Fatherhood anonymous; an open discussion on being a dad.

[SkiLyft]

We did a thing!!
2/15/2023

Welcome to the world Juniper Jo



This moment was


In case we needed proof to the dogs >> cats argument.



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[schuss]

For experienced dads on the thread, what were the most fun outdoor things you did with your kids aged 1-3?

My daughter is 14 months and a little delayed on the gross motor skills in that she is just starting to fully crawl in earnest now. Walking is probably a month or so out. So far we have done a lot of travelling, both flying and road trips. I carry her in the babybjorn for walking, hiking backpack and job with her in the stroller. We've been car camping twice and backpacking twice. She hasn't been in a bike chariot/trailer yet but that is about to happen. She is very curious and will soon want to be moving on her own more and more.

Beach as others pointed, as well as short woods walks and lots of yard/grass time. Depending on the group size, bringing a blanket and doing a bouldering session can be great too, as they dink around in the woods or hang out on the blanket while various adults swap in and out on bouldering.

[funkendrenchman]

Our boys loved the beach and playing in the sand, when we could find some. Lots of time in the chariot - biking and xc skiing; we started them on striders from 18mo and had them riding on back of the e-cargo bike once they were 2 years. Alpine skiing and sledding were pretty hands on till they were 2.5+, but now at 3.5 years they're good to go. They got some fancy scooters around 18mo as well that were great for balance and learning momentum: https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Origina.../dp/B07BW53Z3R

Indoors, we bought them a balance board to play on: https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Balanc...dp/B0BM4X3JPH/

And a Hape trike they could ride around our living room: https://www.target.com/p/hape-scoot-...&adgroup=91-15

Kids broom and a kids snow shovel for sweeping has been great too.

Same as above. The Strider can be very hit or miss for 1-2 year olds. Our first one loved it and our second one hated it more than anything in the world (until she was 2.5, and then got on a pedal bike at 3). Short hikes can be fun or super frustrating; depends on the day and the kid. You don't want the hike to be too flat and boring or the kid will be bored in 10 sec. I'll add the pool to the list (assuming you can find an age appropriate one. That was one of the most fun activities with our 1-3 year olds.

For 3 year olds, skiing can be soooo much fun, if you have the time to commit to it.

[funkendrenchman]

Congrats SkiLyft! Super cute!

[PNW Lifer]

For experienced dads on the thread, what were the most fun outdoor things you did with your kids aged 1-3?

My daughter is 14 months and a little delayed on the gross motor skills in that she is just starting to fully crawl in earnest now. Walking is probably a month or so out. So far we have done a lot of travelling, both flying and road trips. I carry her in the babybjorn for walking, hiking backpack and job with her in the stroller. We've been car camping twice and backpacking twice. She hasn't been in a bike chariot/trailer yet but that is about to happen. She is very curious and will soon want to be moving on her own more and more.

We have a 21 month old boy and a 4.5 y/o girl here in Seattle as well. Last summer we splurged and got an ebike to do school/daycare drop off and it was the best investment ever! The kids love to go for rides around the city, and Mom and I get to enjoy a bike ride with the whole family. We have a trailer for the bike but rarely used it as it's much harder to chat with the kids about what you see.

Some of our favorite spots are Discovery, Carkeek, and Myrtle Edwards parks, as well as lots of balance bike rides at marina's (Shilshole and Smith Cove). The marina is great because if the kids get tired you can borrow a wheelbarrow for the ride back to the car. Disc golf is fun with kiddos in the stroller too.

[Dromond]

Thanks for the tips and ideas everyone. We've already got a balance bike scooter thing (which she isn't quite ready for yet) and I had not thought of a balance board. She already loves water - goes nuts in the pool even if it's cold and her lips are blue! I'm getting the message that the beach is where it's at. A large flat open space to run around and dug stuff up! I can see hiking becoming tough during the toddler years where then can't walk or stay focused for very long.

We've already got a hand-me-down bike chariot which I will try out. I see parents riding with their kids on the bake of E-cargo bikes all over my neighborhood and I know for a fact that kids love these. I'll be honest: despite bike commuting and being comfortable on my bike, I'm pretty nervous about any city riding with her, purely because of cars. I'll probably just start out on bike paths and trails to see how it goes.

I'm already finding it harder to get out of the city as a family because what seemed like a modest 45 minute drive becomes more of a mission, and it's harder to do long, continuous activities. Baby nap time (mom nap time too) always seems to creep up sooner than you think. The thought of some sort of minimal van setup to make day trips and single-overnights a little easier keeps crossing my mind.

[yeahman]

Congrats SkiLyft! Super cute!

+1. That's awesome!

[ghosthop]

We had an unlooked-for win today. When we first started going to story time, the baby would get so overwhelmed that he was exhausted by the end of the half hour. A month later, he loves interacting and in the last week has gotten strong enough crawling to start wanting to join in the circle.

He is very interested in other children so I have been playing with him to the side during the play time afterwards. Today he took his book, crawled over to the group of older kids, and tried to share. And then fifteen minutes of four babies under a year playing with the same barn/animals and each parent saying this never happens. It was such a good time for all of us. And each time he looked back at me with the biggest grin.

Similarly, we took him to the G League All Star Game this weekend. Even with earphones, he only last until halftime but he loved every minute. So many giggles and looks back at us like ‘guys, are you seeing this?’ He always surprises us with how much he observes.

It feels like we turned a major corner at six months. I am so excited for him to explore more of his world.

[Buzzworthy]

We had an unlooked-for win today. When we first started going to story time, the baby would get so overwhelmed that he was exhausted by the end of the half hour. A month later, he loves interacting and in the last week has gotten strong enough crawling to start wanting to join in the circle.

He is very interested in other children so I have been playing with him to the side during the play time afterwards. Today he took his book, crawled over to the group of older kids, and tried to share. And then fifteen minutes of four babies under a year playing with the same barn/animals and each parent saying this never happens. It was such a good time for all of us. And each time he looked back at me with the biggest grin.

Similarly, we took him to the G League All Star Game this weekend. Even with earphones, he only last until halftime but he loved every minute. So many giggles and looks back at us like ‘guys, are you seeing this?’ He always surprises us with how much he observes.

It feels like we turned a major corner at six months. I am so excited for him to explore more of his world.

Man do I love hearing about little H’s adventures. This kid is going to be a freaking rock star!

That’s awesome dad. Keep doing what you’re doing.

[plugboots]

So…
When mini Plug was really young Mrs. Plug and I both worked full-time so we used a child care provider who had a PhD in child psychology. With my cynical and sarcastic type of humor, I would give these kids shit all the time. When the provider got to know me, she told me once that the kids don’t understand that type of humor until they’re 8 or so, and so I made a joke back and said: “Well how in the hell are they supposed to learn ?”
Anyway, mini Plug graduated a couple years ago with a summa cum laude from the honors program in a Pac 12 University.
Do you guys have any questions? Because, (of course), we’re the greatest parents ever.

[snapt]

Congrats SkiLyft!

Last few months have been a whirlwind. 8 week sleep regression is a real thing. We did figure out little man has a dairy allergy that was causing him to break out, lot's of spitting up, etc. We had to go with hypoallergenic formula for a while which was super tough, it got rid of the allergy issues but caused him to get real plugged up and uncomfortable. Finally back on the boob milk after cutting diary from Mrs SnapT's diet and everybody is much happier. I'm dreading going back to work next week, time is flying.

[johnnyg82]

Congrats SkiLyft!

Last few months have been a whirlwind. 8 week sleep regression is a real thing. We did figure out little man has a dairy allergy that was causing him to break out, lot's of spitting up, etc. We had to go with hypoallergenic formula for a while which was super tough, it got rid of the allergy issues but caused him to get real plugged up and uncomfortable. Finally back on the boob milk after cutting diary from Mrs SnapT's diet and everybody is much happier. I'm dreading going back to work next week, time is flying.

My daughter had dairy issues now for the first 8-12 months, but that is no longer an issue, I hope yours grows out of it as well!

[bio-smear]

Reporting back in again after nearly tanking this thread with bad vibes a few weeks ago. It was incredibly therapeutic though; nice to hear from everyone.

Last Monday (Pres Day) we had 4" of fresh cold fluff and took the girls out (7 and 5) and it blew their minds. They're at that stage of being very tentative snowplowers with some occasional cross-slope french fries. Back to back runs in the fresh snow after months of hard groomers was like charging their batteries. And ours.

24 hours later we were all puking and shitting from viral gastroenteritis. Luckily it was kinda phased to we didn't have to fight over the one toilet in our little old house. I definitely got it the worst and was barfing in a Menard's bucket while throned. Still not feeling quite right. Had to skip coffee for almost 7 days.

The universe giveth and the universe taketh away.

Anyway, last night we watched this cute aussie teenibopper flick on Netflix called True Spirit, about this 16 year old girl who sailed around the world solo from Sydney. At the end I was on the verge of tears while trying to translate the on-screen captions. Not sure why.

[muted reborn]

Anyway, mini Plug graduated a couple years ago with a summa cum laude from the honors program in a Pac 12 University.
Do you guys have any questions? Because, (of course), we’re the greatest parents ever.

PAC 12? No questions then.

[MarcusBrody]

Reporting back in again after nearly tanking this thread with bad vibes a few weeks ago. It was incredibly therapeutic though; nice to hear from everyone.

I don't think you were tanking the thread at all. I think that's the purpose of the thread. Being a parent is hard and really that's what the thread has been about form beginning. If it's just kid stoke, then I think we fall into the social media trap of projecting an easy life of fun and success, when that's not how things are. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing everyone having a blast with their kids, but I think it's good that people are actually willing to admit that it's not always like that and there is lots of work to be done between those moments. It helps us all to see that we aren't alone in those down times and I've read a lot of good suggestions here about how to transition through them.

[bio-smear]

I don't think you were tanking the thread at all. I think that's the purpose of the thread. Being a parent is hard and really that's what the thread has been about form beginning. If it's just kid stoke, then I think we fall into the social media trap of projecting an easy life of fun and success, when that's not how things are. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing everyone having a blast with their kids, but I think it's good that people are actually willing to admit that it's not always like that and there is lots of work to be done between those moments. It helps us all to see that we aren't alone in those down times and I've read a lot of good suggestions here about how to transition through them.

Thank you for the thoughts, Marcus. And thank you for all those times you went to bat for Indy with the university archeology dept.

[dschane]

I don't think you were tanking the thread at all. I think that's the purpose of the thread.

100% agree. Mine are 12, 12, and 14 now. There are daily highs and lows, and the new highest highs and the new lowest lows seem to occur weekly as well. (Well, my wife at ovarian cancer at 31 when the twins were 6 mos. old; that takes the cake for the all-time lowest low -- she's cancer free 11+ years later, thank fucking random luck).

[VTskibum]

I don't think you were tanking the thread at all. I think that's the purpose of the thread. Being a parent is hard and really that's what the thread has been about form beginning. If it's just kid stoke, then I think we fall into the social media trap of projecting an easy life of fun and success, when that's not how things are. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing everyone having a blast with their kids, but I think it's good that people are actually willing to admit that it's not always like that and there is lots of work to be done between those moments. It helps us all to see that we aren't alone in those down times and I've read a lot of good suggestions here about how to transition through them.

Agreed. Social Media and this place to an extent are guilty of showing only the highlights of parenthood. I've posted lots of kid stoke (mostly bike) w/ my 9 y/o daughter who's my little ski/bike partner, but my son who's 11 has been a full PITA for past 2 years most of which is just being dealt a tough hand. Sweet and friendly kid, but major school troubles w/ bullying last year and learning difficulties/differences combined with some tween attitude make it tough on a daily basis. Could be far worse and we're able to support him in a way not everyone can putting him in a private school specialized for learning difficulties. Thankfully my in-laws are close by and he loves hanging out with them, so he spends some time down there during the week, but it's 40 minutes away with no bussing there. That has been a tough adjustment to add driving kid ~40 min to school, and then when he's back around isn't in for the ski/bike adventures. My wife often gets stuck skipping out on activities as a result of his anxiety about it.

[ghosthop]

Month seven has really been the best so far. So cool to see how many things the baby can learn in such a short span.

Last week he figured out how to sit upright from a crawl and already he is getting the hang of pushing/pulling himself upright onto his feet. The library has big foam blocks we have been using to make stairs for him to practice. The activity cube with the wooden beads on wires is also a big hit right now. He is confident standing himself upright on his knees without support and can now crawl the length of the house without much of a pause.

We have been making a big push to practice hand communication this month. When prompted, he will clap with open hands and point with an index finger. Still not doing it on his own volition but hopefully soon with daily practice. Starting to reach towards objects when we call them by name. And my favorite of all, holding and feeding himself with a bottle. Ten minutes for me to knock out a chore or interact with a passive baby. The progression in only a few months is unbelievable, children are amazing.

He is much more skeptical of strange adults. He will still approach adults with children but no longer reaches out for lone adults in public spaces. He is much clingier and will often find me when he is playing to climb into my arms. Big kids fascinate him and fortunately we have had few issues.

His top teeth are coming in and kicking his ass. At least one of his daily naps are a struggle. And the biggest issue right now is with the dog. Now that the house is full of the noises and banging of an exploring baby, the dog is constantly stressed out during the day. Walks or a beef shank bone will briefly alleviate her stress but I have not been able to completely fix the problem. A tough napping baby and hair trigger dog are driving me crazy. Blackout blinds are on order, not sure what else to try.

[lowsparkco]

I got about 6 weeks before baby #1 arrives. Wife wanted support in the nursery department, so I moved all the guest room furniture into storage and ordered the furniture. I forgot about the 4 hour commitment of building a huge piece of furniture that comes in a little box. FML. 2 of those to go, I’ve got this.

[SkiLyft]

^^ that feeling is so identifiable

Big vibes… spoiler alert, it’s just the start of building that shit!


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[Harry]

I don’t have kids myself, and like most bachelors in general not a huge fan of babies. But I gotta say, as someone who is IRL friends with ghosthop, I’ve been loving getting baby pics via text from him. So cool seeing that little kid develop.

Yo ghosthop, keep those texts coming !

[snapt]

Is this what I think it is...?

[johnnyg82]

A lip tie?

[snapt]

A lip tie?

I was more asking about the teeth looking things in the gums that sure feel hard to the touch. I think that's just the goofy angle making the tie look worse than it is. He has an ok latch thankfully.