Download Dressify (free) and try it out yourself. Great fun for the whole family.

Top 5 last minute Mother's Day presents

Mother's Day tends to sneak up on us every year ... if you're anything like us you probably haven't got a present yet or thought of what to get for your good lady. Panic not ... here's our last minute list of free presents to help you out:

NB: Some of these you can also use for your own mother ... you'll know which ones

1) Make a Mother's Day card from anything that your kids have drawn or painted on (check with your day care, pre-school or school in case you can't find anything suitable in the house). Make sure you get your kids to write their names on it or do it for them if they are too small

2) Give your partner a few hours of extra sleep - a recent survey found that one of the things most mums wanted for Mother's Day was to simply sleep in or sleep a few hours with no interruption. So take your babies, toddlers or kids away for a few hours and give your partner a nice break.

10 tips you must know to stay fit during pregnancy

Stay fit during pregnancy (yes pregnant mums, you too! :-) ).
Exercising in pregnancy is great for you and your baby, as long as you are sensible and follow some guidelines. Not only does exercising release endorphins which will make you feel great, it is also great to prepare your body for labour and birth. Many studies have shown that mothers who are fit generally have a far easier labour and delivery than mothers who are unfit. It doesn’t have to be a lot of exercise, but every little bit helps. Below are some tips for exercising while pregnant. Please note though, that for both yours and your baby’s safety, you should always consult your Lead Maternity Carer (LMC),or the medical professional overseeing your pregnancy if you are not in New Zealand, about what exercise is appropriate for you to do while pregnant.

Dealing with your daughter’s first boyfriend - The nightmare begins

Oh those dreaded teenage years. As parents you may experience anxious feelings about the coming years when your children will grow up to be young teens. Those temper storms, stubborn behavior, changes in ways of thinking and so many new and difficult situations to deal with. And above all, you know deep within there will come a day when your daughter will start going out with a boy.

As a parent, acknowledge that everyone does start dating at some point. Don’t forget your past years as a teenager and youth. Dating is both a normal and good activity.

Five Decisions Expectant Fathers Tend to Avoid

Expectant fathers have a lot of decisions to make when getting ready for the arrival of their first or new child. Many people create checklists to try and help them prepare, but it is impossible to make ready for every situation or need. There are many decisions during the pregnancy that dads really care about expressing an opinion but some are avoided at all costs.

Here are Five Decisions Expectant Fathers Tend to Avoid:

1. Choice of doctor or hospital - we're not the ones who need to feel comfortable being poked, probed and examined, so why should our opinion matter?

2. Room decor or bedding set - dads want kids to have cool rooms, but the only things we really care about when it comes to decor are how much it costs and the amount of work it will be for us to paint and set-up all of the furniture.

3. Formula or breastfed baby - as long as we can be involved in feeding the baby in some way, we don't really care where the milk comes from.

4. Natural or 'pain relieved' delivery - some dads may quietly think they have a strong position on this leading up to the big day; however, that quickly changes when they get in the delivery room with a screaming mom. In most cases, dads understand that they aren't the ones pushing the baby out, so they really don't have a say about epidurals or pain medications anyway.

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

Fathers telling their stories around difficult or traumatic birth

In order to help health care professionals proide better care to fathers who are with their partners at the time of a traumatic pregnancy and/or childbirth, Cheryl Beck (Professor at the University of Connecticut) and Sue Watson (Chairperson of TABS) are now conducting a research study on this topic. Men who have been present during a traumatic pregnancy and/or childbirth involving their partner are invited to participate in this research study. In order to participate men need to 18 years of age or older and be able to read and write English.

Just like Professor Beck's previous studies on birth trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth, this study will be conducted over the Internet. Fathers who were with their partners at the time of their traumatic pregnancy and/or childbirth will be asked to describe their experiences.

The SAHD Truth: The Man Date

If you're going to be a stay-at-home dad, one thing I have to prepare you for is the man date. Not long into your tenure as a SAHD, your wife, sister, mother, and female friends will start to set you up with other stay-at-home dads. Needless to say, you will not be comfortable with this. But the women in your life will imagine you sitting at home in your pajamas all day without anyone to talk to, and will seek to set you up with other stay-at-home dads for play-dates. The men in your life will do no such thing because one, they will agree with you that it sounds a little weird, and two, they think that sitting at home all day in your pajamas sounds great.

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