Eric Mooij

Bonding and forming an attachment to his caregivers allows your child to feel secure so he can focus on growth and development to become independent and self-confident in the world at large. He’s half your DNA, so shouldn’t bonding happen by default? Yes and no. Bonding is a process that needs to be worked at, but it’s not hard, and because you’re the adult, you’ll have to lead the way at the beginning.

Pregnancy looks easy when it’s happening to someone else. As a man, you don’t have to endure what’s going on in a pregnant woman’s body 24/7 — and there’s a lot going on. Helping in any way you can is greatly appreciated. Take care of your partner Growing a baby is hard work and takes quite a physical toll on a woman’s body.

Wanting to find another partner, or at least have a romantic relationship with someone new, is natural. Your life doesn’t have to be all about being a father and working to support your family. But beware — you’re not the carefree single man you used to be. You now come with extras. When you go on dates or meet someone you’d like to be more than friends with, be honest from the outset that you have children.

You have either been granted a parenting order by the courts or negotiated with your former partner to be the primary caregiver. It’s more unusual for dads to be primary caregivers than it is for moms, so take pride that you’re blazing a trail for dads everywhere! As the primary caregiver, you’re in charge of your kids.

An unfortunate consequence of separation and divorce is that a large number of fathers are separated from their children. Separation should be no barrier to continuing to be a great dad and role model for your child or children.There’s very little difference between the responsibilities of a nonresident father and a living-at-home father.

Until now, breast milk or formula has been all the food your baby needs. But to keep up with her growth, she needs to move on to solid food. Most health professionals and breastfeeding organizations recommend waiting until baby’s around six months old before trying solids, which aren’t really that solid, more like puree and mush.

Having a sick or injured baby or child is no fun. As well as feeling pretty darn terrible, your child may have trouble understanding what’s wrong with him, not be able to communicate well with you about what’s wrong, and be scared of the treatments he’s receiving. Spotting injury When your child is constantly getting bumps and bruises, it can be hard to tell when something is going on that can’t just be fixed with a bandage and a hug.

There’s a reason why men in the armed services tend to call themselves bands of brothers — they look after one another as if they were blood relatives. The same can be kind of said about SAHDs — we’re on the front line of parenting, taking the hits (dirty diapers), outwitting the enemy (playing chase), fighting the good fight (rough-housing), and going the extra mile (in the stroller, when junior won’t go to sleep).

You may decide to be a SAHD who works from home. If you’re used to working with a lot of people or in a busy environment, suddenly finding yourself at home with a child and a laptop to work with can be strange, lonely, and a little boring.You may be tempted to make yourself a cup of coffee every ten minutes, or feel unmotivated because you don’t have a work environment around you to keep that energy going.