Dad's Guide to Raising a Child

Dear Dad,

You play an important role in the growth of your child’s body and mind.

Whether you see your children daily or live in a different home, being actively involved in your child’s life makes a big difference. Being present and involved will help them grow to be a happier and more successful child and adult.

The quality of your father-child time is more important than the number of hours you spend with your child. The quality of your relationship directly impacts your child’s sense of self-worth.

Children who grow up with an involved father are:

39%

more likely to
earn mostly
A’s in school

2x

as likely to go to college and find a steady job after high school

Don’t compare yourself to your dad or other dads around you. YOU are the one your child looks up to!

Help Me Learn

Children learn by watching their parents. Children who have a father actively involved in their daily learning are more likely to be:

ready to start
school

better problem- solvers

more friendly toward other people

A parent is a child’s first teacher. You may not realize it, but you are teaching your child by the simple things you do every day.

You can help your child learn by:

Talking about the world around you as you go about your day.
Pointing out and saying the colors, animal sounds, letters, and numbers you see and hear.
Being together for daily activities such as eating dinner, playing outside, reading, or watching TV.
Keep screen time to a minimum to focus on each other.

Whether you are encouraging imagination play or reading to them, simply being together helps your child feel calmer and happier.

Children who grow up with an involved father are 60% less likely to be suspended or expelled from school.

Play Time

Children learn when they play. Dads typically have a different style of play than moms, and that is okay!

Dads tend to encourage more physical play which teaches children how to:

Manage emotions like disappointment, anger, and being upset.

Encourage adventure.

Manage physical contact while keeping control of their emotions.

Being active with your child helps their bones grow stronger, build muscles, and helps brain development.

Here are a few fun activities to do with your child:

Let's Eat

Feeding young children is an important parenting job. Children do best with eating when their parents work together to do their job with feeding. Having dad participate with feeding, meal preparation and meal times is important to a child.

Parents are in charge of deciding the what, when, and where of feeding.

For infants, the parent job is deciding on breastmilk, formula, or a combination. For older babies and toddlers, parents are in charge of what foods to offer.

Infants will let you know when they are hungry, and it’s best to feed based on their cues. As a baby gets older, parents decide the timing of meals and snacks and where to serve them.

Being involved in meal prep, grocery shopping, and eating together are all ways to support your child’s eating. Once you’ve done your job with the what, when, and where, it’s up to your child to decide whether to eat and how much.

Here are some things you can do to make memories at mealtimes.

Eat together as a family.

Have the kids help. They can wash, measure, add, and stir ingredients.

Be a role model. Eat the same foods you offer your child.

Change the location of meals by eating outside, having a picnic, or even around the coffee table with cushions for chairs.

Keep screens off and out of sight to encourage more conversation during mealtimes.

When fathers are present or involved, children are at

lower risk of developing obesity.

Research shows involved fathers positively impact a child’s overall health and wellbeing.

Protect Those Shiny New Teeth

Wipe your baby’s gums and teeth with a clean, wet, soft cloth or a soft rubber or silicone finger brush after every feeding. Schedule your baby’s first dental visit as soon as their first teeth appear, or by their first birthday, and begin using a soft toothbrush with a rice-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day. Always watch your child to make sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste.

Offer only water in between meals and snacks. Sweet drinks can be offered at meal or snack time on occasion.

SAFETY

Once a child gets moving, it can seem like they never stop. Your child learns how to do more things every day. This means you may need to work even harder to keep them safe.

Have your child wear a helmet when they start riding a bike or scooter. Be a good role model and wear your helmet too!
Always stay with your child when they are in or near water, such as the bath, a pool, or lake.
Make sure your child is up-to-date on all recommended shots. Call your doctor if you are unsure what shots your child needs.
Keep you child's screen time at a minimum. Children and infants who spend more time watching screens (TV, phone, tablet) can have poor sleep, delays in learning and social skills, weight gain, and behavior problems. Children who are over 2 years old can enjoy up to 1 hour of screen time per day.

Watch your child closely to keep them safe when they are around water. Protect your child from the sun by using sunscreen when they are swimming or playing outside.

Immunizations

Vaccines protect against serious diseases such as measles, mumps, rotavirus, rubella, polio, tetanus, chickenpox, whooping cough, RSV, and more. These diseases can make your baby very sick and can even result in brain damage or death.

Benefits

The benefits of protecting your child against a serious disease outweigh the possible side effects from vaccines. Most side effects from vaccines are minor, treatable, and do not last long. Serious reactions are very rare. If you have concerns or questions, talk to your child’s doctor.

Adults need vaccines too.
The recommended vaccination schedule is designed to protect you and your growing family before being exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. There are vaccines you can get while you are pregnant, that help protect your baby even after they are born.

SHIELDING YOUR FAMILY FROM LEAD POISONING

Keeping your family safe from lead is super important for your little ones. Lead can be very harmful, especially to kids and unborn babies.

Make sure your home is lead-safe!

If you live in an older house with chipped paint, get it checked out and fixed because old paint might have lead.
Always let the cold water run for a few moments before using it, to help clear out any lead from old pipes.
Offer your family foods that are good at fighting lead, like fruits high in vitamin C, dairy products full of calcium, and leafy greens with iron. Be careful with spices, candies, and other foods bought abroad from unregulated sources. Choose products made by licensed producers, which are usually safer for kids.

Remember, simple steps like regular hand washing and keeping your home dust-free can make a big difference in protecting your family from lead.

To learn more about car seat safety visit:

Car Seats

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that car seats are only used for traveling purposes. It is recommended to remove the infant from their car seat once you arrive at your destination, especially if they are asleep.

Use a car seat for every trip, no matter how short.
Use a car seat based on your child’s size and age. You can often find this information on the seat itself.
As your child grows, the settings, position, and type of car seat will need to change.
Learn how to install the car seat correctly. Strap in your toddler or child the right way.

– Straps should be snug.
– The sliding clip should be at armpit level.
– The car seat itself should move very little when pushed from side-to-side.

Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old. Do not rush to move to a forward-facing car seat or booster seat even if you have a large child.

Never seat children in front of an airbag. Airbags can kill young children riding in the front seat. Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an airbag.

Fatherhood Resources

National Fatherhood Initiative

www.fatherhood.org

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

www.fatherhood.gov

Check for fatherhood initiative programs at your local Head Start program or school system.