KidsDirect

Where Children are our Priority

  • BabiesDirect
    • Boys Baby Names
    • Girl Baby Names
    • Month to Month Diary
    • Ultimate Breastfeeding Guide
      • Let’s Latch On Properly
      • Suggestions for Successful Breastfeeding
      • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
      • Common Breastfeeding Problems
      • Breastfeeding Myths
      • Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?
      • Why Breastfeed?
      • Suggestions for Successful Breastfeeding
      • Breastfeeding Techniques
  • Pregnancy
    • Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
    • Ectopic Pregnancy
    • The Trimesters
      • First Trimester
      • Second Trimester
      • Third Trimester
    • Ovulation
    • Pregnancy and Prenatal Tools
      • Pregnancy Follower
      • Pregnancy Weekly Calculator
      • Prenatal Appointment Timeline
      • Pregnancy Weight Gain Chart
    • Pregnancy FAQ
    • Pregnancy and Nutrition
    • The Trimesters
      • Second Trimester
      • Third Trimester
    • Pregnancy and Pets
    • Month to Month Diary
      • Month 1
      • Month 2
      • Month 3
      • Month 4
      • Month 5
      • Month 6
      • Month 7
      • Month 8
      • Month 9
      • Month 10
      • Month 11 (First Month after Birth)
      • Month 12 (Second Month after Birth)
    • Nutrition Serving Sizes
    • Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy
    • Tests During Pregnancy – First Trimester
    • Tests During Pregnancy – Second Trimester
    • Tests During Pregnancy – Third Trimester
  • ParentsDirect
    • Email Safety
    • Fathering Section
      • Dads for the First Time
      • Dad’s Checklist for Baby Delivery
      • Dad Needs a Job?
      • Tantrums
    • Are There Other Good Websites Out There?
    • History of Child Safe Web Surfing
    • Online Assistant
    • Parent Talk Articles
    • 12 Tips for Unorganized Kids
    • Are There Different Types of Learning Disabilities?
    • Losing Your Temper: Why Parents Blow It and How to Recover
    • How Can I Keep My Child Safe from Things I Don’t Want Them to See?
    • Go To This Assistant’s Fundamental Rules
    • How Can I Keep My Child Safe?
    • Back to School Tips
    • Experts
      • Dr. Kalman Heller
        • Dr. Heller’s CV
      • Pat Sonnenstuhl
        • Pat Sonnenstuhl CV
      • Dr. Robert Naseef
        • Dr. Naseef’s CV
        • Healing Broken Dreams
        • You Will Dream New Dreams
        • Birth of a Parent
        • Families Need Help and Dignity, not Punishment
        • Reflections on Fathers’ Day
      • Dr. Daniel Ravel
    • Parents Direct Babysitter Checklist
    • Helping Your Children Return to School
    • How to Use This Assistant
    • Are We There Yet?
    • Do You Spank Your Children?
    • Excellent Links
    • 12 Tips for Unorganized Kids
    • First Aid Guide
    • Guide to Your Child’s First Birthday
    • Learning Disabilities
    • Circumcision – Decision
    • Children
  • KidsDirect
    • Age Ranges
      • Age 1
      • Age 2 – 3
      • Age 2
      • Age 3
      • Age 4 – 7
      • Age 4
      • Age 5
      • Age 6
      • Age 7
      • Age 8 – 11
      • Age 8
      • Age 9
      • Age 10
      • Age 11
      • Age 12 – 14
      • Age 12
      • Age 15 – 18

Dad’s Checklist for Baby Delivery

Whether you plan to hop on the trendy delivery wagon and have your baby at home with a doula, drop your baby in the rice paddies, or trundle off to the hospital like most post-industrial society folks, you’ll need to be prepared ahead of time. Once the wailing starts, there’s often little time for clear-headed thought.

First, put together a hospital bag with the following items, and store it in a convenient, easily remembered (and reached) spot. Not everyone will need everything mentioned here. Use these suggestions as a guideline.

  • Ready cash. Don’t wait until 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning to realize all the ATMs in town are either empty or down. Be prepared. You’ll need money at the hospital for important items like the toothpaste you forgot, a cup (or 20) of coffee for yourself, or flowers for your wife. And cigars are trendy again, so why not indulge in a box for your proud announcement?
  • A folder containing insurance cards, hospital preadmission forms, and any other documents you may need. Have you decided on a name yet? Perhaps you should include a short list of names to jog your memory, or a booklet of potential names to help you decide.
  • Clothing for the new mother; an old, comfortable nightgown, warm socks, changes of underwear, slippers, etc.
  • A watch with second hand to time contractions. No sense in jumping the gun; labor can take many, many hours before getting to the good part. Conversely, it can strike with alarming rapidity; better to know where you stand.
  • Any birth/infant care books you may wish to refer to while you wait. A copy of every Suite101 “Expectant Fathers” column ever written.
  • A swimsuit for mom, if she plans to give birth in a newfangled tub.
  • Your camera, film and/or video camera. Don’t forget to actually take some pictures of junior once s/he arrives. Documenting the actual delivery is your choice. Personally, I find it distasteful. There’s a reason men were excluded from the “birthing” chamber for centuries. Some men prefer not to see their wives in a new, somewhat distressing and always eye-opening way. Rest assured that the rest of the world DEFINITELY will not beat down your door to share this recorded experience with you.
  • Any pain-easing tools recommended by your birthing class that seem remotely useful, such as tennis balls to squeeze, hot or cold packs, or a rolling pin. Be forewarned, however: Your spouse may well be tempted to use the latter on YOU in the delivery room.
  • Reading material for yourself. The wait can be long and tedious. Haven’t you always wanted to read “War and Peace”?
  • Any personal items you or your spouse will need for an extended hospital stay. Does she wear contacts? Need her glasses? Wear makeup? Shampoo her hair?
  • Finally, bring a list of phone numbers of friends and relatives you want to call with the exciting news. They really do want to be the first to know. Everyone enjoys getting in on the excitement of a birth.

Last, but not least; buy and install your baby’s infant car seat for the trip home. In most places it’s required by law, and it’s certainly the right thing to do. Anything else is just too dangerous. And now may be a good time to invest in a set of spare car/home keys. It’s no fun to scramble around the house in a panic in the wee hours searching desperately for your keys. Have a set ready and waiting in your hospital bag.

And finally my really, really last recommendation: Relax. Enjoy. The fun’s about to begin

Prenatal Tools

  • Pregnancy and Prenatal Tools
    • Ovulation Calculator
    • Basal Body Temperature
    • Conception Date Calculator
    • Baby Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Weekly Calculator
    • Make a Birth Plan
    • Pregnancy Follower
    • Prenatal Appointment Timeline
    • Chinese Birth Chart
    • Pregnancy Weight Gain Chart
  • Boys Baby Names
  • Car Seat Buying Guide
  • Changing Diapers
  • Menstrual Cycle
  • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
  • Ultimate Breastfeeding Guide

Postnatal Tools

  • Breastfeeding Guide
    • Why Breastfeed?
    • Breastfeeding Myths
    • Breastfeeding Techniques
    • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
    • Breast Milk Leakage
    • Suggestions for Successful Breastfeeding
  • Boys Baby Names
  • Girls’ Names with Meanings
  • Girl Baby Names
  • Childproofing
  • Age 1
  • Car Seat Buying Guide
  • Circumcision – Decision
  • Day Care Info
  • Diaper Rash Decoder
  • Attachment Parenting Reduces S.I.D.S.
  • Infants and Babies
    • Newborn Babies and Pets
    • Marilyn’s Q & A for Infants
    • Month 11 (First Month after Birth)
    • Month 12 (Second Month after Birth)
    • How Do Vaccines Work?
    • Holding Your Baby Safely
    • Sleeping Habits
    • S.I.D.S.
    • S.I.D.S. and Sleeping with Your Baby
  • Kid Height Predictor
  • Vaccines
  • Safe Eating Tips

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