Start Early: Why Waiting To Be The "Fun One" Falls Flat

tim chest baby

If you’re tempted to leave the baby duties to your partner and come back for the “fun part” when they’re old enough to play, I have news for you! Unfortunately... it just doesn’t work that way.

Yes, baby care is hard, because all the skills are new and baby communication is a new language.

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t head off to a new country without doing any language training and expect to cruise through. You’d likely do some reading up, and spend a few weeks on a language app so you could at least order beers and ask for the toilet. After a while there you’d get to know basic directions and muddle through, then if you decided to live there you’d get even better.

Newsflash: A kid is not a holiday destination, this is the rest of your life! My recommendation for all partners is to do the basic prep (like my free postpartum prep guide from my home page) then throw yourself in with the one or two skills you know until you’re competent enough to manage just about everything solo.

This is how you become “fun”. By knowing what your child likes and doesn’t like, knowing what level games they’re able to play, how rough and loud they like to wrestle and when they are getting hungry or just looking for a cuddle on the lounge.

Your brain rewires and skill set adapts by spending time with your child. Things that feel hard now WILL get easier with practice. Meanwhile, your child’s brain remains geared towards one thing - safety. Waiting until the “fun part” to step in doesn’t make you feel like a “safe person” to them.

Be an active, involved parent from early and you will be the ultimate “fun parent”. Wait til later, and it’s unlikely to fly (and also your co-parent will probably hate you).

Congrats on your new bundle - time to get stuck into parenting!

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