Sure, you love spending time with your son - playing superman, tossing the little guy into the air and sharing a spoonful of peanut butter from the container are all in a good day's fun. But as he gets older, it's important that he socializes with other youngsters - and the etiquette of these play dates can be difficult for dads to navigate. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.
1. Keep groups in even numbers. The old adage "three's a crowd" is especially important to remember when organizing play dates for little ones. One-on-one meet-ups are often the most successful. When another child comes into the fold, it's only natural that two of the kids may team up and leave the other one hanging.
2. Don't let adult politics force a play date. Encouraging your son to hang out with your boss' child, your best-friend's daughter or the newest neighbor's kids may not work out as well as you hope. If a fight breaks out among the kids, it could cause tension among the grown-ups.
3. Supervise. It's imperative that you keep tabs on your youngster and all of those under your charge. Similarly, if you're dropping your little guy off for a visit at his newest friend's house, make sure that he'll be carefully watched over. If you don't know the parents well, stay at the house with your son, or suggest that you all meet up at a public place, like the park.
Related Articles – Dad Activities
Showing posts with label dad activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dad activities. Show all posts
Friday, August 5, 2011
Monday, July 27, 2009
Ray Romano's Advice for Dads
Celebrity dads go through the same grind as any first-time dad, including having fatherhood jitters. Ray Romano admits that he was no different. In his recent appearance on the Today show, Ray confessed to Matt Lauer that he was so nervous after his first child was born that he couldn’t get anything right.
The Everybody Loves Raymond star remembered the birth of his daughter Alexandra over 19 years ago, which led to his first dad debacle, followed by his first lesson in parenting as well.
“My daughter was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital right here in New York,” he says. “I went to pick them up, my wife and child, and [with my] newborn baby in my arms, [I] go outside [and say], ‘Where’s my minivan?’ I parked in a tow-away zone so we had to go to Queens in a yellow cab. My daughter came home in a yellow cab.”
Ray and his wife Anna are also parents to 16-year-old twins Matthew and Gregory, and Joseph Raymond, 11. The 51-year-old star admits that raising four kids has made him wiser. He has some very good advice for dads, “My advice is just let the woman tell you where to go and what to do.”
Ray Romano is also the voice of the mammoth, Manny, in Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which is now in theaters.
The Everybody Loves Raymond star remembered the birth of his daughter Alexandra over 19 years ago, which led to his first dad debacle, followed by his first lesson in parenting as well.
“My daughter was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital right here in New York,” he says. “I went to pick them up, my wife and child, and [with my] newborn baby in my arms, [I] go outside [and say], ‘Where’s my minivan?’ I parked in a tow-away zone so we had to go to Queens in a yellow cab. My daughter came home in a yellow cab.”
Ray and his wife Anna are also parents to 16-year-old twins Matthew and Gregory, and Joseph Raymond, 11. The 51-year-old star admits that raising four kids has made him wiser. He has some very good advice for dads, “My advice is just let the woman tell you where to go and what to do.”
Ray Romano is also the voice of the mammoth, Manny, in Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which is now in theaters.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Traveling with a Baby on a Plane
On the plane
Babies under two years still travel free on the lap, though there are rumors that this perk may soon be coming to an end. Most airlines charge a hefty service fee ($100 on United) for overseas flights for the same privilege, of traveling with babies. Before you even consider buying that extra seat until they are over two, remember that the baby will probably be on your lap anyway during the entire flights. So, unless you need an expensive place to keep your unread newspaper and magazines, take advantage of this free ride for as long as possible, while traveling with your baby. Don’t forget the sippee cup, bottle and binkey. If you do, the plane ride will be a descent into hell, because little ears often can not handle take-offs and landings without sucking on something. If mom is there and still nursing, you're in luck; you can read the paper in peace. If not, you'll be playing hot potato with the baby for at least a half hour up and a half hour down. We lost the sippee cup one time on the way to the airport and were able to get one at Travelers Aid at the last minute.
One gadget (and we love gadgets) you may want to consider sticking at the bottom of the diaper bag, while traveling with babies, is a water bottle adapter. This small piece of plastic allows you to use a soda or water bottle as a baby bottle and includes an extra nipple. At $.99 on eBay, its value to you, while traveling with babies, as an always prepared dad, would be immeasurable.
While often harried, I’ve always found airline service staff to be very good at warming bottles or fetching hot water for formula, when you're traveling with your baby. Don’t expect them to wait on you, but they can be very helpful.
A word to the wise on diapers for the plane: carry many extras while traveling with babies. Planes get delayed or cancelled, and some end up sitting on the tarmac for hours. Don't become a horror story of a panicked parent down to the last diaper with a diarrhetic baby leaking all over you and your neighbors. We have asked strangers to borrow a diaper when really stuck, but wouldn't want to start bartering for one in a closed market environment where demand might really far exceed supply.
Dining out
We’ve eaten at dozens of great restaurants over the years, sometimes with a dozing child on our lap. However, the biggest caveat here is that kids will behave in a strange restaurant the same way they will behave at home. If you know your child will never sit through a dinner at home, don’t do as we do. We’ve never been afraid to finish up a dinner quickly if the kids have really had enough, but we’ve also never shied away from having a full meal. Go to eat as early as possible, while the staff is fresh and accommodating. We’ve always found wait staff to be super-understanding and welcoming to our kids.
A day with baby
Finally, you’re now traveling with a third person who has input into the activities of the day. Luckily, babies enjoy many things parents do: a walk through the park, a trip to a museum, or just people-watching from the luxury of their stroller. And, unlike us, they can just close their eyes and nod off whenever they get bored or tired. If you time it right, during those moments, you and your wife might even have a little bit of time to yourself to muse about life before children and all the freedom you had.
Babies under two years still travel free on the lap, though there are rumors that this perk may soon be coming to an end. Most airlines charge a hefty service fee ($100 on United) for overseas flights for the same privilege, of traveling with babies. Before you even consider buying that extra seat until they are over two, remember that the baby will probably be on your lap anyway during the entire flights. So, unless you need an expensive place to keep your unread newspaper and magazines, take advantage of this free ride for as long as possible, while traveling with your baby. Don’t forget the sippee cup, bottle and binkey. If you do, the plane ride will be a descent into hell, because little ears often can not handle take-offs and landings without sucking on something. If mom is there and still nursing, you're in luck; you can read the paper in peace. If not, you'll be playing hot potato with the baby for at least a half hour up and a half hour down. We lost the sippee cup one time on the way to the airport and were able to get one at Travelers Aid at the last minute.
One gadget (and we love gadgets) you may want to consider sticking at the bottom of the diaper bag, while traveling with babies, is a water bottle adapter. This small piece of plastic allows you to use a soda or water bottle as a baby bottle and includes an extra nipple. At $.99 on eBay, its value to you, while traveling with babies, as an always prepared dad, would be immeasurable.
While often harried, I’ve always found airline service staff to be very good at warming bottles or fetching hot water for formula, when you're traveling with your baby. Don’t expect them to wait on you, but they can be very helpful.
A word to the wise on diapers for the plane: carry many extras while traveling with babies. Planes get delayed or cancelled, and some end up sitting on the tarmac for hours. Don't become a horror story of a panicked parent down to the last diaper with a diarrhetic baby leaking all over you and your neighbors. We have asked strangers to borrow a diaper when really stuck, but wouldn't want to start bartering for one in a closed market environment where demand might really far exceed supply.
Dining out
We’ve eaten at dozens of great restaurants over the years, sometimes with a dozing child on our lap. However, the biggest caveat here is that kids will behave in a strange restaurant the same way they will behave at home. If you know your child will never sit through a dinner at home, don’t do as we do. We’ve never been afraid to finish up a dinner quickly if the kids have really had enough, but we’ve also never shied away from having a full meal. Go to eat as early as possible, while the staff is fresh and accommodating. We’ve always found wait staff to be super-understanding and welcoming to our kids.
A day with baby
Finally, you’re now traveling with a third person who has input into the activities of the day. Luckily, babies enjoy many things parents do: a walk through the park, a trip to a museum, or just people-watching from the luxury of their stroller. And, unlike us, they can just close their eyes and nod off whenever they get bored or tired. If you time it right, during those moments, you and your wife might even have a little bit of time to yourself to muse about life before children and all the freedom you had.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dads and kids: Making paper doll chains
Making a paper doll chain is a perfect activity for dads and children on a sleepy afternoon. It is simple and does not require either time or money. Most importantly, it will be an exercise in creativity that the children will surely enjoy.
Things you will need:
* Some cardboard or hard paper
* A pair of scissors
* Pen, crayons, markers, and color pencils
* Glue
* Colorful paper or fabric scraps, buttons, beads, ribbons, sequins, and stickers to decorate the dolls
Steps to make the doll chain:
* Cut out a broad strip of the cardboard or paper. This could be about 10 cm high and as long as you want to make your doll chain.
* Fold about 6 cm of one end of the strip. At the point where the folded end overlaps, fold the strip again, but in the other direction. Go on making similar, alternating folds, so that the entire strip is folded into accordion style panels.
* Hold the folded panels bunched up tightly, with the top panel facing you. Help your children to draw the outline of a doll on this top panel, with the hands and legs spread out so that these extend to the panel borders.
* Carefully cut around the doll, taking care to retain the folds where the hands and legs touch the borders.
* Now unfold the strip to see your chain of dolls, joined by their hands and legs.
* Let your children decorate the dolls using the crayons, markers, color pencils, pieces of fabric, beads, ribbons, etc.
* You can even help your kids cut out little shapes from fabric scraps that they can use to create colorful dresses for the dolls.
You can use this chain to decorate the walls of your living room. You could even stick it around a lampshade, hang it as a mobile, or use it to decorate your child's door.
Things you will need:
* Some cardboard or hard paper
* A pair of scissors
* Pen, crayons, markers, and color pencils
* Glue
* Colorful paper or fabric scraps, buttons, beads, ribbons, sequins, and stickers to decorate the dolls
Steps to make the doll chain:
* Cut out a broad strip of the cardboard or paper. This could be about 10 cm high and as long as you want to make your doll chain.
* Fold about 6 cm of one end of the strip. At the point where the folded end overlaps, fold the strip again, but in the other direction. Go on making similar, alternating folds, so that the entire strip is folded into accordion style panels.
* Hold the folded panels bunched up tightly, with the top panel facing you. Help your children to draw the outline of a doll on this top panel, with the hands and legs spread out so that these extend to the panel borders.
* Carefully cut around the doll, taking care to retain the folds where the hands and legs touch the borders.
* Now unfold the strip to see your chain of dolls, joined by their hands and legs.
* Let your children decorate the dolls using the crayons, markers, color pencils, pieces of fabric, beads, ribbons, etc.
* You can even help your kids cut out little shapes from fabric scraps that they can use to create colorful dresses for the dolls.
You can use this chain to decorate the walls of your living room. You could even stick it around a lampshade, hang it as a mobile, or use it to decorate your child's door.
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