Dull Men's Club

You will he amazed just how much of the dialogue between you and your partner will simply be about poops

Dont be concerned with jaundice its incredibly common

If the plan is for her breastfeed, dont let that hold you back from formula if the milk doesn't come immediately, or if there are latching issues. Just supplement with formula and keep trying. Babies are very tired so they typically only have enough energy to try feed for short bursts.

Second the nose frida

Have a go bag ready for you and your wife a month+ out. We were surprised by my wife's water breaking a month early...about 10 minutes AFTER I had put all laundry in the wash

Velcro swaddles are a must. You can practice doing regular swaddles, but I found the velcro ones to be quick and easy. Something about the act of swaddling helps the kid sleep.

Also, gas is your enemy. Look up how to do abdomin massages and leg kicks for when burping didn't get the job done the first time around. Frida baby has a great product called a Windi gas passer as a last resort. They also have a lot of great other products.

You and especially your partner will be the most tired you have ever been. You will be frustrated and angry for no reason. Stepping outside for 5 minutes for a breather while your kid is safe in a crib is perfectly ok for your sanity.

Practice funny voices and learn a few songs to sing. A lullaby, a wake up song, a hello song and a goodbye song. Diaper changing song, mealtime song... You can make them up. I sang most things when they were little.

First of all, congratulations!

Here's an advice from a Gen X-er: do NOT listen to the Boomers. Not their fault. They had their education by Dr. Spock.

Also, when the kid is there, both you and the lady should get some me-time at regular intervals. Having kids is hard. Take some time off now and then.

I had my first less than three months ago. I got lucky in that mine sleeps through the night, I’ve heard that’s rare. If your baby is good at staying asleep, make lots of noise while they’re napping to get them used to it. It’ll help later in life (they’re less likely to be light sleepers that way). Vacuum, do dishes, listen to music, whatever. Every baby’s different though, if they keep waking up and staying awake, switch things up. Routines can be important too when they’re a bit older. Don’t worry too much about it at first, but around 4 months I’ve heard a baby will start to get into a routine, so keep that in mind. I’m not quite there yet so I can’t comment too much, that’s just something I’ve heard a ton from other parents.

My biggest thing is don’t stress too much. Things will come when they come, you’ll figure it out. There’s a good chance one or both of you will have parental instincts, trust them. If neither have them, that’s okay too. Just do your best. There’s no right or wrong answer. When they’re a bit older, I’ve heard positive reinforcement tends to be more effective and also far better for their mental health than discipline, albeit slower to start. I’m not there yet but that’s what I’m planning on doing. At the end of the day though, don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t a perfect parent. Do your best by your kid and they’ll turn out just fine. Just give them lots of love, always.

Also obviously don’t abuse them or something but that shouldn’t be necessary to say.

From the top of the head: all the stuff you will have to buy, you will, but speaking of diapers, if japanese Merries are sold where you live, that's the shit. Everything else leaks, leaves rash, looks uncomfortable, etc, and you don't want to buy a pack of everything to try out.
And speaking of things you can't buy, one good setup thing. If your wife is going to breastfeed, she would have to get the baby, and then put it back at night. We just removed one side of the baby bed, i fixed it at even height with our bed, and put it right to the side of ours so then my wife could just drag the baby closer and feed without completely waking up. And when done, the kid is already almost where it has to be. This improved our life quality with both kids.

Buy an exercise ball and a foam roller.

Get a good baby carrier. Something similar to this: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ZIaFppcOL._AC_.jpg We had a stroller, but hardly used it. Wearing your kid is so much easier most of the time. Some of my best memories of the early years are going out with my kid in the carrier.

I got a friend who swears by an automatic baby rocker

I used an app to track sleep and feeding. With multi user support. I started with it after our messages was just "he'd sleeping" / he napped at 10 / he woke up now

Just being transparent about these schedules while the other one is at work or whatever was really good

Obviously something you'd wanna do after the tint baby period. We kept it going u till he started kindergarten, then we couldn't track that anymore

I'm the future, when they're 2 or so, whatever you do, DO NOT break the banana.

If you have multiple floors in your house set up somewhere to have diapers and change the baby on both floors. Especially for the first few months.

Start sleep training and establishing a schedule early, in the second or third week. It will help immensely as the schedule solidifies. Also make sure you let your baby go to sleep by themselves at least occasionally.

The overlap between training pets and babies is significant. The same is true with toys for kids and pets. I'm not saying buy dog toys for your kid, but be prepared that any laying around may become the most interesting thing in the world.

Save way more money than you think you will need for your kid's futures. Own a house you can pass on, material property will hold value better than currency.

If global trends persist like they do then 99% of their wealth is going to come from their parents.

Hey, same boat dull man, who built this thing anyways?

Ibprofin will get you through teething. The kid doesn't have to suffer.

Use a blow dryer to warm the baby while you are changing and dry their butt to avoid diaper rash. Also a great way to make them cozy for sleep. Be careful and use a low setting!

if you are musical: Get a harmonica and one of those no hands holders. For the first 6 months your only chance to play will be when holding a sleeping baby.

Then get the cheapest instrument shaped object that resembles your instrument of choice - for the next 3 years your only chance to play will be bath time and you need something that you don't care about ruining if you need to save a drowning baby.

my oldest is 11 and I still haven't found a good practice time for when the kid gets older.

Invest heavily in learning how to take and use deep breaths. My oldest is 12 now and in a lot of ways the baby days are still here.

In particular I'd recommend a wall-powered snot vacuum. They will probably give you a bulb at the hospital. It sucks and should either stay in the birthing unit or just go in the trash. Someone will recommend a Nose Frida or something similar. Those are junk too but are better than the bulbs. The powered one will work much better than your lungs. It's not exactly like a vacuum cleaner, it's more like a water bong. The negative pressure draws the boogies through the water cup where you can just pour it down the sink. Much better than accidentally inhaling it because you pulled too hard or the boogers were thinner than you thought.

Also get that kid on a sleep schedule ASAP. Don't wait or allow other things (like co-sleeping) to replace the sleep schedule. It doesn't really take long for the baby to get it, but one of you will probably want to step in. I did, and I didn't think it would really work, but I am grateful that we took that advice.

Check out Happiest Baby on the block.

She's not eating for two, and pregnant ain't broken.

She should stay as active as possible throughout her pregnancy, and stick to her regular diet... Unless she's obese, then she should cut calories down to a regular diet, otherwise she'll probably get gestational diabetes.

If you live in the southern US, good luck. You'll need it.

Don't give them a pacifier, and keep the thumb out of their mouth. Avoid co-sleeping

Also, remember, for the first 4-5 years, every bad thing that happens to them, will probably be THE WORST thing to ever happen to them, and they're not wrong. Teach them methods of coping and self regulation. Don't just make everything better with sweets, treats, and activities

You will probably overbuy baby stuff. Just make sure you can return it or pass it on.

You will probably need something you don't have for the baby. Yes, babies have the same base needs, but individual babies may have different needs. For instance, they may not tolerate the bibs you have for them. You didn't mess up if you missed something, that's just life.

Get ready to do lots of laundry. Babies produce so, so much laundry. Spitting up on things. Blowout diapers. Other mystery substances. Get all of your fussy, non machine washable clothes and set them aside for a few months.

Make sure you can feed yourselves with little friction for the first few months. Your exhausted, sleep deprived self will thank you. Freeze some meals. Make meal plans ahead of time. Convenience food.

If you are having a biological child, and you are not the carrying parent, this next part is important. Have you ever had surgery, especially major surgery? Remember how much rest and sleep you needed to recover? Giving birth is pretty much exactly like that. (Yes, both C-section and vaginal birth.) But, after the procedure, you don't get to sleep or rest. You have a small creature that depends on you for ALL of its needs, and it will communicate in such a way that it may not be apparent what the problem is. Breastfeeding too? Then you must either feed the child yourself or pump ahead of time so someone else can. There may be a 10 pound weight limit on how much you can carry. Guess what weighs about 10 pounds and keeps getting bigger? And did you know if you carry it with its car seat, it likely weighs MORE than 10 pounds?

If you're not the carrying parent, make sure they can rest as much as you possibly can make it. Recruit help from trusted friends and family. It could even be for the dishes, laundry, cleaning, or cooking. It doesn't even have to be baby care if they aren't comfortable with babies but still want help.

If you are, don't be afraid to assert yourself with your partner if they are slacking with the division of labor.

Don't make rules that punish you. Example, the parents and kid aren't leaving the table until the kid eats their veggies.

Acquire some magnets to amuse the baby, and get a scale for some reason.

Other than that, I'm pretty useless here for advice.

Don't do it.