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Dad Baby Hugs

My Top 6 Favourite Types of Hugs From The Kids

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One of the benefits to running a dad blog is that I often get approached by companies who give me great ideas for posts that I wouldn’t have normally thought of on my own. This week I was contacted by Huggies who asked me to talk about the benefits of skin-to-skin hugs and how expecting parents can plan for their first skin-to-skin moments using the Hug Plan!

As you will see in a moment, I am definitely a big fan of hugs but not just for my own benefit. Research has shown that there are many benefits of skin-to-skin hugs provided specifically by dads for their babies. Some of those benefits include:

– Temperature control
– Better infant behavioural responses
– Improved bio-psychological markers
– Better interaction behaviour of fathers with their infants
– Reduced stress and anxiety experienced by fathers

As someone who might be classified as “a hugger” I was excited to read some of the research Huggies provided me with, especially because it was specific to the benefits of hugs between fathers and their children. I know what you’re thinking, “but Chris, you don’t have babies anymore!”, and while that may be true, I don’t want to live in a world where there are no hugs. That said, take a look at a few of my favourite types of kid hugs, in no particular order.

1. The After Work Hug – This hug is also commonly known as the “just got in from a business trip” hug and is one of my very favourites. It begins with my kids moving as far away from me as possible before running towards me at top speed and leaping into my arms as we spin around in circles. This is the kind of hug that lets you know just how loved you are and I look forward to it every time!

2. The Sneak Attack Hug – I usually pull this one off during one of our many wrestling matches, usually when the kids think they are about to finally beat me for once. They think I am putting them in an unbreakable hold but really I am just trying to sneak in some extra hug time.

3. The Morning Snuggle Hug – In the #1 spot on my list of all-time favourite hugs is the morning snuggle. This occurs when the kids roll out of bed and slowly make their way to wherever you are located, then crawl into your arms without saying a word. The only downside to this hug is that you know it has to end at some point.

4. The “Everything Will Be Alright” Hug – There is something very powerful in knowing that your hug can somehow help your child feel better when they are hurt or having a bad day. No parent wants their child to go through hard times but there is a comfort in knowing that you’ll always be there.

5. The “I’m Getting Too Old To Hug My Parents” Hug – I like to call this one the lean and turn. This is mostly used by my kids at school drop off or when they are anywhere near anyone who might see them. It involves their arms at their sides as they press their head against my shoulder while simultaneously turning away from me. I could get frustrated by this but I figure they are still technically hugging me so it’s better than nothing!

6. The “Thank You For Buying Me That Thing I Really Want” Hug – Finally, the biggest hug of them all! That hug when you get your kids that thing they have always wanted. Whether it be a toy, concert tickets or in our case lately, a new fidget spinner, these are the hugs where they squeeze the tightest. Even though they forget about the cool thing they got 5 minutes later and it is kind of like buying a hug, I’ll still take it to see that joy on their faces!

So for all you new dads out there, don’t assume that mom is the only one who can provide benefits for baby early on. Get in there and get your hugs right away! Huggies has developed this very cool Hug Plan to get you started on your way to unleashing the many benefits of skin-to-skin contact and it truly is an amazing resource!

You can follow along with Huggies new campaign by searching the #NoBabyUnhugged hashtag and by visiting them at @HuggiesCanada on Twitter and Facebook, and @Huggies on Instagram.

Happy Father’s Day!!!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this campaign.

Munchkin® Canada Grows With Your Baby {Review & Giveaway}

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I’m proud and very excited to have been chosen as one of PTPA’s Brand Ambassadors for Munchkin Canada! My little ones and our Day Care have been using their products for a couple years now so it seemed like a perfect fit. I love the variety they offer and how durable their products are, which is important when you care for 6 kids on a daily basis.

I received a wonderful package of goodies from Munchkin and my kids went right to work by ripping the packages apart and rifling through all the amazing new products. I think their favourite items were the Click Lock™ cups. My kids are really into cups for some reason (no, seriously, they are weird about cups right now) and this was a very welcome sight!

 

 

 

 

 

Munchkin’s new line of Click Lock™ Cups are just right because they just CLICK. These cups feature a simple click-and-lock lid to securely close for a leak proof seal – guaranteed. Parents will see, hear and feel the cup lock, so they have triple assurance against dribbles and drips. Munchkin is so confident these new cups are mess-free, we are backing up the promise with a 100% replacement guarantee.

Click Lock™ cups are available in an assortment of vibrant colors, fun artwork, licensed characters, and styles including sippy, trainer, straw, flip straw and Big Kid™ spout-less. Because sometimes things in life just click!

A couple of Mommy & Daddy’s favourite items were:

Large Dishwasher Basket:

Product Features:

* 40% larger capacity holds more items
* Patented accessory cleaning technology
* Unique slide-and-fold top for easy loading and unloading
* Straw cleaning rack holds 10 straws of various sizes (Awesome!)

 

 

Bath Fun Bubble Blower:

Product Features:

* Battery-powered bubble maker
* Conveniently works with any bath bubble solution1
* 8 rotating wands for continuous bubbles
* Strong suction cup mounting with grippy feet to rest on tub ledge
* Can be used both inside and outside the tub
* Requires 2-AA batteries*

 

 

There were so many great products this month that it was hard to pick only a few. Our daughter is teething right now and really loved the Orajel® Teethers as well. My son is a fish and loved using the bath crayons for his hour long bath! He comes out when he notices his prune hands, haha.

I’m also happy to be able to bring you a giveaway for one of Munchkin’s amazing products! This month I am offering Munchkin’s Nursery Projector & Sound System to one reader. Here are some details on the projector.

 

A voice-activated system with soothing sounds, dreamy images and a comforting nightlight that helps provide an ideal sleep environment – because getting baby to sleep quickly is the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s the little things®.

Product Features

* 10 soothing sounds, including Mozart, lullabies, and white noise
* 3 image discs
* Rotating projector head allows for projection onto the ceiling or wall
* Voice activation feature allows baby to self-soothe
* Optional nightlight and 3 timer settings let Mom customize for baby

 

 

Contest is open to residents of Canada. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

Good Luck! Remember to check out Munchkin Canada on Twitter and Facebook for great deals and more!

I am participating as one of Munchkin Canada’s Ambassadors and I received a package of Munchkin products in exchange for my participation in this campaign. Opinions expressed belong to me and are NOT influenced in any way.

A Letter To My Daughter On Her 2nd Birthday

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Hi Honey, it’s Daddy. I imagine by the time you are able to read this, you’ll be wondering why, to this point, most of the posts have featured stories about your brother.

I don’t have a clever answer for that other than to say that he is able to talk and joke a lot more than you can and that he is able to do a lot more activities than you are able to at your age.

It definitely has nothing to do with loving one of you more than the other because you are equally loved.

On this, your 2nd birthday, I wanted you to have this letter I wrote for you. I know you won’t be able to read it now but maybe someday you’ll look at it and understand how loved you really are.

Did you know that you were the first girl in our family tree in quite some time. Over 70 years if I’m not mistaken.

From the minute you were born, I was proud to be your Daddy.

I was then and still am petrified at times. I have no idea how to raise a girl and I certainly don’t want to mess it up!

You’re growing up so fast, I feel like I’m missing the whole thing, even though I’m right here the whole time.

Just yesterday, you were learning to stand up in your crib; now you jump from your big girl bed and into my arms.

I’m sorry that I sometimes still cut your food up way too small because I forget that you are not a baby anymore.

I sneak into your room at night sometimes too, while everyone is asleep, just to get a peak at you while you are peacefully at rest. These are some of my favorite moments.

When you run to the door screaming “Daddy, Daddy” when I get home from work, my heart literally melts. I don’t know how much longer you are going to do that for so I am going to savor every minute of it until you stop.

I love that you are charismatic and outgoing, just like your Dad. It took me 20 years to break out of my shell and I’m so glad that you seem to have already smashed through yours.

If you want to wear a Tinkerbell costume to the mall, I’m cool with that.

I even love the fact that you are a bit of a Diva. Not so much when you are yelling at me, but when you copy your Mommy’s disciplinary lines, I can’t help but giggle, even though it gets me in trouble.

I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved up to this point. You are such a smart girl and I’m not just saying that because I’m your Dad. Okay, maybe I am but that’s just how I feel about that.

I don’t even care that you still want a soother sometimes, even though the doctor disagrees. What does she know, right?

I fear for the day you bring a boy home for the first time. I’m probably going to be skeptical of him. I’m sorry.

However, I promise to always be there for you though when or if one of those boys breaks your heart. That’s what Daddies do.

I also promise that I am going to go out of my way, at times, to embarrass you. Sometimes I’ll be doing it by accident. That’s what you get when your Dad is a goofball. I realize you don’t get to have a say in your Dad’s personality. Sometimes life isn’t fair (Write that one down).

I honestly believe that you can do anything you want to do in your life. I promise to do all I can to help you become everything you aspire to be.

You can’t be the President of the United States, it’s literally not legal. I’m not sorry about this because being Canadian is pretty awesome too. We’re pretty good at hockey you know.

I don’t want you to do drugs or smoke or drink because those things are bad for you. But I tried them once so I’ll be reasonable about it because I don’t want to be a hypocrite. Consider this your first warning young lady. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Remember when I told you to write that down?

I could write to you all day but I think I’ve made my point.

You bring a new aspect to my life that I never dreamed could be so amazing.

You make me smile when I’m in the worst of moods.

Just the thought of you growing up and moving on brings a tear to my eye (like right now). That’s right, Daddies cry. It’s something you should know about now because it may fall into the embarrassing category when you graduate from high school.

On this, your 2nd Birthday, I want you to know that your Daddy Loves You with all his heart and nothing will ever, EVER happen to change that.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!!