Going to be a dad

The best advice I can pass along is:

1.) Don't buy any of the baby crap that is being pushed on to you.
2.) What you do need is a metric-*bleep*-ton of diapers. And then 3 days later you'll be buying more. And more.
3.) Vomit cloths. Always a barrier between their mouth and your clothes. You will still be puked on. A lot. (Boys will pee on you... my boy somehow shot poop over 6 feet onto my daughter's face when I was changing him when he was somewhat new. I knew to dodge, she didn't.)
4.) Don't buy any fancy baby clothes. For the first 6 months of life (other than the obligatory 2-3 photo outfits) your kid will be wearing some form of PJ's - in your choice of flavor. Onesies, sleep sacks, whatever. You need a bunch of those.
5.) If you end up having to do formula you are not a failure. (Lots of bottles and one of those steam heaters are lifesavers)
6.) Get a good car seat. And the stroller frame that the car seat clips into. (Speaking of strollers, smaller and lighter the better.... to start you'll never take the munchkin out of the car seat so just the small frame one is good. You'll be carrying around a bunch of stuff so keep everything as easy and light as possible.)
7.) Sleep as much as you can beforehand, do couple stuff if you can, it's you last alone time for the next 19 years.
8.) Seriously, #7. There were times I was so happy that I got 'stuck' on a 3 day on reserve because all I did was sleep 12 hours a night. It was glorious.
9.) Don't listen to people's nutty parenting advice. And you'll get tons of it. Strangers will judge you every time you leave your house. Ignore them.
10.) It really is awesome. You really do turn into a better version of your own parents.
 
Ehh ... my eldest turned 38 today and has three children of his own.

He was worth every diaper changed, every vomit on a shirt or suit, every new challenge the passing years brought.

Time flies. Make the most of it.
Amen!
 
Best thing I did was become a dad, and honestly it wasn't something I planned. Congratulations, welcome to the beginning of a fundamental perspective shift that will effect every aspect of your existence.

@milleR has a good list up above, do that stuff, also, remember, do stuff that you want to do still - you've got a lot of responsibility now, more than you had before, but you still need to be able to do the stuff you want to do and have fun. Don't let the weight of being responsible for another life make you forget how to enjoy yours.
 
Expecting a boy in 2021, our first. Excited, scared, nervous, and my wallet feels lighter already
Congratulations! Remember to listen to anything he wants to tell you. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when he is little, he won't tell you the big stuff when he is big, because to him all of it is big stuff.
 
Expecting a boy in 2021, our first. Excited, scared, nervous, and my wallet feels lighter already

haha I was so stressed about the money for the first too. Don't sweat it, diapers suck but you have a couple years before you start having to shell out the real cash for daycare/preschool (if both of you work at least). Then you get a return on your tax dollars a few years later if public school is a reasonable option for them (is here, not always the case). You'll enjoy it mostly, sometimes will really suck balls though. Oh yeah, if he/she breast feeds, my experience with 2 baby boys tells me that they could give an F that you exist for the first 12 months or so. You'll feel useless and not connected. Rest assured they very quickly want a relationship after that, which is cool. I think the transition is quicker for bottle fed kids when you are part of that process. Kind of like the dog who is loyal to he who feeds them. Congrats brother! Life is about to get profoundly different, but not in a bad way. Just different.
 
Thanks to all of you. My wife is halfway joking that we aren’t going to reinforce the airplane thing. Unfortunately for her though he’s already got a dozen or so onesies from friends and families with airplanes on them and one pilot onesie. None of my pilot friends have bought him any of these, this is all from family and non aviation friends.

I do say halfway joking, and I mean halfway joking
 
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Have a safe word with your wife for when one of you can't take anymore and has to pass the child onto the other person. You don't think you'd ever harm your child, but you're about to be tired to a tortuous level, and nobody knows how they'll respond.
 
Now that you're gonna be a dad, you have to follow these insta accounts:



 
11,8 and 8 here.

Having twins taught me that no two children are the same. Ever.

Just because Johnny down the street can sing his ABC’s at 4 months doesn’t mean yours should be able to.

When the kid gets a bit older, let them fall, encourage them to explore (space and boundaries). You can tell them time and time again something will hurt, but the only way they learn is by doing it anyways and getting hurt.

When your baby learns to self sooth- you’ll finally breath a sigh of relief, and maybe, just maybe actually get a nights sleep :)


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Update: I am a dad

He came almost a month early, but thankfully waited until I got home. So far so good, he’s sleeping and doing well, mom is resting too. Everyone tells you it’s an indescribable feeling holding your child for the first time, they’re right
 
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Excellent news; congratulations and blessings to you and your wife and child for a safe and sound delivery -- especially so early.
 
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