DAD’S LIST
Car Seat- Sign up for Strong Start™ Before Baby for Dads
- Learn about your partner’s changes – and how to support her
- Learn how the first years set the path for the rest of your baby’s life
- Learn what Dads do – and why it matters
- Learn how to support your child by taking care of yourself
- Get tips and tricks for a happy & peaceful family life
- Prepare for predictable challenges
- Stock Fridge
Strong Start™ Before Baby for New Dads is 3 one-hour zoom sessions, plus take-home exercises.
Present at Birth – Father Forever
“Evidence shows benefit from fathers planning for their unique role in their new family prior to their baby’s birth.”
Course Outline
Note: content will vary, in part based on the needs of the participants.
The First Half (sections I to IV) is “How to deal with the predictable challenges and avoid what can go wrong.”
The Second Half (sections V to X) is “How to give your new baby the traits that lead to lifelong success.”
- The story and focus of the Strong Start™ Before Baby for Dads program.
- Introduction to the “Mental Wealth” traits needed for lifetime success in school, at work and in relationships
- How these traits are developed in the first years of life.
- The Father’s role in developing those traits
- Review of scientific terms and goals
- Facts and Figures about the demands on new parents
- Why it’s so difficult
- Parents’ physiochemistry – and how it changes when the baby comes
- Specific challenges for mom – including Post-Partum Depression
- Specific challenges for dad: difficult stages, sources of stress and how to handle them
- Using the natural “Happy Drugs” created by you and your baby
- Case study of Mental Wellness Practices of NBA players
“Two Minutes to Mindfulness” Equanimity Training
- Why a new baby is so hard on your relationship
- Why the relationship is so important for the baby
- How men and women parent differently
- Dad’s unique contribution to the baby’s development
- Your healthy instinct with the baby – and why it can conflict with Mom’s
- Why men and women parent differently
- How Dad can take the lead in protecting the couple relationship
Take home couples’ exercise: “Four Dates for The Future”
- Facts and Figures on kids and mental health
- The most common, and most dangerous, mental wellness challenges
- Case Study: Childhood Anxiety … and how parents’ “natural” response can make it much worse
- Dad’s Special Role in supporting Family Mental Wellness
- How your baby’s brain grows
- How Foundational growth works
- Healthy Attachment – your baby’s first need
- Research findings on the “Mental Wealth” traits that make people successful, and how they develop in the first years
- The Parent’s role in developing those traits by “envirocasting” … creating the learning environment in daily interactions
- Lessons from sports
- How parent communication habits create the learning environment
- How habits work, and how to change them
- Your baby’s different types of learning, their interaction, and how to support them
- “Serve & Response” – what it is, how to use it, how to do it well.
- Overview of the Strong Start™ in-person coaching approach
- Introduction to the “Say” “See” “Seen” model for parent communication habits
- How to have conversation with someone who doesn’t speak
- Goals & Principles for Parent/Baby communication
- Specific “Do’s” & “Don’ts”
- Special Situations: conflicts, boundary-setting, other children
- Other adults
- Advanced ideas for developing Agency in young children.
- Tips and Tricks
Being aware of the way how you look at things helps you understand behavior – yours, and the baby’s.
- Ways to look at your child’s actions, and their world
- Ways to look at your actions, and your roles
- Ways to look at specific situations
- John Gottman’s Emotion Coaching Technique
- Advanced ideas for developing Agency and Executive Function in young children.
- Tips and Tricks
They are studying you all the time – what are they learning?
- What is a father’s presence – and how do you create yours?
- Body language, voice, and how to use them
- Learning from Premier League Referees
- You are showing them how people deal with stuff
- How to help them get the most from watching you cope
- How to create a calm and relaxed family atmosphere
- Modeling strength by showing weakness
- Couple conflict and your child
- Tips and Tricks
- Roles with the baby
- Roles in the new family
- Things Dad owns
- Things Dad can (and does) do by himself
- Things Dad shares in
- Things Dad has no control over (but supports, supplies, and protects)
- Your New Job!
- Being ready for anything – by accepting not being ready
- Turning your natural instincts into what’s best for your baby
- Wisdom, Quotes, Things to take home and stick on the refrigerator.
- Q & A – final round of Tips and Tricks
- The Brotherhood of Dads –
- The Easy Way to Connect with Any Other Dad
- The Importance of Connecting with Every Other Dad – and Changing the World
- Top-Secret Final Magic Power Message!