Ten tips for new Dads

3. Get your hands dirty
Changing nappies is generally seen as a necessary evil by dads. But, while I will not claim to enjoy the experience (no matter how much you love your baby, being peed on is no fun), in the early days, nappy changing represents one of the few times where you have baby's undivided attention.

Personally, I am keen to play as active a role as I possibly can in every aspect of Kieran's upbringing. That means mucking in with nappy changing, feeding and bathing. Apart from the fact it takes some of the pressure off mum, it provides important 'bonding moments' between father and son.

4. Develop your own 'baby-settling' methods
As a bloke, you are clearly devoid of certain tools, namely breasts full of milk, to help settle baby. But you do also have some useful weapons in your armoury that your wife or partner may not possess.

Pick baby up, put him over one shoulder and start dancing around the room. As baby gets bigger, this is a tactic only you will be able to employ as your shoulders are likely to be broad enough to accommodate him. While this may not necessarily send baby to sleep, he will be calmed by the constant movement. Don't be afraid to put some nursery rhymes on the stereo and sing along in baby's ear - again the repetition of sound and movement often sends baby into a trance.

If that doesn't work, put him in the buggy and push him backwards and forwards round the living room. If baby stays quiet, you're doing your job.

Other methods I used included lying Kieran on his changing mat - which in itself seemed to calm him - and sliding him up and down by his feet. If you have a baby boy you will find such 'rough and tumble' becomes an increasingly handy tool.

As baby gets a bit older you can take them out for a walk, either in the buggy or sling. A trip round the block in the car may also work. The fresh air and different surroundings tend to calm them instantly. And of course, while you're away, mum is recharging her batteries.

5. Give her a cuddle
While sex is very much off the agenda in the early days after giving birth, especially for those who have had a caesarean (no physical exertion for six weeks), mum will still be in need of some physical 'closeness'. She has, after all, been through a traumatic time, been poked and prodded in the most undignified way, and will no doubt be craving a reassuring bedtime cuddle.

Once things settle down, baby starts getting into a routine, mum's energy levels return and she feels more like a woman and less like a biology project, things will return to something nearing normality. But be aware baby is now, rightly, the priority for both of you.