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

Wellington Buggy Walk

If you're looking for something to do this Thursday check out the Wellington Buggy Walk. It kicks off at 10am in the Botanic Gardens - it's a great event (assuming the weather will be fine), it's free and you can nab some cool spot prizes ... so go along! Although the poster features a mum (ahem!) it's an event for all parents of course and it would be particularly cool to have a good contingent of Dads and SAHDs. Go the dads!

Official Info from the Media Release:

Safety dads - corner bumpers

There was a story in the news recently about a 2-year old boy who fell of the sofa, hit his head on the corner of a low dining table and needed 13 stitches. Not great - another reminder for all parents to baby-proof your house before it's too late. So I saw these in IKEA the other day and just had to post a photo - what a simple design to protect corners ... and they look kind of cool. You gotta love the Swedes ... they gave us ABBA, the Swedish Chef, Swedish Tanks (Volvos) and now the IKEA corner bumper! YAY! You can get them in lots of colours for around $5. Nice. Whatever type of corner bumpers you end up getting ... it doesn't matter, just get some. They are a very good investment in the safety of your house when the little ones are about.

And NO, I haven't been asked to write about this by IKEA ... I just like their stuff.

-Stef

iPhone dads - spelling app

Here's another useful app for all iPhone dads - "Bubble Alpha". This app helps preschoolers and school children with improving their spelling. The app, available for $0.99 from the iStore comes with a standard spelling package for pre-schoolers and additional themed packages (animals, food, etc) can be added on. This is a great idea to get kids to improve their skills in a "non-boring" format. The downside - the cost ... it's quite expensive for the number of words that are stored in the system. But hey - who wants to put a price tag on avoiding embarrassing spelling mistakes when your kids send their tweets to millions of followers :-)

Enjoy

-Stef

asdasd

asdasd

Jazz for kids

If you or your kids are into music - check out the "Coal Train Railroad" project. Coal Train was created by Nashville musicians Katy Bowser and Chris Donohue (Emmylou Harris, Collective Soul) to celebrate jazz and kids (great combination isn't it?). Have a listen to the following track "My bellybutton stays the same" ... even better play it to your kids, see what they think?

Coal Train - My Bellybutton Stays the Same

If this is your kind of thing - check out coaltrainrailroad.com for more.

Enjoy,

Stef

Candles and children

Lighting a candle at home to celebrate a birthday, get in the mood for Christmas or even to save a bit on your next power bill is a nice thing to do. Children are often drawn to the magic of the flame and enjoy the sense that something special is happening. Apart from the usual hazards of an open flame near children there have been reports over the last few years that candles literally create a special atmosphere at home - a toxic one.

Some compare the fumes created by burning paraffin candles to those of second hand smoking. Just how dangerous candle smoke is to humans remains unclear, but many common types of candles release toxins such as benzene and toluene when they are lit. It is believed that the soot from paraffin candles can also cause respiratory problems or could negatively affect people who already have asthma, lung, or heart problems.

Tummy Tub - 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 Tummy Tub

TummyTub® was designed in the Netherlands by child carers to ease the transition from the comfort of the mother’s womb.
Babies naturally adopt the foetal position and it is amazing to see how quickly they calm and relax.

Features and Benefits:
- Bathing in the familiar foetal position – helps babies feel reassured and relaxed
- Stress free bathing for both baby and parent – excellent for colicky babies
- Anti-skid base and low centre of gravity for safety and stability
- Compact size – takes less space and less use of water
- Especially useful for premature babies
- Ergonomic hand grips and extremely lightweight
- Made of environmentally friendly materials
- Less surface area of water – temperature stays warmer for longer time
- Has European TÜV safety certificate/assessed by BSI
Why not a normal bucket?
- Normal buckets don’t have an anti-skid bottom.
- The bottom is not curved and therefore does not give the baby any support.
- Babies discover their new world by touching with their hands and tasting with their mouth. The pigments in plastic buckets will most likely contain toxic elements, as normal buckets aren’t meant for bathing babies.
- The handle of the bucket can easily hurt the fingers of the baby. It also does brings an extra risk, as an older brother or sister could – by holding it – pull the bucket from the table.
- You can view on your baby from all sides, because of transparent material of original TummyTub®
- Normal buckets are too low and narrow. The water level is therefore also too low and the children can’t stay warm. Apart from that mother and child are hindered in their movements. However simply using a bigger bucket doesn’t give the child the support and a comfortable sitting position.
- A normal bucket would never have the TÜV and BSI approval for baby bathing.
- See Submitted by admin on Fri, 28/08/2009 - 9:45pm

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