Diaper Dude: The Ultimate Dad's Guide to Surviving the First Two Years - Softcover

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Chris Pegula, actor-turned-father-turned-designer, is the creator of Diaper Dude, America’s most high-profile line of hip gear for cool dads. After the birth of the first of his three children, Pegula noticed that most diaper bags and accessories were designed with women’s sense of style in mind and created the Diaper Dude for dads. In addressing a simple need, Pegula revolutionized an industry. He has since has been featured on Rachael Ray, Ellen, The Nate Berkus Show, E! News, HGTV’s Gotta Have It!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and numerous other TV and radio spots. Since the launch of Diaper Dude, Chris has emerged as a lifestyle expert on all things family, parenting, and partner-related.

After penning rock n’ roll biographies on acts such as The Ramones, Van Halen and Phil Spector, Frank Meyer teamed up with Chris Pegula for 2014’s From Dude to Dad: The Diaper Dude Guide to Pregnancy. In addition to his writing career (Variety, LA Weekly, New Times), Meyer has a background as a Telly, Webby and W3 award winning digital content producer for Fender Guitars and G4tv, and has directed national TV commercials for the likes of NBC, Esquire Network, Sonic, Dyson, BMW, Subway, Little Caesars and Sonic.

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Chapter 1

The Arrival

Our firstborn, Kai, was born at exactly 7:11 a.m. Iremember that night as if it were yesterday. After twelve hours of waiting andwondering, Kai finally arrived without a hitch. His lungs were robust, hisscream powerful, and his reaction to entering this world unforgettable.“Waaaaaahhhhhh!” It was like a fire alarm. There was no mistaking the intensityof this little dude when he arrived into our lives. If his volume alone wasindicative of his feelings, Kai was as mad as hell that we took him out of hiswarm digs and was not averse to voicing his displeasure. Loudly. If there werea crystal glass in our room at the time of his arrival, I am positive he wouldhave shattered it. But once I cut the cord and had the chance to hold him in myarms, he was at peace. He was where he was meant to be. Life was good.

After my wife, Meredith, had the chance to lock eyes withKai and caress his skin for a brief moment, the nurses stepped in to performtheir inaugural duties and he was whisked off in preparation to be handed overto his parents for good. It was amazing to watch their ease and confidence asthey bathed and weighed him, suctioned his airways, pricked his skin todetermine his blood type, took his temperature, scrubbed his scalp, clothedhim, and finally swaddled him up. (Swaddling calms the nerves and makes babiesfeel secure, but more on that in a few.) These moments occurred quickly andeffortlessly. I tried desperately to keep up and take notes on each task. (Ifonly the iPhone had been invented sixteen years ago!)

Having alone time with your partner and newborn is amust. Try to create a calm and peaceful environment as you introduce yourselvesofficially as mom and dad. Take this time to absorb this new dynamic.

“I was exhausted, so I was happy you dealt with thehospital and were more the eyes and ears than I was,” Meredith confessed to merecently. “You later told me that you were faking it, but you made me feel likeyou knew what you were doing.”

Blood Type

Among the tests your newborn undergoes after birth isdetermining the blood type. To this day I keep forgetting what my blood typeis, much less my kids’. It is wise to store this information in a place youremember and can easily access.

The universe is powerful and can work in your favor ifyou let it. Take the time to breathe in this new gift delivered into yourlives. You’ll have plenty of time later on to celebrate with your friends andfamily as they congratulate you on your new arrival. Be warned, though: having alittle space is something you should address ahead of time with relatives andfriends who might arrive without notice. Your partner has just been through theringer. Now you are her buffer from the outside world and the anxiety,frustration, and germs that can work their way into your sacred space.

The First Few Nights

The next few nights are a whirlwind and you won’t begetting much sleep. Your partner, on the other hand, can use all the sleep shecan get, so encourage it. Help her make it so. Depending on whether thedelivery was vaginal or by C-section, she is going to be in pain, and allowingher to rest will assist in the breast-feeding experience if she goes thatroute.

My wife’s exhaustion just wiped her out and she washardly in any shape to start breast-feeding. I, of course, was clueless as towhat to do. That is, until Corky, the hospital lactation specialist, grabbed meby the arm and instructed me on the ins and outs of “latching onto the boob.”This was not your typical interaction with a stranger. After all, I had justmet this woman, and we were talking about my wife’s breasts. To give hercredit, Corky knew how to speak the language and relate breast-feeding to guys.Using the analogy of holding a football, she executed the play on how toencourage Kai to latch on and feed from the breast. Eventually the awkwardnessslips away and the football hold becomes your child.

Pee-Blocking Devices

When it’s time to change your boy, unless you’reincredibly fast, you are bound to need assistance to prevent getting showeredon. Check out the Pee-pee Teepee. Yes, that’s a real thing and is exactly whatit sounds like. They are dome covers made of combed cotton designedspecifically to keep urine from spraying in your eyes. When our youngest, Cole,came home from the hospital, we had our nurse help us out, since we had twoother children at the time. The first time she changed Cole’s diaper he letloose and got her right in the kisser. Well, at least they say that urine issterile!

Changing a diaper was not so foreign to me. Having fivesiblings, I had encountered a dirty diaper or two among my numerous nieces andnephews. But changing the diaper of my son was a different story. Let me adviseyou to keep a blockade of some type to protect the wild sprayings of your newson’s tool. More than once I learned the hard way to block, duck, and cover.But with practice comes perfection, and now I can dodge pee with the best of’em. (Hmmm . . . that sounded awkward.) I’m sure you will be able to diaperyour dude with ease soon, but until then, be patient. If you have a girl, thenbe sure to get a rundown from your nurse or doula on how to clean a dirtydiaper. Among other things, you’ll learn to go from front to back when wipingclean, to avoid infection.

* Parent Hack

      Having troublewith those first few cleanings?

Cleaning those first few tar-like poops (meconium) can betricky. Try using a little coconut or almond oil on baby’s bottom to makecleaning easier. It gets baby’s tushy just moisturized enough so that the doodyshould wipe off with ease.

Swaddling is an essential skill you must master. Beingsnugly swaddled actually mimics the security that your newborn felt while inthe womb and will save you from those moments when baby is struggling to get somesleep. Swaddling is an art unto itself, and practice makes perfect. Use theseguidelines to help you turn your little one into the perfect burrito. Practicewith a doll first. Don’t wrap too loosely or else your lil’ one will wiggleright out of his blanket. Don’t wrap too tightly or she’ll be uncomfortable.Kids can get squirmy, and unless you’ve perfected the art, you might have ahard time at first. Check to make sure your baby is not overheating. If younotice your baby’s getting warm or sweating, unwrap her or turn on the air tocool her down. It takes time to get it right, but you’ll be surprised howquickly you will be able to swaddle with your eyes closed. (Pro tip: don’tactually close your eyes.)

SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome is the death of an infantbefore one year old that can’t quite be explained. Often it’s the result ofaccidental suffocation or strangling that occurs if items are left unattendedin the baby’s crib.

By the end of the day of Kai’s birth, I longed for someshut-eye. Meredith and I chose to keep him in our room to sleep while in thehospital. We were paranoid about the baby being switched or stolen like we’dseen on TV. (I know, but we were watching a lot of Lifetime movies and Law& Order: Special Victims Unit at the time.) In hindsight, having Kai sleepin the nursery might have been a great choice, and would’ve allowed Mer and meto get some much-needed rest. Instead I spent the night wide awake, constantlystaring at his belly to make sure he was breathing. The fact that...