Keeping the Camera Handy
This may sound like an obvious one, but with some of the chaos that comes along with having a new baby in the house you may, understandably, tend to forget where you put the camera down last. A good idea is to always try and keep it in the same spot – even if it means taking a few extra steps to reach the kitchen counter or end table in the living room once you’re done using it. This ensures a means of convenience in your newly, sometimes inconvenient world and is just one helpful hint so you’ll always know where it is and have it easily accessible for all those special shots you want to snap.

Charge It!
The batteries that is. If you’re using a digital camera, you know how fast the batteries can run out – even the good ones. So the charger that comes with most digital cameras can be one of your newest and most dependable friends. The last thing you’d want to happen is to miss an opportunity for capturing that precious moment because the batteries in your camera are drained. And remember, the batteries begin to drain even when the camera is not in use. So try to keep in mind that after every ten shots or so you’ll want to place them back in the charger so they’re ready to go when you need them. Of course, don’t forget to also put them back in the camera once they’re fully charged again.

Go For It!
Once you’ve got your camera and battery situation under control, don’t be afraid to take as many photos of your new baby as you want. Even the littlest event is an event – to you, so don’t worry if you think you’re over doing it – you’re not. Just remember while you’re snapping away, bright lights, including the flash on your camera, may irritate your baby’s eyes and attitude so try to take as many shots as you can during daylight hours or even outside in the sun’s natural light whenever possible.

It’s hard to admit, but like it or not, your baby could be running your life. She cries, you pick her up. She’s hungry, you feed her. She fills her diaper, you change it. She wants to play, you play. She needs a nap, you drive around the block twelve times until she falls asleep. She wakes up in the middle of the night, you’re up too. The ancient rabbis of the Talmud described it pretty well.

The first stage of life, they said, “commences in the first year of human existence, when the infant lies like a king on a soft couch, with numerous attendants about him, all ready to serve him, and eager to testify their love and attachment by kisses and embraces.” It’s all happening on your baby’s schedule, not yours.

Being out of control is hard for anyone, but it’s especially discombobulating for people who feel the need to be in control all the time. Before my oldest daughter was born, I was incredibly anal about time; I always showed up wherever I was supposed to be exactly when I was supposed to, and I demanded the same from others. But, as you now know, going on a simple trip to the store with baby in tow takes as much planning as an expedition to Mt. Everest. And getting anywhere on time is just about impossible.

You may be a great salesman or negotiator or a cult leader but your ability to turn adults to your way of thinking won’t work with a baby. Babies are, almost by definition, irrational and not at all interested in your timetables. In no time at all your baby will figure out what you’re most rigid and impatient about and she’ll begin pushing your buttons. That leisurely walk in the park you planned might have to be cut short when the baby panics and won’t stop crying after a friendly dog licks her face. Or you might end up having to stay a few extra hours at a friend’s house so as not to wake the baby if she’s sleeping or, if she’s awake, not to upset her nap schedule by having her fall asleep in the car on the way home. And just when you think you’ve figured out her routines and the sure-fire tricks to comfort her or get her to sleep, she revamps everything.

So you’ve got a very Zen-like choice to make: you can either learn to accept change and bend or you can break. It took a while, but I eventually learned that trying to be a father and Mr. Prompt at the same time just wasn’t going to work. Most of the new parents I’ve interviewed over the years have said basically the same thing: Since becoming parents, they’d learned to be a lot more flexible and tolerant—not only of themselves and their limitations, but of other people’s as well.

About the Author:
Armin Brott, hailed by Time as “the superdad’s superdad,” has written or co-written six critically acclaimed books on fatherhood, including the newly released second edition of Fathering Your Toddler: A Dad’s Guide to the Second and Third Years. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, American Baby, Parenting, Child, Men’s Health, The Washington Post among others. Armin is an experienced radio and TV guest, and has appeared on Today, CBS Overnight, Fox News, and Politically Incorrect. He’s the host of “Positive Parenting,” a weekly radio program in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit Armin at www.mrdad.com.