One of the major things we do as soon to be dad or being a new dad is Worry. This comes in all different forms.  We worry about their health, their sleep, that they are going to the bathroom, all kinds of stuff.  Probably the biggest area of worry and concern is the safety of your child. Episode 72 is all about safety. I recall being so delicate with my first child (my son).  It was like he was a porcelain doll.  I was so careful picking him up, setting him down.  Being so careful with everything.  You are constantly worried about their safety. In this episode we cover 2 major areas of safety: Care Seats & Baby Proofing the House This episode came about because my son just turned 8 this past weekend.  In California, at age 8, you now longer need a booster seat.  He can also sit in the front seat.  It’s a major change in his world and was pretty exciting for him.  It also makes it a little easier for us as it’s one less thing to worry about having everywhere you go. 1) Car Seats  I’m not sure if it is like this everywhere, but our hospital required to check out our car seat to make sure we had one before we could take the baby out of the hospital.  If you have never been around kids, figuring it out for the first time can be a little difficult.  They make them pretty simple now with all kinds of detachable features and options. If you don’t know how to do it, you can visit a police station and ask for a child passenger safety technician There are also Child Safety Seat Fitting Stations California Law –  Children under the age of 8 must be …

Episode 71 highlights some topics you definitely should talk about with your partner before you have a baby.  Prior to getting into the details, we  talk about Jason son’s birthday party and the awesome Michael Jackson impersonator that entertained everyone.   There was an An Article on parents.com that lists 10 things you should discuss prior to having the baby: 1. Is Now the Right Time? It’s never a perfect time. Dr. Alan Singer wrote “Creating Your Perfect Family Size” and has a 92 question test to evaluate yourself. 2. The division of baby duties – Baths, bedtime stories, diaper changing, feedings, etc. 3. Should You Co-Sleep? SIDS, Academy of Pediatrics says no. you have to decide what is right for you. Sharing your room? 4. Circumcision if a boy? – They say it’s on a decline. Religious or cultural reasons. Or if dad has it, you want him to look like dad. 5. Should you bank you baby’s cord blood? Collecting stem cells 6. Will You Teach Your Child a Certain Religion? 7. Cloth Diapers or Disposables – $1500 – $2,000 on disposables per year, $300-$800 for cloth 8. Who will care for your child? – Nanny, Babysitters, daycare, Family 9. Will you breastfeed? or Formula? – Great, promotes bonding, provides nutrients, and much lower costs 10. Type of Discipline – Spanking, positive re-inforcement…

For Episode 70, we welcome Scott Kilian, Certified Financial Planner and “Certified Dad”.   We discuss a Forbes article that talks about the importance o teaching kids about money.  Here are some of the topics we go over: 1. Model Good Behavior – What you say is important but it’s more important about what you do. 2. Don’t Say “We Can’t Afford It”.  Instead say “This is how we choose to spend our money” 3. Involve Kids In Household Shopping – Allow them to hold the list or use coupons 4. Don’t Take Kids Shopping For Fun – Don’t overexpose them to leisure shopping 5. Bring Your Kids To The Bank With You – Open an account and encourage questions 6. Don’t Use Credit Cards Around Kids – Cash is more visual. The magic card gets you everything you want versus seeing you can buy with what you have in your hand. 7. Give an Allowance – We debate a bit about this one and don’t necessarily agree with the article. 8. Don’t Give Your Kids Loans – Simply don’t spend more than you have 9. Talk about Money Regularly and Casually – Money shouldn’t be scary 10. Don’t Downplay The Importance of Money – don’t pretend it’s not important. Instill from an early age that handling money in a smart and generous way is one of the most important aspects of a successful life. To get in touch with Scott Kilian directly, you can email him at [email protected]…