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Are you experiencing overwhelmed dad burnout? It might show up in many different ways. Some find that their patience is completely gone at the end of the day. Others are awake all night because of their anxiety. There are some dads who have a deep resentment towards their kids.
Here’s the thing nobody warns you about before you become a dad. Sometimes your baby doesn’t want you. They want mom. Only mom. And when mom is running on zero sleep and you step in to help, the baby cries harder like you personally offended them.
Don’t hand the baby back. Don’t run for the exit. The things all dads need to do to quiet a fussy baby come down to three moves: build rapport, use the right tools, and know your go-to techniques when the meltdown hits. Do those three things consistently and the crying fits get easier. Not gone. Easier.
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So, you’re having a baby and wondering what the heck you actually need to do. Here at DadGrades, we have you covered. Congratulations, man. You are about to embark on a wild, chaotic, and beautiful journey.
If you want the quick answer to the biggest things all soon to be dads should know, it boils down to this: accept that you cannot control everything, prioritize your partner’s recovery, get ready for severe sleep deprivation, and stay calm when the crying starts. Fatherhood will change your life forever, but you absolutely can handle it.
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If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a parent, it’s that the best toys aren’t always the loudest, flashiest, or the ones with the biggest marketing budget. They’re the toys your kids keep coming back to long after the excitement of opening the box has worn off.
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Some toys hit different when they’re tied to a memory.
The best food toys and playsets of the summer just got an ice cream glow-up, because Melissa & Doug teamed up with Van Leeuwen on a wooden scoop shop you can run right from your living room. It drops just before National Ice Cream Month in July, it comes with coins for real free scoops, and full disclosure, it got me in my feelings a little.
I’ll explain why in a minute.
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One of the coolest parts of being a dad is watching your kids pick up pieces of who you are. Sometimes it’s your mannerisms. Sometimes it’s your sense of humor. And sometimes it’s your style.
I still remember being a kid and wanting to dress like the adults I looked up to. Whether it was a favorite athlete, rapper, uncle, or my dad, there was something special about putting on an outfit that made you feel connected to someone you admired.
Now that I’m a father, I get to experience that from the other side.
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I love that we’re finally talking about mental health out loud. As a dad, whenever I see a real initiative to equip youth and young adults with the tools they need to manage their minds, I’m going to shout it from the rooftops.
If you want to know how to lower your child’s anxiety, the absolute best approach is a mix of setting digital boundaries, modeling emotional health, and literally dragging them outside to touch grass.
Google just announced a partnership with Active Minds, donating $5 million for a massive national expansion of mental health and digital wellbeing programming. Their goal? Equipping 100,000 young people with the skills and self-efficacy to take action for their mental health.
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