The bond between a father and son is very special indeed. Even stepping outside the clichés of throwing the baseball or football in the backyard, the bond between generations of males is one to be developed and strengthened. How you do this in your family is more closely related to your background, culture and hobbies than anything the media might portray.

Be His First Teacher
As the father of a boy, you are his first teacher. For the first years of his life, your son might have preferred his mother for cuddling and soothing, but when it’s time for play, he knew where to turn. Use that special, fun relationship as the basis for instruction. Teach him everything you know about everything, realizing that the lessons can’t be taught in a week, but over years together. It’s never too early to lay a foundation.

Be His Leader
Boys are pack animals, and until the more volatile teenage years, you will be his primary role model – whether you want to be or not. Even as a teenager, he will always look to you for silent guidance in what you say and do. Act the way you want your son to act, and don’t bother trying to tell him to act any differently than you do. You’re his hero after all.

When a child has siblings, he stands to gain much in exchange for learning to share his favorite toys. In fact learning to share and problem solve is one of the most critical lessons children learn from siblings. Studies concerning families with multiple children have been ongoing over the decades, and many of the results are surprising only to those who didn’t grow up with siblings themselves.

A child can thank his siblings for:

• Helping him adjust and cope to new situations with less anxiety and stress.
• Teaching him to take risks and how to mitigate those risks on his own.
• Giving him the opportunity to find his own space and inner drive.
• Being there to watch over him – even when they don’t want to.
• Helping him gain an extra sense of responsibility.
• Performing better on tests and in many different academic areas.
• Keeping him healthy – one in ten only children develops asthma; for children with siblings, only one in two hundred will develop the breathing condition.
• Divorcing less as an adult – children with siblings have a more innate understanding of the opposite sex and how to work to get along.
• Being a willing or unwilling confidant to all the puzzles of growing up.

Every couple should plan for time together during the week. How you arrange your date night is up to you, but regardless of the details, time together is essential to maintaining the relationship that is the backbone of your entire family.

• Let baby spend the night with her grandparents once a week or once every other week. Use this night off to get caught up and enjoy each other’s company without midnight feedings and the presence of a sleeping baby in the next room.

• Head out for an evening and invite a close family friend or family member over to watch over your little one. Many babies have early bedtimes, so you might be able to put baby to bed and then head out for dinner and drinks without her realizing you were ever gone.

• Put your baby to bed and then pull out a movie and order a pizza. There is no rule saying date night has to be away from home – so long as you are away from the stress and distractions of the day, you can enjoy each other’s company and reconnect with your little one sleeping just a few rooms away.

In our growing concern about the environment, everyone should do their part to make the world a better, greener place to live – including baby!

Switch to cloth – Disposable diapers and wipes are a huge burden on landfills. Switch to cloth and save money and resources at the same time. (A good laundry service can help you keep them clean.)

Walk to work – Babies come equipped with all manners of alternative transportation. If you have to run a quick errand, why not strap baby to your chest or put her in the buggy and walk? Or you can place older babies in a bike trailer or seat attached to your bike and ride for errands a bit farther away.

Switch to organic materials. If you dress your baby only in organic materials you’ll know she’s in the most natural and comfortable clothing available. You’ll also be promoting good citizenship.

Remind others. It’s hard to not look at a passing baby, so use your baby’s clothing as a small, adorable billboard to remind others to go green as well. A single shirt might make a profound impression on plenty of admirers in a day.

Brushing baby’s tiny teeth is an area of hygiene that many parents simply skip. It’s not that you don’t want your child to have perfect gems of white in his mouth; it’s that your baby is simply uncooperative with the whole tooth brushing process.

For a little one desperate to put things in his mouth, when the toothbrush comes out, it’s almost impossible to pry his jaws apart. All hope for brushing is not lost, however – it’s just a bit trickier than you might have originally thought.

Let him brush. If you hand your baby the toothbrush, he might be more willing to chew on the fun, scratchy bristles. While this might not be the best way to get teeth clean, it does clean them a bit more than you did without ever getting the brush in his mouth.

Brush teeth together. Older babies love to imitate. If you brush your teeth together, he might be willing to do what you do – and maybe even let you help a bit with the process.

Skip the brush. If the toothbrush is causing concern, skip it all together. You can do a passable job with a washcloth over your finger or with a finger glove toothbrush. If you choose this route, however, be sure to avoid getting your finger caught between two pearly white razors.

Much of the discussion revolving around family time is in reference to families with older children. Rarely do you see a commercial where a toddler isn’t free to sit down at the table with her parents. (Although she might not want to.) This lack of publicity shouldn’t stop you from ensuring your child gets enough time with her entire family.

In many households, the only time the entire family is together is at mealtimes and after dinner. In households with babies, this might not be the case as young babies often eat at different times and might be with one parent after dinner while the other takes care of household chores or finishes up a project.

While most households develop family routines at some point, the earlier you establish these times together, the more powerful your family connection with be. Make it a point to spend at least thirty minutes together with all members of your family. You can achieve this easily by:

Bathing your baby together every night. While cramped, the bathroom offers great fun and laughs – especially if you have two children in the tub.

Taking a family walk. After dinner is the perfect time to get outside. The temperature has dropped a bit and the light exercise gives everyone a chance to catch up on the day.

Playing together. Turn off the television and pull out some of baby’s favorite toys to play with together as a family.

Sept 7, 2008 marks Grandparents’ Day in the United States. While this innocuous holiday is overlooked by most of the population, those with children understand just how important it is to honor the family members who not only raised us to be parents, but love our children as dearly as we do. This year, find a gift idea that is truly special.

Picture Collage
Grandparents love pictures, but on this special occasion don’t just present them with snapshots. Create a full picture collage of a special event, a single photo shoot or perhaps a montage of photos showing your children together with their grandparents.

Grandparent Letter
Your baby might not be able to speak a word, but you can help put words in her mouth. On a heavy sheet of paper, write a short letter thanking your parents for all they do in the life of your child. Write it from your little one’s perspective and then sign it with her handprint.

Figurine
There is something especially meaningful in the beautiful figurines of parents and grandparents with children. These mementos are always a perfect gift, but there is no better time to find a beautiful statue of a grandmother and child than Grandparents’ Day.

It’s amazing how quickly a pregnancy is gone when you look back over the almost ten months following delivery. During these months, time drags while waiting to meet your baby, but after the fact, you might feel more than a bit nostalgic for your large belly and mood swings.

It’s important to capture pregnancy in as many ways as possible as this is a stage of your life represents the most important transition you can achieve, yet the details are often forgotten over time. Preserving your pregnancy can be as simple as:

Journaling
Write a few sentences in a journal every day or every week of the pregnancy. Some baby books and pregnancy journals have a space designed exactly for this reason.

Taking Belly Pictures
Every few weeks or every month, take a new belly picture. Stand in the same position and be brave enough to lift your shirt above your belly. Some day you’ll miss those stretchmarks. Plus seeing evidence of how big you really got as your belly grew is almost overwhelming.

Using a Tape Measure
If you buy a new tape measure, you can use it to chart your pregnancy. Wrap the tape around your waist every week and mark the spot with a permanent marker. As your belly grows, your marks will get farther apart. Then, when your tummy is returned to normal someday, you can marvel at how large it once was.

When summer heats up, the temperatures can become unbearable to both mothers and babies. Young babies are too fragile to go traipsing through triple digit temperatures and older babies would love to play outside all day, but the heat is dangerous for these little ones as well – not to mention Mom would much rather stay inside. When it gets too hot outside, it’s time to arrange fun inside.

Head to the AC
If your home is getting a bit confining, head to a place that is interesting for baby that has plenty of cool air conditioning. The mall is an excellent choice as it presents so many air conditioned options. Put baby in the stroller and walk the mall with the other mall walkers in the morning to get a bit of exercise. Or bring baby out in the afternoon to marvel at the fountain, shops and all the interesting people who walk by.

Invite Entertainment
Your home can become more exciting if there is something exciting there. Babies love other babies, so invite a friend and her child over for a playdate. It doesn’t matter if the children aren’t that close in age. Toddlers will entertain baby while playing with his toys and you can catch up with a friend.

Stick to the Water
Water is a great way to cool off, and if your baby enjoys the water, you should let him experience it as much as possible. Set up a low sprinkler or wading pool for older babies. Younger babies can play on special water mats or float with you in the pool while you swim around. Just remember sunscreen and a hat to protect that ultra-sensitive skin!

Studies have shown that even with a hard-working and dedicated father, moms take on the bulk of childcare responsibilities. Whether this is through necessity such as breastfeeding or through personal preference, you hardworking moms deserve a break. The trick is finding time for one.

If you’re struggling to find time for yourself, you need to comb through your day and schedule to locate any missed opportunities. If there aren’t any opportunities you’ve missed, you simply need to create one.

Move Bedtime Earlier
The end of the day is rough on little ones as it is, but when you keep them up past when they should be in bed, their moods get sour fast. Instead of keeping baby up late in the evening to enjoy his company, put him to bed early –as early as six o’clock, and not only will you now have evenings to yourself, you’ll also have a happier and well rested baby to spend time with in the mornings and after work.

Take a Lunch Break
For mothers who work outside of the home, there is a temptation to work through lunch or to use that time to run errands. Instead, you should make this time your own for something you enjoy doing. Take a class during your lunch hour or use the time to walk around the local shops. Even heading to your car for a nap might be just what you need to refresh yourself.

Use Your Babysitters
While a husband isn’t a babysitter, you should take him up on his offer to watch the kids while you do whatever you’d like to do. Even if you’d prefer to be with your children, allow your mother to come and help you for the afternoon. Just having an extra pair of hands can lighten the load of motherhood considerably.

There are a plethora of classes under the umbrella “Mommy and Me,” but what many parents fail to realize is that this is a nominal description – not an absolute one. If you were to attend a Mommy and Me class with your baby in the evening or weekends, you’d likely see just as many Daddies as Mommies. There is absolutely no reason you and your baby can’t enjoy a class just for Daddy and Me.

If you’re looking for a way to spend time with your baby, older babies and toddlers have many options when it comes to classes they can take with parents. The central theme of these classes is that Mommy, or in your case Daddy, helps baby through whatever the activity is – swimming, singing, gymnastics, etc… Not only do these classes help you spend constructive time with you little one, they can also set a foundation for healthy learning you can build on as your child matures.

Great Options for Daddy and Me
If you’re interested in taking a class with your baby, look into programs offered in your area by gyms, children centers, and specialty music programs. Some excellent options for fathers include:

• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Singing
• Music Appreciation
• Dance
• Soccer

Labor Day is an excellent excuse to drag out the grill and invite friends over. But don’t let this traditional party exclude your little one. It’s simple to make your Labor Day full of family fun.

Plan Around Naps and Bedtime
If you’re going to have guests over, you should invite them over with an eye to naptime. Your baby needs rest, especially if she’s about to have so much outside fun. Since Labor Day celebrations can last for hours, you’ll want to disrupt her as little as possible. Perhaps arrange for guests to immediately after her nap and help things wind down or at least move outside when it’s time to put her bed.

Invite Families
Rather than just inviting couples and adult friends to your party, invite other families with young children. Even if your baby isn’t old enough to play, she will love to watch the other children crawl, toddle and run around. And simply being outside with a bottle of bubbles is enough to entertain the youngsters.

Skip the Hard Stuff
Although it’s hard to imagine a barbeque without beer and other alcoholic beverages, their presence automatically makes a party less appropriate for children. Unless you’re in complete control of everyone’s behavior after a few drinks, you’d do best to serve ice tea and soft drinks to avoid any behavior or words you’d prefer your child not hear.

The phrase sleep training often brings cringing thoughts of sobs and tears to parents, and many simply can’t imagine letting their baby cry on his own to fall asleep. Of course, rocking him or nursing him to sleep every night for the next three years isn’t such a great option either. So where does that leave parents who realize babies should learn to sleep on their own, but don’t want to make baby cry?

Books dealing with exactly these sorts of sleep methods are extremely popular. This means many parents are looking to find an alternative route to helping their child sleep through the night without constant feedings and comfort sessions. While most of the published plans differ slightly, they have common elements. These elements include:

Starting early.
A newborn baby is much more likely to fall asleep without a fuss than a toddler, so instead of rocking him into sleepy oblivion every time, lay him down when drowsy and let him fall asleep himself. Stay consistent and your baby will be way ahead of the game. You might not even need to do anything else!

Rock and repeat.
The basic problem with babies that don’t fall asleep on their own is they would rather you do the hard work for them. After all, wouldn’t you like to be snuggled to sleep every two hours when you woke slightly? Many babies also don’t realize they can fall asleep without assistance, so you simply have to show them.

Comfort your baby to the point that he’s drifting off, and then get up and put him in the crib. He might nod off on his own, but more likely he’ll spring up and call out for you. Pick him up again with no words or eye contact. Rock and repeat. Eventually you’ll wear him down to the point that he’s too relaxed and worn out to argue and he’ll just fall asleep. The first time might take hours, but each session will get dramatically shorter until he realized what role he’s supposed to play in the “fall asleep” game.

Too often parents become the last priority in a household, especially if you work or have a spouse who works long hours. Being on duty all day, every day is exhausting, and even the most patient and diligent parent needs a break sometimes. Well before you feel yourself reaching a breaking point, seek out time for yourself.

Cancel Your Evening Plans
Nights should be yours. Get your children to bed at an early hour and take some time to yourself to hang out around the house. If you must do chores, do them in your own way – sip a margarita while you clean the kitchen. Cry over the latest drama series while you fold laundry. Practice salsa dancing while you pick up toys. And as soon as you’re done, kick back and do your own thing exclusively.

Throw in a Movie
The hardest time for many parents is when their child stops napping during the day. Going without this break in the action can be tough. Enforce a quiet time after lunch, regardless of whether he naps, and then pop in a video to give yourself a bit more time to sit down and relax – you’ll just be doing it with your child.

Investigate Day Schools
Many churches and community centers offer day schools or Mothers-Day-Out programs for children younger than preschoolers. Look around in your area to see if your children can play with friends for a few hours a couple times a week so you can go to the grocery store in peace.

A few parents get lucky and potty training is a breeze. The rest of us suffer through months of accidents, refusals and tantrums before we even get a child on the potty. To help ease the way into more successful potty training, establishing a bit of groundwork can do nothing but help.

Share the Basics
You should share the basics of the potty and how to use it every chance you get. If your child follows you into the bathroom, explain to her what you’re doing and ask if she wants to try. If she does, give her a shot maybe she’ll actually perform!

Learn the Fundamentals
Well before you start putting the pressure on your child to perform, she should be well versed in the fundamentals. Teach her about Big Girl underpants and buy a little potty that she can pretend to use – if she wants to. Walk her through the steps when you’re in the bathroom together. Go, Wipe, Flush, Wash.

Be Laid Back
The best approach to potty training is a laid back one. Forcing the issue can make it take longer and be more difficult, so once your child is ready and knows the basic, help her along rather than forcing her. She’ll get there when she’s ready; you’re just there to facilitate and clean up the accidents.