Category Archives: Parenting

Breastfeeding: The Greatest Investment in your Baby’s Future and Ways Dad Can Help

08/05/2014 R.C. Liley 9 Comments

Hey there! Did you know August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month? If not, now you do!

The awesome folks over at Daily Mom are taking part by launching a brand new category for their site called “Mommy Moments.” This new category is for mommies (and daddies) to share their personal stories about breastfeeding. The stories can be humorous or serious experiences you’ve had, or things you wish you would’ve known.

Check out their website and take part of this wonderful campaign I think needs to be in effect year round! I know I’ve talked about breastfeeding and how much I support it several times in the past, and I’ll talk about many more times I’m sure.

I realize not all mothers are capable of breastfeeding either because of an issue they have or their baby has. Please do not take offense to my thoughts on the importance of breastfeeding; we are fortunate enough that Going Mom is able to breastfeed Avery and we wouldn’t have it any other way. To those who want to but can’t, I am truly sorry and my sincerest thoughts go out to you.

The benefits of breastfeeding over formula are tremendous and will last a lifetime with your baby. From fewer illnesses and trips to the doctor, to a higher IQ, healthy weight, and increased bonding, breastfeeding (when able) is a no-brainer.

Breastfeeding also benefits the mother by burning extra calories, helping your uterus return to pre-pregnancy size, and reducing risk of breast and ovarian cancer. And, a benefit for the entire family, it saves time and money by not having to buy formula that you have to mix and measure.

Happy wife giving the healthiest food to our baby and saving us money!

As a guy, I obviously am not able to breastfeed, but that doesn’t mean I just sit back and let my darling wife do all the work. No way!! All of us men should stand behind their partners and support their breastfeeding as much as possible.

The role of a good dad means being present and supportive throughout…..well, forever! From the beginning, doing what I could to help Kelley’s breastfeeding efforts was important to me, and I know she appreciates all I have done. She told me so! 🙂

I’d like to contribute my experience as part of Daily Mom’s new category, “Mommy Moments” by sharing my thoughts on breastfeeding. Here are some of the ways I help Kelley give our precious daughter the best nutrition that benefits her health, immunity, growth, and development:

Take care of cleaning bottles and pump parts. When Kelley comes home from a long day at a demanding job and somehow finding time to pump several times a day, the last thing she needs is to worry about cleaning everything to be ready for the next day. Instead, I’ll take all of the parts and accessories, make new bottles, and wash everything while she spends time with Avery.

Remind her how great it is that she is able to provide the best nutrition to our baby. We both know it, everything I’ve mentioned above and more is all true, but it’s always good to be reminded of how awesome you are…amiright? 🙂

Cook healthy and tasty food. Even before we were parents, I would take over most of the cooking, and now is no different. I cook with a lot of veggies, whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, and lean meats to prepare meals for work and home. I’m not only providing great nutrition for my beautiful wife, I’m providing for our beautiful baby too! I use packaged food sparingly and only after making sure the ingredients are worthy. The importance of nutrition is never ending, and the closer to being a whole, unprocessed food, the better.

Have her water bottle full and within reach. When breastfeeding, it’s common to always feel thirsty as your body requires a lot of energy and nutrients to produce breast milk in addition to keep the body functioning. Water helps deliver nutrients where needed and should always be available to any breastfeeding mother.

Show sympathy and listen to her. This is key to a healthy relationship whether you have a child or not, but just being there to listen means a lot. Lately, with Avery’s teeth coming in, Kelley has every right to need to vent to someone about the pain of biting! Avery actually took a shot at my nipple one day and OUCH, that is not easy to have to deal with several times a day. To all breastfeeding women, I bow down to your awesomeness!

Bring Avery to her in bed for nighttime and morning feedings. As many know, breastfeeding is exhausting, but if you’re determined to give the best to your child (and don’t want to pump), feeding your baby when they wake at night or in the morning is vital. I do what I can by bringing Avery to Kelley when requested so all she needs to worry about is the feeding part.

Take care of diaper changes. As mentioned many times already, breastfeeding is a full time job in and of itself, so having one less thing to worry about allows Kelley to focus on more important things; good, nutritious breast milk. I know I’m a stay-at-home dad and should be doing this, but I still worked the first couple of months and would take over the diaper changing when I could. It makes a world of difference!

At almost 9 months old, Avery is still getting most of her nutrition from breast milk and only eating steamed veggies at dinnertime. Kelley’s current goal is to breastfeed up to 18 months, so she’s halfway there!

I will continue to support her to the best of my abilities and hope all dads will do the same for their baby’s momma. After all, why would anyone want to put something called “formula” in their child?

Have you been to Daily Mom?

What’s your view on breastfeeding and its benefits?

Life, Parenting

Is it wrong to Take Toys from the Birthday Girl?

08/04/2014 R.C. Liley 7 Comments

Hey, remember when it was July? What happened?!

I remember as a kid I’d try to squeeze in the last days of freedom before the looming school year began, but now everything just runs together. #lifeasaparent

On the topic of kids, we brought Avery to her first party this past Saturday for our neighbor’s little girl who turned 1. They have an older girl who just turned 4 and were celebrating that day too. For the older kids (and adults), an awesome bounce house was setup and getting a lot of use.

I can’t wait to get in a bounce house with Avery, but we decided to give the swing set a try. This was Avery’s first time in a swing, and as you can see in this video, I’d say she enjoyed!

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

The one year old party scene was not as “bounce-housey” with only Avery and another baby from the neighborhood who will be 1 next weekend, but they were all adorable and fun to watch nonetheless. I can see these three getting into trouble years from now.

Avery’s attempt to keep cool in front of the older babies was thwarted when the sight of a camera got her excited. The birthday girl is in the middle, and the soon-to-be birthday girl is on the right.

We are grateful to have such good neighbors around us, and everyone had a great time at the party. Since the birthday girl is walking on her own now, there were a couple “walker” toys that have become obsolete in their house. Avery, on the other hand, took to liking one the sit-to-stand one, so our gracious neighbors sent us home with that and another walker!

Not too bad. Go to a party for someone, and leave with their stuff; that’s a win in my book! The rest of the weekend was spent with Avery effortlessly pulling herself up on everything and enjoying the new toys. I’ve thanked the already, but I want to thank our neighbors again for being so kind and letting us use these while Avery learns to walk.

I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures of Avery playing on her “new” walkers do the talking.

And here’s a video of her smiling proudly as she stands “on her own”.

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

How was your weekend?

Have you ever attended someones birthday party and left with awesome gifts for yourself….or kid?

Have a great week!

Food, Parenting

The Best Way to Never Worry About Calories Again

08/03/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

Basically, eat whole foods and don’t eat packaged food. Cutting out packaged food and making your own snacks and meals from fresh, wholesome ingredients is the key to better health. Convenient foods sealed in a pretty package or perfectly shaped box present a problem for many people; they’re convenient!

What happens when you pour a bowl of cereal, finish the puffs/flakes/crisps (I’ll save these processed things for a later post) and still have milk leftover? Instead of simply just drinking it or finding use for it in a recipe, many people will just pour more cereal in the bowl.

I’m guilty of doing this in the past, and sometimes still do, but I rarely buy boxed cereal for this reason. I make my own “cereal” with plain rolled oats and add various ingredients like pureed pumpkin, carrots, eggplant, yogurt, protein powder, peanut flour, chia seeds, mashed banana, nut butter, and more.

I’ll add stevia to make it sweeter if necessary, and always avoid adding non-nutritive sugar. Using a banana has the benefit of providing natural sweetness and comfort.

When you choose to eat whole foods that aren’t sitting on a shelf in a package, you naturally feel full and know when to stop most of the time. With plenty of fiber, water, and essential nutrients in whole veggies, you can eat plenty and still have a low calorie meal.

I want so bad to explain this to the uninformed, but so many think of this as “too hard” or “there’s just not enough time.” Nonsense! I say. If you say you really want to be healthier and change your lifestyle, then it CAN be done!

Give it a chance; if you’re going to buy something packaged, make it baby carrots or a veggie mix that’s pre-cut. These are great for snacking alone or dipping in no or low calorie dips like mustard or plain non-fat yogurt mixed with herbs and spices.

It’s funny how you could give an unhealthy person a few simple ways to be healthier, but they will quickly ignore the suggestions while buying into the advertising on a box of “all natural” or “high fiber” snacks.

It should be a red flag when you see a product trying to pass itself off as being healthy by just saying it is low cal or making some other claim on the front of the box. Then you read the ingredients and see 50+ items you can’t pronounce. Really? Is that healthy? NO!

Sorry for all of the jumping around, my head spins when I get caught up thinking of the vast information out there and how people listen to the wrong things. Usually it ties into what’s easier.

As a parent, I’m even more uptight about food and where it comes from. Avery is only eating solids at night with the rest of her calories still coming from breast milk, but she’s enjoying her fresh veggies. Why would I want to feed a cutie like this something manufactured in a plant and rolled off an assembly line?

When she’s older, I hope to have her in the kitchen helping me prepare the food that we eat and learning along the way. Nothing but the best for our growing girl, and I know she’ll be healthier as a result!

The takeaway?

Don’t follow some diet, especially ones that will benefit financially from you.

Don’t listen to claims on labels or even purchase packaged food.

Do choose whole food like fresh produce, lean cuts of meat (if applicable), and plain legumes.

Here are a few posts from my old food blog, Just Add Cayenne, for some great ideas to get started:

Healthy Food Swaps

15 Healthy Cooking and Eating Tips

Diet Fads and How to Avoid Them

Why Diets Don’t Work

Simple and Healthy Snack Ideas

Hope these help!

Are you stuck in a convenient food rut? Were you in the past? If so, how have you prevailed to overcome the “easy route” and choose fresh food instead?

Do you agree with my assessment? Whole foods = natural calorie regulation, no counting needed! The stripped down boxed stuff will leave you constantly craving more and more and may not ever keep you satisfied.