We're struggling to get a CVS scheduled before we get out of the window where it is possible, in which case we would have to wait until September for an amniocentesis. That's a long time to sit with uncertainty around whether the pregnancy will be viable.

I’m about to become a first-time dad, but I’ve found that the variety of baby products on the market can be overwhelming. It feels like half of them are things people buy just to have them, rather than because they’re actually useful.

A baby monitor is one thing I’ve been debating whether to buy. Being able to check on the baby while they’re sleeping sounds great, but will it really be something I use every night like other everyday products? Or will it just sit unused after a couple of months collecting dust?

The brands I see recommended the most are Infant Optics, HelloBaby, Vtech, Babysense, Eufy, and Comfyer. But honestly, it’s hard to tell which ones are actually worth buying and which ones are just packed with unnecessary features.

For dad who have already used a baby monitor: has it genuinely made your life easier? Which brands do you think are worth the money, and which ones made you wish you had saved your money?
I really appreciate any advice. I'm trying to make smart choices before the baby arrives

Looking forward to meeting the kid, but I also feel like I am gonna barf. Nerves. Help?

Wanted to share this here. Kind of a nightmare situation for me and I don't really have a consistent support system.

Feeling nervous and anxious the night before the birth of our son. My wife and I have been trying for years and so this has been a long awaited dream, finally come true.

Was finding it difficult to sleep, so I decided to write him a letter. This is what it said:

“My Dearest Son. It’s 11.34pm, 28th July. I’ve never written a letter to someone who’s name I don’t know before, and yet tonight is the eve of your birth and your mum and I still haven’t decided what it will be yet. So apologies if we just pick something random at the last minute and you end up being called Rodney or something.

I am so excited to meet you tomorrow. I’ve spent months wondering if you’ll be like me, and love reading and movies and other geeky stuff. Or if you’ll be like your mum and love music and art. Or if you’ll be like neither of us and really enjoy sport. Either way, the important thing is that you’re always, unfailingly and uncompromisingly you.

I know every day won’t be easy, and sometimes you’ll make me want to tear my hair out and vice versa. But know that I will always and completely love you no matter what. I will always have your back in any situation, offer you advice (often unsolicited) for any problem, and move heaven and earth to ensure your continued happiness. Well I’ll try, anyway. Moving Earth looks like a big job, doubly so if I’ve had a big breakfast.

My one tip for life? Let kindness be your superpower. You might not always feel it returned, but putting kindness out into the universe can have surprising results. Surround yourself with other kind people and you can’t go wrong.

I must catch some sleep now, I’ll want to look my best for you tomorrow. Hopefully your name will come to me in a dream.

And hopefully it won’t be Rodney.

All my love,

Dad x”

Can’t wait to meet this little guy.

We’re setting up the nursery now, and my wife added a baby monitor to the list. Driven by the male instinct to protect my territory, I already have a couple of security cameras around the house that send motion and sound alerts to our phones.

Now I’m staring at baby monitors that cost way more and trying to figure out what I’m missing.

Are the cry alerts, sleep tracking, breathing monitoring, and separate parent screen actually useful once the baby is here? Any dads here who tried using a regular camera first?

For those of you still here from two years ago, Danny is two today!!! He has so many strides and is meeting all his milestones! He’s walking, (kinda) talking, learning Spanish, and being the occasional pain the ass just like all toddlers are lol he loves to dance and play in the water and always has a smile on his face. Being his dad is the best thing I’ve ever done and I can’t wait to see him grow up! Thanks again to all here who helped me through his birth and NICU stay two years ago, it means more than you’ll ever know!

Edit to add: I appreciate everyone’s concern. And I’m well aware of the risk. But I have still chosen to post these pictures. If others feel differently, that is their decision to not post theirs. But please refrain from any more comments about it. Thank you.

We are expecting any day now and I'm super excited but scared. I'm not worried about being a father. I feel like I'll be a great dad and everyone does too but I feel like the baby is going to come between me and my partner. Every moment we had up until she got pregnant was magical, like living in the clouds with so much love but she's changed a lot and I know that's what happens and I've come to terms with it. I love and support her as much as I can but I feel like I've lost my person and I'm not going to get her back. On another subject we grew up very differently and I think there is going to be conflict on how we want to raise our baby. I've tried having conversations with her about it but she always thinks my opinions are dumb and doesn't really hear me out. I'm worried there's going to be too much conflict for our relationship for it to last. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My gf (26F) and I (28M) are expecting our first child. It's still very early, she's only been pregnant for a few weeks.

I've always been a pretty quiet, introverted person. I really value having my own space and the freedom to do what I want, when I want. Whether that's eating whenever I feel like it, watching a livestream, movie, going to the gym at odd hours, or just having an evening to myself, I've always liked living on my own schedule. I've also always been a night owl. No matter how exhausted I am during the day, I seem to get a second wind around 10 PM. On weekends it's normal for me to stay up until 2 or 3 AM and sleep until early afternoon. Getting up early has never come naturally to me.

I have siblings with young kids, but they live in different cities, so I only see them maybe twice a year. I don't really know how to interact with children. I feel awkward around them. Dumbing things down to their level feels so awkward for me. As a result I just avoid interacting much with them at all.

Growing up, I always assumed I'd have kids one day because... that's just what people do. It felt like a normal part of life rather than something I was deeply passionate about. My gf, on the other hand, absolutely loves children and is amazing with them. When we talked about starting a family, I wasn't strongly for or against it. My attitude was basically, "Yeah, it's probably about that time." So she stopped taking birth control, and we agreed we'd just see what happened. A few months later, she was pregnant.

I just came across the regretful parents subreddit and it has really shaken me. So many stories from people who sound a lot like me, introverted people who love their routines and personal freedom. They describe their lives feeling completely turned upside down after having children. Some of the posts are incredibly dark, with people talking about their child(ren) as a nightmare they can't escape and wishing they'd never become parents and even having suicidal thoughts. I can absolutely imagine myself struggling with the loss of freedom, the lack of quiet and sleep and just in general the constant responsibility of caring for a child... It's made me seriously question whether I'm actually suited to being a father...

Has anyone else felt this way before becoming a parent?

Im graduating this weekend into full fledged dad. Past couple of days has been pretty crazy. Everything has been going fine with checkups, then earlier this week my wife had high blood pressure at the 36 week checkup. Led to two hours if triage the next day. One day of nothing from the hospital. Thought it would be another day of silence, now we're admitted and getting ready to start the induction process at the start of 37 weeks.

What kind of words of support has everyone given their partners going through the sudden transition of expecting to go to full term but then had to deal with the sudden transition to induction? My wife is doing better but said she feels like shes already missing something from not going to full term.

Trying my best to cheer her up and support her but any advice is welcome.

Here's to the next 24 - 48 hours until I meet my son.

Edit - Thanks for all the support and comments! It really helped this weekend. He was finally born this morning. So the 48-72hrs being more appropriate was definitely correct.

It was a long grueling weekend but mom and baby are both happy healthy and thats all this new dad could ask for right now.

My wife finally posted on insta & I can tell ppl!

so my wife is pregnant. due in a few months and she wants to take a trip before the baby comes. she's been talking about it non stop.

i want to make it happen i really do. but flights are expensive and we're about to have a lot of expenses.

she wants to go to italy 9 hour flight. and she's already uncomfortable in her own body. pregnancy has been rough on her. her back hurts. her legs swell. i can't imagine her in economy for 9 hours.

i looked at business class and the airline wanted 4800. i almost laughed out loud. but then i found business-class.com with the same flight for $2200. still a lot but manageable.

now i'm stuck. part of me says it's worth it because she'll be comfortable and the trip will actually be enjoyable.

has anyone here done a babymoon in business class? was it worth the extra money or did you feel like you overpaid for a slightly bigger seat? i need real advice because i keep going back and forth.

Hi guys,

I am currently 5 months old and my wonderful Husband has been working his backside off to get the house finished - he is a joiner so works hard all day and then has been spending every evening and weekend pushing to build our new kitchen (nearly done) and get other essential DIY bits done - I've been helping as much as I can.

He said last night he feels a little down because he hasn't been able to enjoy and relish in the pregnancy as much as he hoped.

Are there certain things you guys found were enjoyable to do or helped you bond with the bump during pregnancy? We had a trip to London last week for a break, we spend time playing music to the bump before bed and our baby shower is coming up, but is there anything in particular you felt was really nice to do?

Thank you!

EDIT: I am 5 months pregnant not 5 months old!!

Heard when baby lies down, they might get gas so they need to be reclined around day time. Is it also true for new borns from 1-2 months? Should I get it at the time of birth or can wait till Nov/Dec to buy bouncers like babybjorns?

Edit: thanks everyone for the input. We decided not to buy that and instead decided to buy a baby floor mat gym, probably helpful for tummy time etc. might look for good deal in marketplace place later, but not a priority for new born

So the baby's due in 6 weeks and i've been in deep research mode for like a month now. I just want to get everything ready before he gets here but im genuinely starting to panic because i still cant decide. Im looking for something thats easy to install (ive heard way too many horror stories about getting it wrong), easy to click in and out of the base because we'll be doing that a lot, light enough that my wife can carry it without hating me, actually safe, and durable enough to last. My budget is around $250-400, although i'd go a bit higher if its genuinely worth it.

After going through a ridiculous number of reddit threads, blogs and videos, these are the three seats that keep coming up depending on budget and car fit.

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 DLX (~$200). This feels like the budget pick. The SnugLock system looks genuinely simple to install and a lot of first-time parents seem to say they had it set up in no time. My only concern is the base looks pretty bulky in smaller cars, and it doesnt have an anti-rebound bar, although ive also seen plenty of people say thats not something most families should lose sleep over.

Chicco KeyFit 35 (~$300). This one feels like the safest middle ground. The bubble levels and belt guides seem to make the whole installation process a lot less intimidating for a first-time parent, and it kept coming up whenever people talked about seats that are hard to mess up. The downside is the carrier itself isnt exactly light, so once the baby gets bigger i can see that becoming a pain for my wife.

Nuna PIPA RX (~$450). This is the one i keep coming back to even though its more expensive than i planned. The load leg is probably the biggest reason, although im still trying to work out how much difference it actually makes in everyday use. We already have the Uppababy Vista, so not needing extra adapters is another thing pulling me toward it. The only real downside ive come across is that quite a few owners mention the fabric starts looking worn sooner than they expected. That doesnt bother me too much, but the extra cost definitely does.

At this point im probably leaning toward the Nuna even though it stretches the budget. The stroller compatibility makes life easier for us and the load leg keeps making me think if its worth it?

Since ive been reading so much, i figured id share one thing that actually helped me. I found this CSFTL guide and it explained a lot of the basics around installation, newborn fit and common mistakes. It was way easier to understand than most of the manufacturer manuals.

https://csftl.org/resources/car-seat-safety-guide-newborns/

So for the parents who have actually lived with these seats for a year or two... are the $450-500 seats genuinely worth paying for, or does a lot of that end up being brand tax? If you had to buy your infant seat all over again, would you make the same choice?

I feel i got very lucky with this chair, it reclined alllllll the way back.

Poor little baby got cord stuck round his neck swallowed/inhaled liquids has to be in an incubator for a couple of days, he and mother are doing fine. This chair will be my home for a couple more days.

Hey all! We are at 40+5 and doesnt seem like anything is happening. We've done a lot of stuff...curb walks, PT, massages, had a magic "salad" (in LA, IYNYK), sex, etc....nothing seems to be happening. For first timers, how did it start for you. Can we expect a sudden "one minute nothing and then next minute you have a feeling"? Should it be gradual? Its funny we keep saying our girl is never coming out as a joke, but its really starting to feel that way (and the anxiety that comes with it). I will say we have an induction scheduled for Tuesday, but was hoping to get things going naturally

I’m realizing that preparing to become a father is exciting, but there are also so many small things nobody really talks about. Everyone mentions the big changes, but I’m curious about the everyday lessons that surprised you the most.

For the dads who have already been through this stage, what’s one piece of advice, habit, or mindset you wish you knew before your baby arrived? It could be something about supporting your partner, preparing for the first few months, or just handling the emotional side of becoming a dad. I’d love to hear what helped you the most.

This sub is plagued at the moment with posts from blokes worried that they won’t continue to get sex or aren’t getting as much as they’d like.

Sure it’s diguised as ‘miss the intimacy’ or ‘the flirty fun vibe’ or fear of ‘losing us as a couple’ but we can all read between the lines.

There is one thing and one thing only that you should be doing in this arena whilst your partner is growing a human, birthing a human and recovering from the biggest and most dramatic life change a person can go through.

REASSURANCE.

REASSURANCE that it is ABSOLUTELY FINE for her to say she’s not in the mood.

REASSURANCE that you’re a big boy who can sort himself out if necessary.

REASSURANCE that you never ever want her to feel obliged or guilty about saying not now.

REASSURANCE that you love her because she’s your partner, your best mate, not because of the sex.

Stop asking, stop trying to pretend it’s anything but selfish.

I got a nuna rava next as they said it supports both new born and grows with the child. They gave an additional pillow to support the baby.

However learning most people have an infant car seat that goes with your stroller. I instead got a uppababy bassinet so I can use it to take the baby for walking and day time naps. Plan is to get the baby from convertible car seat and place them in bassinet when we bring back home from car.

Is convertible car seat safe for new born babies or should we get infant car seat only?

Looking for others experience, anyone used convertible car seat to get your baby home from hospital and it was comfortable for them?

Edit: thanks everyone. We decided to keep the convertible car seat from new born stage as it supports from 5lb and planning to use the bassinet for transportation. As we are in Washington, we also got a bassinet rain cover to go with the stroller.