Category archive: advice

September 3, 2004

Learn to Play the Brazelton Way (with some Disney and McKinsey thrown in)

They say play is a child's work. And just as work could mean anything from alleviating world hunger to hoarding red staplers, play can be a timesink or a richly rewarding developmental experience. (Hint: you want the latter.) Which is...
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September 1, 2004

Grrrr, If she's so tired, why won't she go to sleep??

I mean, I've explained the situation to her multiple times. The signs are obvious. She's not having fun playing, in fact, she's just fussy and constandly rubbing her eyes. Yet she can spot a "put you to sleep" gesture a...
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August 26, 2004

With apologies to the ladies in the audience

I've never had a dog, so there was one advantage of having a kid I wasn't familiar with: it's someone to blame a fart or two on. There are limits, though. Sometimes, when the limits of plausibility are reached--or exceeded--such...
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When traveling with baby formula

Opt for the double freezer bagging rather than just putting the cannister in your suitcase. And be sure to press out as much of the air as possible from those bags. Otherwise, the combination of air pressure changes and baggage...
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August 23, 2004

Opium: It's not just for teething anymore.

In discussing our recent longhaul travels, I've been a little freaked out by how many people mention drugs. A guy in the row behind us: "Good job, whadja give her?" A flight attendant: "I always use Dimetapp." Another: "On the...
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August 17, 2004

Stopping the flip-flopping?

Jet lag doesn't seem to be a problem; the kid takes about three days--like the rest of us--to adjust her schedule, both coming and going (we were trying to get her back on schedule, and had two major wakeup-feedings, then...
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August 7, 2004

Taking your non-Asian baby to Japan: A Phrasebook

KAWAIIIIII! (kah-wah-eeeeeeeee) Cute. Used as an exclamation by 98% of the Japanese women of any age when they see your kid. Hana ga takai! (hah-nah gah tah-kai) What a big nose! and O-tosan ni sokkuri! (oh-toe-sahn nee soak-curry) She look...
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August 4, 2004

quick japan update

1. flying 14 hrs was a breeze. the kid slept 8-9 w/no drugs, no crying, the only problem was over-eager-to-help-and-hold-her neighbors and total randoms. 2. oh, except she goes berserk as soon as the plane pushes back from the gate....
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July 29, 2004

Has Anyone Actually MacGyvered a Diaper?

Early on, when the kid had a blowout at Barnes & Noble, and I had only a spare Onesie (R) for a cold day. I had to turn her hoodie into a pair of pants (with a baggy MC-Hammer-style crotch)...
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July 26, 2004

Quality Time: if you can't bill for it, you'll cut it

This is depressing and all too familiar-sounding. On his weblog, Anonymous Lawyer sets off a string of self-flagellating introspection (and little/no action, it seems) with his post, which begins:I asked one of my colleagues if he wanted to play golf...
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Wha wha wha??? Japanese Shirtfolding Video

This is a better computer animation than all three Matrix movies combined. A Japanese TV demonstration of a simple-but-impossible-under-the-laws-of-physics way to fold a shirt. Not even the people at the Gap can understand it. Fortunately, as a New York man,...
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July 22, 2004

That Man Yelling at Your Kid...

...in the museum may be an art critic. He's loud, but generally harmless ...in the art gallery is probably the owner. No 10% discount for you. [via galleryhopper] If you're gonna take the kid to see art--and I heartily encourage...
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July 21, 2004

How to Fly the Daddy Types Way (v1.0)

1. Check everything but the onplane essentials (and your laptop, which won't fit in the diaper bag, so you stuff the emptied diaper bag into your checked luggage and use a camo duckhunting tote from LLBean. 2. Take the stroller...
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July 16, 2004

Maybe do a little modeling

Yeah, yeah, I know every guy thinks his daughter could be a model. But judging by the clean, business-like way the kid puked into the sink after eating, and her rapid, symptom-free recovery, I think she can really do it....
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July 13, 2004

Emergency Fathering Advice from National Lampoon

A 1979 article in National Lampoon gives post-women's lib dads some handy advice. Topics range from the basics of childcare and feeding, to giving the kid some of that "old-fashioned discipline" without facing a child abuse rap. Here's the...
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July 10, 2004

Cutting Kid Nails

Excruciating. The first few times, you don't even think it's possible to clip them without cutting flesh. We did it while the kid was eating, but now that she's actively involved in feeding, this doesn't work so well anymore. You...
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July 2, 2004

Some-niscience

These thoughts go through my head sometimes when I put the kid down to sleep: "I know you're tired, I can tell. Don't fight it. If I just brush this flannel cloth over your cheek, you'll grab it, snuggle up...
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June 28, 2004

Teach The Kid To Fish

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been sitting the kid on the edge of the sink and explaining how I'm making a bottle for her. I show her the steps, do it all right in front of her. Most...
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June 25, 2004

Progress Report, as of 2 min. ago

11:01 AM The kid wakes up at my feet. I pick her up and put her on my lap. "Look at you! You're sitting up! You're sitting up!" "Blech" "You're spitting up!" BRB...
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June 20, 2004

Father's Day: Breakfast Out of Bed

The early mornings before the kid wakes up are prime time to get stuff done, no multitasking required. So when I got up this morning, there was a box of Crunch Berries with a bowl and a note that read,...
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