Breastfeeding support tip for Dads - The Comfort cart
Honey?? A little help over here please…
Many new Dads do a pretty good job of figuring out the Dad Zone and everything else that comes with their new membership in the Fatherhood club. Adjusting back to work, doing extra stuff around the house, and getting the hang of diapers, swaddling, and other new Baby basics all have their own learning curves, and most new Dads find ways to make it all work in the first few months after Baby arrives. However, one of the biggest challenges that many new Dads face continues to evolve over this time, and many new Dads can feel powerless when trying to figure out how to help with this one.
What’s this “mystery topic” that new Dads always seem to bump up against, one way or another? Breastfeeding. This one is all on Mama. And sure, pumping and bottles and formula are all ways for Dads to chip in on feeding Baby, but the actual breastfeeding will forever remain Mama’s domain. How then to help support Mama in her efforts here? Efforts that often stretch well beyond Baby’s 1st year, sometimes going on past the 2nd?
Setting up what I call the “Comfort Cart” is one answer, and it will pay big dividends for you every time Mama reaches for it with a smile of gratitude when she is cozied up with Baby happily nursing away.
Let’s get right to getting this set up. Look around your house and notice the main area or two where Mama sits down to nurse Baby. Most often there are 2 locations – one in the main family area and one in the nursery or bedroom. Your job here is to either repurpose a small bookshelf or other piece of furniture you already have, or to go to your local Big Box store and purchase a small utility cart or two. This item is the basic structural “cart” part of your Comfort Cart.
With the basic “Cart” part figured out we can now move over to the much more important “Comfort” aspects. Most Mamas will absolutely love the idea and will excitedly want to chip in on the set up, décor, and item selection so please welcome her help her and give yourself another pat on the back for finding a new way for her to appreciate your teamwork. I’ll break down my suggestions for the layout below, assuming a 3 shelf layout and assuming Mama needs to reach the important things while remaining seated with Baby tucked in and on her breast.
Top Shelf – this is your basic diaper changing area. Cozy changing pad, ointment, wipes, diapers, lamp and whatever else is part of your diaper changing routine. If you are using cloth diapers and wipes then you’ll have the wipe warmer up here and one of your waterproof diaper bags hanging off the side to temporarily hold any dirty diapers. I also recommend having a simple 5 x 7 framed picture of your “happy family” here to bring a smile to Mama’s face and remind her of your help in getting the Comfort Cart all put together for her.
Middle Shelf – This area is for your customized care items. I recommend at least 6 bottles of water (refillable by you at the end of each day), a little basket of healthy snacks like granola bars, fruit, protein packs, and maybe even a few candies sprinkled in, a power strip with a phone charger and small Bluetooth speaker hooked up, and whatever else Mama might find helpful when she is immobile and all cozied up with Baby.
Bottom Shelf – This last shelf is for extra blankets, pillows, a heating pad, and whatever other bulky-yet-cozy items Mama wants to have easy access to when nursing. You can also stash some extra swaddles, bibs, and baby outfits down here.
If possible, make a duplicate cart for the secondary nursing area too.
Your main job going forward is to check in the Comfort Carts at the beginning and ending of each day to make sure that the water, snacks, diapers, and everything else is stocked and ready to go. The quickest way to lose the points you’ve earned by getting the Comfort Cart set up is forgetting to stock it and having a thirsty Mama reach for her water stash only to find it empty! So the daily maintenance part is where you should remember to focus your attention.
Oh, and one final tip here. DO NOT refer to the Comfort Cart as Mama’s “feeding station.” I beta-tested this term with my wife for a while, and trust me, it did not go well...
