My husband and I are expecting our first child in a few months, so we’re doing our research & reading what to expect for the year ahead. We have read from multiple sources that ‘rooming in’ is something we should consider. We love this idea: keeping a bassinet by the bed for easy feedings and to keep an eye on Little One. But we’ve also heard from parents Who’ve Been There, that it helps to split up the night into shifts, and move the ‘active’ parent’s station to the nursery, so they can feed and soothe the baby, change diapers, etc during their ‘shift’ without disturbing the other partner’s sleep....

Quickies have a weird rap. Sneaking away for 10 minutes to bang in a closet or bathroom is considered the exclusive territory of horny coeds, entirely too obvious couples at office holiday parties, and thinly drawn rom-com characters. They’re also notoriously unsexy. But, executed correctly, the quickie offers a much-needed opportunity to relieve stress, strengthen a relationship, and get off at a time when intimacy, connection, and, well, time, are luxuries....

How much of yourself do you have to give to your partner in support, and what is the true cost if you forget yourself in the process? The fact of the matter is this: Living with a spouse with depression isn’t impossible, but the question of how to support someone with depression without jeopardizing other bonds is complicated. There are a lot of questions. Some lack answers, but — and this is the thinnest of silver linings — most don’t....

“There’s only so much we can do that’s meddling in our kid’s life. It’s not like we’re messing with a chessboard,” says Dr. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, a Temple University professor, early learning researcher, and advocate for preschool social engineering. Hirsh-Pasek thinks it’s important to acknowledge that preschoolers are malleable creatures with fluid friendships and that, as such, they should be both respected and understood in terms of their actual motivations. “They’ll like the kids that have the toys they like and play the games they want to play,” she points out....

“If you’re showing some potential, there are a few tricks you can incorporate to dial it in for those shirtless occasions,” Chris DiVecchio, a personal trainer, told Fatherly. Here are the highlights: Get a Good Night’s Sleep Sleeping a solid eight hours can make you look slightly trimmer, because lack of sleep causes stress hormones like cortisol to spike, which in turn makes your body retain water. Likewise, it gives muscle tissue time to repair and build from past workouts, ensuring that past efforts will not be ignored “A good night’s sleep helps everything,” trainer Robert Herbst says....

So what is Ranch Water? Well, it’s really just the Texas name for a tequila highball. It’s typically made with blanco tequila, Topo Chico sparkling mineral water, and garnished with lime. Often, tequila and a squeeze of lime are added directly to the long-necked bottle. How is that different from the tequila and soda folks have been ordering for years? It’s not really. But it is a much cooler, more marketable title....

That may be changing, however. As the demand for high-quality audio grows, many services have settings you can tick to increase sound quality. Then there’s the hardware option. A quality pair of headphones or even upgrading your device can dramatically improve and enhance the listening experience. Finally, software companies are already making strides in tackling the issue. Here’s everything you need to make your streaming music sound better. Check Your Settings For just about every streaming service, simple setting changes ensure you get better-than-average sound quality — at a cost....

Even without being the source of sustenance, there are countless opportunities for a father to bond with a baby, beginning almost immediately through skin-to-skin contact, which has been shown to help forge emotional bonds. The benefits of dad holding a baby while both are shirtless are myriad. Chief among them, when a dad gets his shirt off, it offers the closest approximation to breastfeeding that a dad can experience. There are also benefits to growth and intellectual development involved in simply laying shirtless with cuddling with a mostly naked baby (leave that diaper on)....

In short, emotional regulation is a crucial skills for parents. The case for training or fine-tuning yours is simple: The world is full of stressors, from those brought on by COVID to the daily ones you face down. When parents can keep their emotions in check — read: feel them and interrogate them, but also not let them run rampant — everyone is happier and healthier. Kids especially. One of the most crucial lessons for kids to learn is how to understand and deal with their emotions....

RELATED: Hurricane Harvey Will Cause Long-Term Psychological Damage To Kids What Harbaugh does is good, important work. And it’s good, important work that just so happens to take him away from his family for long stretches of time. When he returns from relief missions, he’s sometimes missed birthdays, holidays, and ball games. But Harbaugh feels stronger for having served others and is convinced his children are, too (even though his pre-teen daughter, intentionally or not, makes him feel a bit guilty)....

The process takes time, and parents have to understand and remember that honesty is not as simple as telling the truth. Kids are not taught to be totally truthful, and they shouldn’t be. Total honesty is socially unacceptable, says child psychologist Gene Beresin, who heads the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also says that teaching honesty is a complex and nuanced long-game. “Knowing right from wrong precedes what we call ‘honesty’ and ‘the truth....

No, the mess will never be reduced to zero. And, in fact, it shouldn’t be, according to pediatric nutrition specialist and registered dietitian nutritionist Angela Lemond, owner of Lemond Nutrition in Plano, Texas. “We have to look at what food is like as a toddler,” she explains. “Just like anything else, food is a discovery for them and if they’re going to get used to different textures and flavors you have to understand that some of this playing with food is going to be an exploration for them....

apologize to each other is a familiar script to any parent: “Tell Billy you’re sorry you hit him!” But anyone who has witnessed a child’s forced apology would be hard-pressed to find it meaningful. Teaching kids what it actually means to forgive someone — and to sincerely apologize to and seek forgiveness themselves — is a crucial life skill, even if it’s hard to come by. “When we talk about wanting to teach kids to forgive, it’s about wanting them to be able to successfully socially engage with others and repair relationships,” says Kelly Lynn Mulvey, Ph....

“The idea is really simple,” explains child psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, author of Captain Snout and the Super Power Questions. “Our thoughts can help us feel happy, joyful, peaceful, angry, mad or sad. They’re very powerful.” What Type of Parent Are You? TAKE THE QUIZ! Amen says that children can be given tools to take control of those thoughts or take up arms against them. And when the thoughts are subdued, the chemical tides that cause them tend to follow suit....

Here’s how to tell if a baby is happy when the baby can’t communicate happiness. And, no, the answers aren’t satisfying so don’t say we didn’t warn you. The Easy Way to Tell If a Newborn is a Happy Baby Is the baby crying? No? Then they’re probably good. “When a child is only weeks old, the way they express themselves is really very simple — it’s a level of distress or contentment,” says Nicci Schmidt, Research Program Manager of The Baby Brain and Behavior Project at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison....

There’s only one thing you should know: this is a dumb idea. “You can’t,” says Dr. Robyn Landow, a psychologist in New York City. Your advice might be spot-on, but it won’t be heard. For one, you’re not giving him a revelation – he’s aware of his life. Telling him something he knows and telling him what to do doesn’t make him want to do it. That approach has never made anyone want to listen....

It’s Hard To Toddler-Proof A Christmas Tree Because Everything On It Looks So Appealing You might think such heli-parenting paranoia flies in the face of the holiday spirit, but the annual threat of the Christmas tree is, unfortunately, very real. Toddlers and infants see tinsel, lights, and ornaments as a glorious curiosity. And children in this age group, like puppies and TV chefs, explore with their mouths. It definitely doesn’t help that many ornaments are intentionally made to resemble food....

One big aspect of validation is simply being there when your spouse has a problem. This calls for: Not talking. Not saying how you did it or would do it. And, and, and not giving unsolicited advice. It’s about listening and offering a well-placed, “I’m with you.” But you knew that. When you’re in a conversation, the cues are pretty obvious. READ MORE: THE ONE SEEMINGLY HARMLESS PHRASE ALL HUSBANDS NEED TO STOP SAYING But validation doesn’t always take a recognizable form, because more than listening, it’s about recognizing....

The pure intensity and inherent risk involved in Honnold’s feat is undoubtedly the film’s main attraction. But, as a father of four and a youth outdoor educator, I believe it is not the most important story of “Free Solo” for our kids. The movie is ripe with critical messages that kids need today, but I worry that, unless highlighted, they might be lost in the masterful cinematography and sheer accomplishment of Honnold’s climbing El Cap with nothing but a pair of shoes and a chalk bag....

Drinking for me was a release. I needed it. Hanging out with babies and watching Nick Jr. can take its toll on a man. At least that’s what I would tell myself. There was just this feeling like I was always “working” when it came to looking after the kids and trying to keep up with house stuff. For the first eight years of fatherhood, that was a good excuse to have a drink....