Guys – if you are running out of ideas what to cook or buy for your pregnant partner, check out the following article submitted by Carolyn Friedman.

Most people are already very familiar with the foods that pregnant women must avoid – alcohol, excess caffeine, raw seafood, and the like – but few take pause to think about what they should consume. Experts generally recommend that pregnant women stick with the portions recommended by the USDA’s Food Pyramid guidelines, with specific boosts to certain nutrients such as iron, folic acid, fiber, Vitamin C, protein, calcium, Vitamin A, magnesium, and a few others.

The following is a practical list of foods that contain these nutrients and ought to find their way into a pregnancy diet, even if some of them must be ingested in moderation or within certain parameters: Iron Supplements, Kidney, Beans, Beef, Cereal, Dark Meat Turkey, Chicken, Salmon, Eggs, Peanuts / Peanut, Butter, Oranges, Spinach, Cheese, Yogurt, Milk, Asparagus, Great Northern Beans, Tofu, Bananas, Brown Rice, Almonds, Dried Apricots, Avocados, Whole Wheat, Lamb, Veal, Oysters, Pork, Soy Milk, Pomegranates, Tomatoes, Walnuts, Swiss Chard, Pasta, Apples, Carrots, Pears, Strawberries, Kale, Dried Cherries, Liver, Soybeans, Grapefruit, Broccoli, Oatmeal, Chickpeas, Okra, Sunflower Seeds, Lentils, Pineapple, Portobello Mushrooms.

See below for more information on each food. These are, of course, merely suggestions. The best way for a pregnant woman to figure out what dietary path is right for her always has been and always will be consultation with a healthcare professional. Doctors and nurses are far better equipped to dispense advice based on a woman’s age, possible food restrictions, and overall health, as pregnancies and those experiencing them differ from instance to instance.

By Ken Burns about his experiences as a stay-at-home-dad

The first 2 years are the hardest to get through when you become a stay-at-home-dad. This is the time when the people you used to work with realise you won't be back - so many of your social contacts stop in the end. You can then have lots of time to read between the lines about why you have no contact with the guys anymore but there is point you have to accept what you've got and get in a position to reinvent yourself.

Women seem to have a lot more social contact than men but dads are happy to spend time at home with their kids and get on with their own housework / shopping routine. Some guys manage to get new contacts / parent help with kindy and school but these groups are mainly run by women. Not that men are deliberately left out but guys can find it harder to get involved as the meet-ups are often run by the same group of people for long periods.

We've had a pretty tricky enquiry from a dad in the US about a father's rights when it comes to abortion. If you know anything about this, would be great if you could comment on this post. Here's the background:

I have been supportive of the decision of my girlfriend having an abortion. Yes she made the decision and all I could do was try to do my best to be there for her, trying to be the strong one. I was devastated about it because I didn't want it to happen. She and I did talk about it. But rather than lose both of them, I chose to lose my child and have the mother still in my life. There are a lot of emotions dealing with the loss of a child for both the mother and the father.

Before I was in a relationship, I was in a situation where I wanted the woman to have an abortion. She did not.

I recently had the opportunity to review comic and award winning filmmaker Chris Mancini’s book “Pacify Me – A handbook for the freaked-out new dad”. The book delivers everything you expect from a comic come involved dad. It’s short, funny and contains lots of references to cult movies, TV shows, music and baby toys. Ah yes, and it covers all the weird and wonderful feelings, situations and experiences fathers (and in this case Chris) typically go through on their journey from lad to dad.

Picking the right gift for kids or family can be quite challenging. Here's a different take on the usual "what to buy" lists ... In addition to all the toys and games you may want to give children for Christmas how about buying presents that help protect them from injuries at home, at play or on the road.

Here are some ideas:

* A car booster seat. Jazz it up and let their imagination run wild (e.g. tell them it's a rocket ship or a fairy chariot!). Kids are safer in a booster seat until they're big enough to fit an adult seat belt properly. The easiest way to tell: If your children are under 148cm or 4'10" tall, they still need a booster seat.

* A cycle helmet. If Lance Armstrong uses one, your kid can wear one too. Let them pick their own helmet and while you're at it, get one for yourself and walk the talk.

Here's another great gift idea for your child’s grandparents, god parents/guardians or perhaps even for yourself. Zumyn allows you to create a mosaic photo of your child using your entire collection of baby photos. The web site's photo upload tool compresses your pictures before uploading (saving you plenty of time), and the clever Zumyn software will then arrange your photos to represent any particular picture you choose. It's free to use, but you can pay for prints on photo paper or canvas if you like the results.

Here's a nice little project you can do to impress you partner and family. Take a photo of your pregnant woman or newborn baby every day ... do it in a way that you can sequence all the photos to create a time lapse video clip. Check this out:

And of course here's the mother of all time lapse videos from the guy who started it all on YouTube:

Alright pre-conception dads ... here's your chance to find out whether you've got what it takes to be a parent. Follow these 14 simple tests.

Test 1 - Preparation

Get your partner to:
1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.
2. Leave it there.
3. After 9 months she can remove 5% of the beans.
4. Ask her how she feels.

Dads-to-be:
1. Go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself
2. Go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly into their account.
3. Pick up a newspaper and read it for the last time in peace.



Test 2 - Knowledge

Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which

Do you own any Baby Einstein DVDs or videos? If so and in case you haven't heard - hop on to the BE website and get a refund for your purchase price! The Walt Disney Co. (who owns the BE brand) announced last week that they would offer cash refunds for "Baby Einstein" videos/DVDs for toddlers in response to challenges about the legitimacy of claims that the products were educational. Apart from a cash refund you can also exchange DVDs for a "Baby Einstein" book or music CD, or receive 25 percent off another "Little Einstein" product. The offer expires March 4 so get in there right away!

On the odd chance that you haven't seen this clip - an accute reminder for all parents to always check that the brakes on your pram / stroller are fully engaged when you let go of it. Amazing how it took only a few seconds for the stroller to roll on to the tracks. A sheer miracle that the baby was unharmed ...

-Stef