Helping Mommy

Helping mommy with the baby, older children and household chores is what being a dad is all about. Arrival of the baby is one of the most magical periods in every woman’s life, however, taking care for the baby is virtually a 24 hour job. As a result, the mommy really has no time nor energy to do anything else and much less to take care of the household chores. Having the daddy around helping mommy is therefore crucial no matter if it is the first, second or third baby.

Helping mommy involves much more than just washing the dishes and vacuuming the living room. It is virtually impossible to be available to the baby 24/7 and for that reason the daddy should know how to take care for the baby too. Alone. Mommy has a life as well and there will be times when she will need to be away from the baby for a few hours. And this is where the daddy should step in. For most men being alone with the baby sounds intimidating, especially if they are first time dads but it is not as difficult as it may seem at a first glance because the baby will happy as long as he or she is comfortable, clean and fed. In practice, this means changing dirty diapers, feeding the baby with breast milk or baby formula that mommy has prepared and entertaining the baby. Of course, there will be some crying as well but it is the baby’s way to tell you that he or she wants a diaper changed or eat, or that he or she is bored or tired. Crying can also be a sign of pain but in this case, the crying will be different from that for eating, sleeping, etc.

Fortunately, it gets easier with the second and third baby but there are older children demanding parental attention too. They may even demand more attention as a result of fear from the baby taking over their parents. Unfortunately, mommy cannot dedicate as much time to other children during the first few months after delivery and for that reason it is crucial that the daddy “takes over” older children and helps them understand that they are just as loved and appreciated as they were before the arrival of the baby. They will accept their new sibling a lot easier if they receive a special amount of attention from the daddy although they need their mother’s attention too. But since it is impossible to handle a baby and a toddler or two at the same time, dads should help with baby care as well so that older children can receive their mother’s attention as well.

Being a parent is not all fun but it is a lot easier for both parents (and older children) if they share the responsibility of child raising and work as a team from the first day onwards.

Jessica Rashiv

Award-winning researcher/author with superb skills; editor of books and articles. Former in-house Assistant Editor and Proofreader of a peer-reviewed family linguistic journal. I have also edited or ghostwritten books and chapters published nationwide. Skilled in research, editing and writing baby and family subject materials and literature. Ph.D. with sixteen years of university teaching experience. Check me out at Google

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