I would have to admit that I'd be really put out if I were delegated a
household chore and told that this is a wonderful way to "help" with the
baby.  (Not that don't try this ploy as often as I can get away with it.) I
also feel that feeding the baby a bottle is something that feels safe, how
could they mess that up?  It's too easy to buy the wrong kind of cheese on
the grocery list or fold the towels the wrong way. So, I think women, too
have to approach this differently...including me ;o)

My sister-in-law passed on two things that worked for her family that also
worked for mine.  The first was having my husband take his showers or part
of them with our son which gave me time to catnap a few extra minutes or put
on my make-up.  At first he used the sling, then became confident enough to
do without.  As time went on it this turned his former five-minute showers
into twenty minute bonding sessions.  Bath time became such a daddy thing
that I've can count the number of times on my fingers that I've bathed our
son in five years.

The second was reading out loud, especially something that I wanted read to
me, since it really didn't matter to the baby what was being read, just that
he heard his dad's voice.  Sometimes it was a book, at other times just the
newspaper which I never got to read anymore in those early days. To this
day, when the newspaper hits my husband's hands, Nate is right on Daddy's
lap and I don't mind doing dishes or folding laundry and listening, though I
do often request that we move onto another section other than the sports
page ;o)

We also instituted year-round barbecuing twice a week, HIS choice of food.

Lorri Centineo

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