Schedule Me This, Schedule Me That

Mathias has already turned into quite the jet-setter.  At three months old he has been across the country to Oregon and attended the President’s Cup (USA vs the World (except Europe)) in Ohio.  He and his mom spent nine long days away which was certainly a shock to my system.  In the short time I have been a father I have become accustomed to life with Mats and the scheduling riddle (get the title now?) that kids cause.  In that nine days, I was reminded of how quickly I can move when I decide to go somewhere or how light my arms felt when walking out the door.  If I wanted to go eat, I just grabbed my keys, wallet, phone and out the door I went.

With Mats home there is a little bit more involved in the whole process.  Just look at this checklist!  The amount of things required to walk out the door suddenly explodes into car seats, strollers, diaper bags, diapers to go in said bag, wipes (more then one type for some reason), pacifiers, toys and more! Of course don’t forget the small human being that doesn’t always want to do what you are doing.  They might hate the car seat or the stroller.  They might have an upset stomach, be tired, or they may have pooped their britches.  All of this is random and can cause some stress when planning out your day.  So, be prepared to have any of your usual daily schedules blown to hell the second a child arrives.

Just listen to one of our DADventure contributors sharing how scheduling has changed for him since having a baby.

Now, the point of this blog was only to slightly scare the bejeezus out of you.  There are ways that you can set yourself up for a little more success.  Here are three tips that I think will keep you and your wife somewhat sane.

1. Don’t Plan Too Much

At first you are going to have a tendency to overbook yourself.  You have a new baby which all of a sudden means people really want to see you.  People want to come over, you want to get out of the hosue, your wife wants to shop, you want to watch the game and y’all will be so used to how it used to be that you will schedule out your entire day.  This will all come crashing down like a house of cards right when the baby has a diaper blowout in aisle #12 of Babies ‘R’ Us.  Keep your schedule open and light.

2. Baby Routine

Try to get your baby on a routine that works for your family.  Babies love routines apparently and dads love knowing what to expect.  There is plenty of information online and at the bookstore that will help you find the right routine.  This article from “Parenting” sums up some pros and cons of different baby schedules.  I personally recommend being flexible in your routine especially if you have extremely hectic lifestyles like mine right now. but to each their own.  Research and decide!

3. Pre-Pack

Always have that diaper bag fully-stocked with supplies.  This is something you can do the night before or right after you get back to the house.  Rather than scouring the house going over what you are missing you can be prepared and be that much closer to walking out the door.

If you have some good tips on creating a routine or if you think everything I said is hogwash then feel free to leave a comment.