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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Commando Dad.

by Alanna Peters

How many expecting moms do you know? I’m sure you can quickly think of one (or three…or ten!), assuming your Facebook feed looks anything at all like mine!

Now, what if I ask you how many expecting dads you know? You may have to stop and think for a minute. I feel like dads often get a little overlooked in the excitement of a new pregnancy. So, now that Mother’s Day has come and gone, it’s time to start thinking about our dads (and dads-to-be)!

When I was pregnant the first time I had shelves full of childbirth books but I didn’t really have any books about actually taking care of a baby. I am the oldest of 6 children and spent most of my teenage years babysitting so I was pretty confident about baby care, but my husband had pretty much zero experience with babies. He and I attended one very basic baby class (one of those awkward things where you get to put a diaper on a doll) but he still didn’t feel fully prepared for taking care of a baby. So many things just came naturally to me as a mom but for a dad who doesn’t spend 24/7 with a baby it can be quite overwhelming!

Neil Sinclair felt the same way and decided to write a baby manual just for dads. The manual he put together is called Commando Dad, and it is funny, informative and geared specifically towards the guys. Sinclair was a real military Commando in the British Army and his manual takes the approach of a military handbook. (Apparently Prince William even read it to prepare when he and the Duchess were expecting! I’d say that’s the royal stamp of approval. Haha. :D) Sinclair was frustrated to find that all the information he had received before the birth of his son was geared only towards birth and not beyond. He felt totally lost when they actually brought their new baby home! He set out to put together a manual to help all the other new dads out there.

As a second-time mom I felt like I didn’t really need a manual for baby care but I was surprised to find that the Commando Dad actually had some great tips and reminders that I hadn’t really remembered, or ever even considered to begin with. If you asked me how to bathe a baby, here is what I’d tell you:

“Fill the baby bath with warm water. Put your baby in it, hold onto her, and gently wash her with a soft washcloth and gentle, non-toxic baby wash.”

Helpful enough? For me, yes. But for a new dad? Probably not. Commando Dad breaks it down by the numbers:

1. What to bathe your baby in.
2. What temperature the water should be.
3. Which order you turn on the faucet taps (cold first!).
4. How deep the water should be.
5. How to put your baby in.
6. What to wash her with.
7. What order to wash baby’s parts in.
8. And so on.
(And just in case, he even reminds you to check the diaper for poo before popping your baby in the tub!)
All that may sound like a lot of information but it’s presented in such a clear and concise form that it’s easy-peasy to read at a quick glance.

Along with the bathing tips, I especially liked the tips on what to pack for going out for different occasions and the awesome tips for sleeping – both naps and overnight. (This is something we are still struggling with!)

I thought the book was an easy and fun read. The handbook uses both real and made-up military terminology – home is now “Base Camp”, an explosive poo is a “Howitzer”, and the baby is referred to as a “BT”, or Baby Trooper. (There’s a glossary at the end of the book so don’t worry if you forget what half these terms are referring to!)

Neil Sinclair is a stay-at-home dad so the book is definitely geared towards the dad’s way of caring for the baby. It’s easy to navigate for quick reference when you’re in the middle of a crisis situation. The Table of Contents very clearly labels the location of each topic, and the index at the end is helpful as well. There’s a quick chapter about preparing for the arrival of your BT, a chapter about surviving the first 24 hours (which is oh-so-important!), and from there it digs into daily life with your troopers. The manual includes training information for three full years of child-raising, including nutrition, potty-training, tantrums, and more, so it will be helpful to dads (and moms!) for quite some time. There is also a companion website for Commando Dad, which includes more resources, a forum, a blog, and even a store. If you know a guy who is (or is about to become) a new dad, this book would be an awesome Father’s Day gift! It’s easy to navigate, quick to reference, and it’s good for 3 years or more – what’s not to love?!

What are YOUR top tips for surviving the first 24 hours? What do you wish you had more instructions for during the first few days home with your new baby?

If you’d like to buy this book for a special dad on your list this Father’s Day, you can purchase it from Amazon.com for $12.45. Or, you can also try your luck and enter to WIN a copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Commando Dad. #CommandoDadBook

Thank you to Mott’s® for sponsoring this article. Grab goodness on-the-go with Mott’s®.

Can we talk about this whole bento box craze? You know, the concept of turning your food (or your child’s food) into animal shapes, and having everything nice and neat in different compartments, colorful, artistic and simply a sight to behold?

Ain’t nobody got time for that!!!

No, I’m serious. How on earth do you people have time to do this??? Don’t get me wrong, I see so many cute bento box ideas popping up on Pinterest, and they definitely make me want to go out and find a baby panda to cuddle with just so that I can be half as adorable. And every once in a while I’ll find myself pinning a few ideas because I get this notion in my head. This dangerous notion. This, “I can do that!” notion. Lord have mercy…

When the folks at Mott’s®. approached me to talk about fun and EASY lunch ideas, I was so excited to learn about some of their new products that can help make putting together an “out-of-the-box” lunch box much easier. I think most folks already know about Mott’s® for Tots, the brand of apple juice that has 40% less sugar than Motts 100% Apple Juice, which makes it the perfect choice for the little ones. And now you can purchase it in a convenient to-go form! Additionally, they offer Mott’s® Snack & Go applesauce pouches. These are the PERFECT addition to any lunch box. They are HUGE hits with both of my girls.

So I headed to the store and got stocked up on these great Mott’s® products. And while I was in the store, I realized that with the beverage and the fruit already taken care of, maybe I could actually handle putting together a bento box for Darah. She would be so surprised to find something other than a peanut butter & jelly sandwich waiting for her at lunch!

Now it is time for my confession: it was REALLY fun putting together a bento box! And thanks to getting a little help from Mott’s, it came together really quick! I decided to do a prehistoric theme, and I made a “Dino Diner” for Darah. Check it out!

Let’s take a closer look at the components and how long they each took me to make. First, you will notice the Mott’s for Tots apple and white grape juice drink, and the Mott’s Snack & Go applesauce. I filled ⅓ of the box with these ingredients in about 6 seconds. Score!!

I then added a “dinosaur-sized” pepper. My daughter likes to eat bell peppers raw. Strange, I know, but NOBODY TELL HER. She likes the crunch!

I also made some lava rice. Now, believe it or not, this came together in 10 minutes, total. I used minute rice and added 2 drops of food coloring to the water. Once the water boils, the rice cooks for 5 minutes. All done! The sun is just a little foam cut out. All of the foam cut outs I found in the school supply section of CVS for 50% off! Huge score!!!

Additionally, I took a piece of string cheese (this was bi-color string cheese, just for extra color and fun), and I cut it in half length-wise. Then I cut it in half by its width so that it would lay flat. I plopped a flower cut out on top to make a giant prehistoric flower! SO easy!

And now I want to show you the most hilarious part of the whole box: the main ingredient! I managed to turn a hot dog into a triceratops with a little help from some pretzel sticks and the top part of a Townhouse cracker! The legs took a little work, but I promise you, the entire effort took 2 minutes. It was the most labor intensive part of the whole box, and it was totally worth it!

Notice the flower and grass that the dino is munching on! It’s a herbivore, after all!

And finally, for dessert, I plopped treats in a little box (the container was also on sale at CVS in the school supply section). I called these “future fossils” and told Darah that they were creatures covered in mud! After I explained that the “creatures” were actually peanuts and the “mud” was just chocolate, she ate every last one!

Once I had a plan for what I was going to do, the execution took about 10 minutes (and that includes having the rice cook while I was working on other elements). It was actually a lot of fun to put together, and while I was working on it, I even came up with other ideas for clever ways to present lunch to Darah. Will I be making bento boxes every day? Probably not. But I could see myself doing something like this once a week. Especially if I get a little help from Mott’s to fill the box!

Want to see what Darah thought of her dino diner?

She giggled and laughed and we went over every single component of the box. I was so curious to see what she would go for first. And wouldn’t you know it? It was this!