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.
Don’t compare yourself to your dad or other dads around you. YOU are the one your child looks up to!
Children learn by watching their parents. Children who have a father actively involved in their daily learning are more likely to be:
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.
Whether you are encouraging imagination play or reading to them, simply being together helps your child feel calmer and happier.
Manage emotions like disappointment, anger, and being upset.
Encourage adventure.
Being active with your child helps their bones grow stronger, build muscles, and helps brain development.
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.
Have the kids help. They can wash, measure, add, and stir ingredients.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
– 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.
Check for fatherhood initiative programs at your local Head Start program or school system.
Install this web app on your iPhone: tap and then Add to Home Screen.
Side-Lying Hold
This hold is useful when:
Cross-Cradle Hold
This hold is useful when:
Clutch or “Football” Hold
This hold is useful when:
Cradle Hold
This hold is useful when:
Laid-Back Hold
This hold is useful when:
