Category Archives: Parenting

Expo Adventures with Dallas Dads and Britax

03/23/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Last Saturday, our Dallas Dads Group had the honor of working with Britax to hold a car seat safety workshop at the DFW Family Expo. I’m not sure why, but I enjoy going to expos even though I’m not a big fan of crowds. Even more so when the crowds have crazy kids running all over the place. Oops, that was us!

Avery running wild at the #dfwfamexpo2015 with @britaxus and @dallasdadsgroup! @britax #BritaxSafety #citydads

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Mar 21, 2015 at 11:18am PDT

We went into the event with our crazy ~~animal~~ toddler safely contained in her Boba Baby Carrier nice a snug with Going Mom. Britax was setup in a prime location at the entrance for all to see and had their car seat safety workshop sign displayed for all to see. Britax is a major supporter of our nationwide City Dads Group, and it was exciting to be part of their event! First, we rendezvoused with all of the dads and the Britax team who graciously provided lunch for our group, it was time to explore. But, I think it was right after the picture with the abominable snow-dog that Avery could no longer be confined to staring up at and pushing Mommy’s chin. With that, Kelley set Avery free into the wild, errr….expo. Avery wasted no time! Even with the two of us, Kelley and I could hardly keep track of our little girl. How do those little legs get so far so fast?! Not that I ever want anything to do with Nesquick or the like, but we were thankful for their booth having these large dice. Until, that is, she tried to run away with them. We took the dice away and returned them which obviously meant toddler meltdown. Using our brains, we tossed Avery in a nearby bounce house in hopes of cheering her up Phew, I think it worked! Silly kid had a ball dancing, clapping and even playing with other kids. Or getting pushed down by them, but she had fun and that’s what matters most! The hard part was getting her back out, and then figuring out how to calm her down again. Thankfully, the force was with us when something strange caught her attention. Storm Troops and Darth Vader?! Score! Obviously, we had to pose with the Dark Side, and Darth Vader was there too. 😉

I wasn’t there, but some of the dads and their kids gathered for a (friendly?) group photo.

Pretty cool stuff, huh? Avery was getting very obnoxious and hungry, but she wasn’t nursing with Going Mom very well because so much was going on. I gave her some organic applesauce in a squeeze pouch, yes, like I once said I’d never do, which only helped for maybe 3.23 minutes.

Then it was off on another rampant tour of the expo grounds.

No fear, this child, no fear. It was almost time for the main event, Britax’s Car Seat Safety Workshop, so we made our way back to the front to join the rest of the crowd eager to learn about #BritaxSafety. The beautiful and kind Britax ladies, Kate and Sarah, put on an excellent workshop jam-packed with useful information.

Did you know heavy jackets and other winter clothing should be removed before putting your kid in their car seat and that the chest clip on car seats should be at armpit level? Or that you should keep your child rear facing at least to 2 years old and longer if the weight limit of your car seat allows? Also, it’s better to tighten the straps until you think it’s good enough, and then pull some more since 60% of the harnesses are not tight enough.

When it comes to our kids and safety, Britax has us covered. We have their Boulevard ClickTight Car Seat, and Avery loves it. Not to mention we love all of it’s safety features and easy installation.

Britax, car seat, safety — Happy in her Britax Car Seat!

Unfortunately, Avery kept on getting more and more irritable, and Kelley had to put her back in the Boba and try her best to keep her calm.

But it wasn’t long until all was lost and Going Mom gave “the look” letting me know we were already pushing our luck.

She frantically went to the car in hopes that Avery would nurse better there, and I stayed until the workshop was over. Right after it ended, I had to bail. I know we were already pushing our luck, but I wish we could’ve stayed just a little longer since we missed out on the great group photo taken just minutes after we left.

Great group of dads and their families right there! Sorry we missed it, but at least we were able to get our photo with Kate from Britax. Thank you, Kate, for taking time to pose with us!

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and despite Avery’s craziness, I’m glad she got to experience something new. Plus, she slept very good that night!

Are you part of any parenting groups?

Do you still have a kid in car seats? Do they still sit rear-facing?

#MySundayPhoto, Parenting

Babywearing at the Expo: #MySundayPhoto – 03.22.15

03/21/2015 R.C. Liley 10 Comments

We went to the DFW Family Expo on Saturday to join our Dallas Dads Group and Britax for a great time. Kelley put her Boba Babywearing skills to the test while there, but it wasn’t long until Avery was out and running around everywhere!

Britax put on a very detailed and informative workshop on car seat safety and we all walked away with vital information on how to keep our kids safe in the car. Avery hasn’t been around large crowds before, so she was basically crazy the entire time.

Despite the craziness, I always enjoy hanging with our Dallas Dads Group, and when Going Mom and Avery can join, all the better! I’ll give the full story on our adventure soon.

Do you enjoy going to expos?

If so, what kind and do you bring the kids?

Life, Parenting

Our Toddler’s Dance Video & A Bottle Trick

03/21/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Avery has been dancing for a couple months now, and I shared a dance video of her getting down with Jay-Z trying to get that “Dirt Off Her Shoulder” in the past.

A video posted by RC Liley (@going_dad) on Feb 20, 2015 at 9:27am PST

I love watching that over and over, it never gets old, but I’ve been wanting to capture another version of her dancing for a while, and was finally successful. No matter what she’s doing in the house, when the intro music to a podcast I’m listening to comes on, she’ll stop and just bust a move wherever she is.

There have been many failed attempts at getting this on video, but here is my short, but successful video capture of Avery getting down.

I love it! Just another thing that will never get old and I’m happy to be able to share it. Go ahead, watch it again, I bet you’ll laugh harder than the first time. If not, go away, it’s cute and I don’t care what you say!

Today’s post is short and quick since we’re at the DFW Family Expo along with our Dallas Dads Group to be part of a Car Seat Safety Workshop put on by Britax. Going Mom and Avery will have plenty to do and see as I help with our group, but I hope to spend time with my girls too. I’ll fill you in on how it went.

Before I leave, Avery wanted me to show you her new picking up a bottle without hands trick.

First, you have to have it on a flat surface. Or the curved seat of daddy’s indoor rower sitting in the kitchen. Make sure to angle yourself just right before going in for the latch.

Then, with full concentration, latch on to the bottle and bite down hard so it doesn’t drop! Side note: do not do this when actually nursing from your Mommy!

That’s it! Once you’ve accomplished the trick (if you’re good like me), go ahead and reward yourself with a good drink of Mommy’s milk; the best stuff on earth for growing kids!