Fatherhood Factor

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Fatherhood Factor Team

The Best Ways To Travel Long Distances With Dogs

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When you have dogs, you know that repetition is key. Any time you introduce your pups to something or someplace new, they get excited, and it may take them a while to calm down and listen. This is amplified with car rides if you don’t have everything set up and ready before your trip, so let’s talk about the best ways to travel long distances with dogs to get the most out of your trip and make it a positive experience.

Take Several Initial Short Trips

Dogs respond well to repetitive conditioning, which means that if you’re training them and do the same actions over time, they will learn from it. If you apply this same technique to traveling and take them on a few short trips, you can expect things to start out turbulent, but your furry friend will get a feel for it over time. Every time you do things exactly the same way, your dog should become a little more comfortable until they hop in the back of the car and lay down on their own.

Feed Them Light

Make sure that you bring snacks with you while you’re on your trip. When you feed your dogs, feed them with half of what you normally would so that you can supplement with snacks along the way. This will keep their bladder and intestines from getting full so that they can ride for longer. You should still let them out often for breaks so that they can get fresh air and relieve themselves if needed, but it’s never a good idea to overfeed them.

Never Leave Them

So many people leave their animals in parked cars, and it is never the correct answer. Under no circumstances should you ever leave your dogs alone. They could hurt themselves or even suffer fatally due to suffocation or heat stroke. If you see a dog left alone in a car in public, you should immediately contact the authorities.

Set Up Seat Covers

Instead of buckling your pets into car seats or belt buckles, invest in a car seat cover for the back of your vehicle. This gives them plenty of room to walk around and find a nice spot. It also allows them to get up and look around when they need to so that they don’t feel confined to one spot, which will ease their minds. A cover also helps to keep dander and smells down inside the vehicle.

ID Your Pets

Before you leave the house, make sure that your pets have their collars with their IDs on them. That way, if something happens and they end up missing, you can be contacted about them. The last thing you want is for your animal to get loose and not have a way of getting them back. This, unfortunately, happens very often, but you can prevent it if you make sure your pets have their IDs with them.

When traveling long distances with your dogs, keep these handy tips in mind. As long as you keep your wits about you and prioritize your pup, you’ll both enjoy the ride.

Out of the Box Ways To Enjoy a Summer Birthday

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Year after year, celebrating your kid’s summer birthday becomes more challenging as they seek new ways to have fun. Renting a space at the park or cake at the pool gets boring after doing it so many times. While the memories are all that matter, there are various out-of-the-box ways to enjoy a summer birthday that can bring a little variety. Let’s look at a few of those here!

Seasonal Toy Donation

Depending on your child’s age, they may be outgrowing some of the toys they used to play with. A birthday is an excellent time to donate old toys to create space for their new gifted toys. In addition to creating space, donating is a great way to teach them kindness and generosity. Consider donating old toys to a local shelter or a family in need to support the community.

Bonfire Bash

If you enjoy that traditional summer birthday by the pool, add an evening by the fire. This can be a unique way to help everyone wind down from a day full of activity, and bring everyone to a gathering place. Here, you can sing “Happy Birthday” and share stories about the birthday person.

Connect With Nature

Summer is the best time to head outdoors, soak up some sunshine, and enjoy what nature offers. Plan a day at the park or wilderness hiking and consider this an opportunity to connect with nature. While there may be some struggle getting young ones out the door for this activity, they will remember this and appreciate it in the years to come.

Look Into Local Events

Most towns and cities offer summer-long events that cater to one theme or another. Look into what your town offers the weekend of the child’s birthday and see if you can make it a family outing. These local events are often annual celebrations, so it’s an easy way to create a new tradition.

A Day Away

Planning a day away is a memorable and unique way to enjoy a summer birthday. Consider asking the birthday person where they would like to go for a day, and see what that place offers. Larger cities have museums, experiences, and exhibits that make great day trips. Another option for a day away is booking a hotel, packing a bag, and using your hometown as a mini-vacation destination.

Summer birthdays come with the added layer of more time to plan or party. Try not to overwhelm yourself with ideas, and always remember that it’s the memories that count the most.

Top Tips To Help Your Child Avoid a Major Car Accident

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It’s not always the obvious things that have the most impact. Your teen has studied the statistics, taken the classes, and is finally ready to drive. But what about the statistics that show teen drivers are the most likely to be involved in an accident? Here are some of our top tips to help your child avoid a major car accident.

Help Them Develop the Right Attitude About Driving

Many teen car accidents are caused by their attitude and immaturity rather than a lack of talent or knowledge. For this reason, it is essential to confirm that your child is mature enough to get behind the wheel of a car. While many may not think of cars as deadly and dangerous, they are exactly that. If you think that your child could not handle the ownership of a gun or other dangerous object, it might be wise to reconsider a driver’s license.

Practice With Them

A parent should be as involved as possible in teaching their child to drive. To provide a more stable environment for teaching your child to drive, be sure to make a schedule. Keep practicing with them until their license exam. Many states have implemented graduated licensing rules. Make sure you’re up to date on these laws so you can ensure that your child will be able to drive legally once they pass their test!

Make Sure They Buckle Up

Teach your child that no matter what situation they are in, they must wear a seatbelt. Set a good example by buckling up yourself—besides, you want to be a safe driver too. It may be a good idea to review the seatbelt statistics published by the government to really drive home how important seatbelt usage is.

Don’t Let Them Drink and Drive

One of the biggest lessons to teach your child is the dangerous role that alcohol often has in car accidents. Be sure to tell your child about the repercussions of driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other narcotics. Take care to let them know that these activities can result in the loss of their license or even their life.

Monitor Their Passengers

With each additional passenger, the probability of a fatal collision rises. When you’re dealing with a new driver, it’s ideal to keep their passengers to a minimum.

Don’t Let Them Drive at Night

It’s no secret that whenever you drive, you are risking your life. While many people may not understand this concept, it is essential that your child does. It’s best that they avoid driving at night until they’ve become used to driving during the day.

Make Sure They Follow the Speed Limit

Fast-moving, high-volume traffic can make your child feel uneasy, so have them avoid highways until they feel comfortable. It goes without saying that if you force a new driver into a stressful situation, they are likely to panic and learn nothing from the experience.

We hope you have found our tips to help your child avoid a major car accident helpful. Remember that driving safely does not only protect your teen from accidents. Learning good habits now can prevent your teen from being labeled a high-risk driver later. Make sure their first priority is to be safe on the road!

Easiest Car Repairs You Can Do Yourself at Home

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Owning a car comes with a lot of responsibility. You must keep up with regular maintenance, but you also have to be ready for unexpected repairs.

Many people think that working on their car is too complicated, but there are lots of easy repairs that you can do yourself at home without even needing to take your vehicle to the mechanic.

The next time something goes wrong with your car, save yourself some money and try one of these easy repairs at home.

Battery Replacement

One of the most common car repairs is replacing the battery. This replacement is a pretty straightforward repair that anyone can do. You need to purchase a new battery and remove the old one. Make sure to disconnect the negative terminal first and then the positive one.

Installing a new battery requires the reverse process. Connect the positive terminal before the negative one.

Oil Change

Another common repair is an oil change. Every few months, you should do this repair to keep your car running smoothly. To change your oil, you’ll need to purchase the correct type of oil for your vehicle. After you get it, you can drain the old oil.

To do this, locate the oil drain plug and remove it. Once the old oil has drained out, replace the drain plug and fill the car with new oil.

Changing your oil is a great way to save money, and it only takes a few minutes to perform.

Paint Touch-Up

If your car has a few scratches or chips in the paint, you can easily touch them. First, clean the area around the scratch or chip. Then, apply a small amount of color to the area and allow it to dry.

You can find touch-up paint for your car at most auto parts stores. Just match the paint code to the code on your vehicle, and you’ll be able to find the perfect match.

If you need to do more than a touch-up, you can. There are many ways to prep a car for primer, paint, and sealer to give it a fresh coat without taking it to a professional.

Brake Pads

Over time, your brake pads will wear down and need replacement. This repair you can do at home, but it’s a little more complicated than others on this list.

To replace your brake pads, you’ll need to remove the old ones before putting in the new ones. You’ll also need to bleed the brakes to eliminate any air in the lines.

These are just a few of the easiest car repairs you can do yourself at home. Our car is one of our most important possessions, so you should take care of it and know how to do basic repairs.

When your car needs some work, save yourself some money and try to repair it yourself. With a bit of time and effort, you may be surprised at how much you can do.

Bedtime: 4 Tips for Keeping Your Newborn Cozy Each Night

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Every parent searches out the best ways to keep their little one bundled up and feeling cozy throughout the day. Feeling comfy makes naptime easier but gives them the sense of security they need at such a tender age. Get tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night from some seasoned parents to keep your child happy.

Swaddle Your Baby

On a chilly night, putting those cold-weather PJs on your baby isn’t enough to keep them comfortable, and you can’t rely on a blanket for that extra warmth since they can easily kick it off in the middle of the night. Keep your baby nice and toasty by swaddling them before bed; it should be tight enough that it doesn’t come undone but not so tight that it squeezes them.

Pro Tip

Some parents purchase a baby sleep sack or sleeping bag for their baby. With one of these, you won’t have to worry about swaddling, and you’ll get a great night’s sleep knowing your little cutie feels as comfortable as you do.

Buy the Right Baby Clothes

Your baby should wear PJs according to the season and how it feels inside your home. For example, if you crank up the heat on those cold winter nights, thick pajamas paired with layers of blankets is excessive. Instead of doing this, dress your baby in thin layers.

Don’t put your baby to bed in thick wool or clothing suited for the outdoors since this is uncomfortable and traps in heat. Rather, shop for quality baby blankets and clothes, such as outfits with climate control. These clothes will keep your baby warm on a cold day and cool on a hot day.

Have a Quality Mattress

Most parents recommend having a firm crib mattress. This keeps your baby comfortable and lessens the risk of serious injury if they roll over on the bed. Some little ones toss and turn in their sleep, and if they roll onto their tummy and can’t flip over, it could be catastrophic.  

Prevent Overheating

Many of these tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night have covered dressing your baby in layers to keep them toasty, but you never want to overdo this. Overheating is dangerous at any age, and a baby can’t remove layers as we would. While you should dress your little one in layers, keep in mind that they only need one more than you do.

Remain aware of the signs of overheating, such as redness, rapid breathing, and sweating. If you must dress your baby in thicker clothes, then make sure to check your baby by feeling their belly or back and remove layers if they feel hot. Sleeping becomes easier for the baby when they feel comfortable.

Essential Tips for Those Who Can’t Wrap Presents

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Does the thought of wrapping presents stress you out? Gift wrapping can be challenging, especially if you have an oddly shaped present that needs wrapping. However, with a bit of organization, planning, and patience, you will be able to wrap gifts with ease and start to enjoy this aspect of the gift-giving process!

So, before you call it quits, use these essential tips for those who can’t wrap presents to lower your stress and frustration.

Create a Clean Gift-Wrapping Station

Before wrapping presents, you should create a designated space to wrap your gifts to keep everything ready in one spot. A cleared-off desk, dining room table, or empty floor space can serve as a suitable place to set up your gift-wrapping station.

If you create a workspace before you begin wrapping, your job will be much easier. Your supplies, gifts, and paper scraps stay in one organized area.

Don’t Rush! Take Your Time

Take your time while you’re wrapping presents. If you want your present to look presentable, take your time to perfect the crisp lines and edges. Gift wrapping can be an annoying and tedious task; however, if you slow down, you will reduce your chances of messing up and needing to start over.

Find Your Sharpest Scissors

You might hate wrapping gifts because you use dull scissors, which leaves behind unsightly tattered edges and makes achieving crisp folds even more of a chore. Use your sharpest scissors to help you cut efficiently and quickly through single or multiple sheets of paper. Having a good pair of scissors really makes a difference in your gift-wrapping experience.

Have a Small Trash Can Handy

As a beginner, you’ll likely still make some mistakes. You’ll need to throw away scrap pieces of gift wrapping away after making mistakes or trimming up your work. An essential tip for those who can’t wrap presents is to have a small trash can handy while wrapping. This choice makes cleanup a breeze and lowers your chances of leaving trash behind.

Skip Gift Tags, Use Stickers

Instead of labeling your gift with the traditional gift tags, save on time and use letter stickers or DIY tags to identify the recipient. Stickers will add a unique flair to your overall wrapped presents.

Another cute and effortless way to personalize your gift wrapping is to can write who the gift is for with sharpie markers! Just keep the writing neat and use a sharpie that stands out.

Find Other Creative Ways To Wrap Gifts

You don’t have to use traditional gift-wrapping paper to wrap your presents; there are various creative ways to cover your gifts with ease. There are many creative ways to wrap presents to match the season, from newspapers to eco-friendly cloth. You can also pick a material that matches the occasion’s theme!

Wrapping presents is not all bad, especially when you see the result after taking your time and perfecting your skills. Use these tips for the next birthday or holiday, and impress your recipient before they even unwrap their present!

5 Ways To Improve Your Engine’s Performance

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Improving the overall performance engine doesn’t always require a professional. Maybe you want to improve the quality of your engine, give it more horsepower, or want it to sound better. At the end of the day, making changes and adjustments to your vehicle requires patience. So here are five ways to improve your engine’s performance to get back out on the road with style. Before you know it, taking your kids on joyrides will be even better.

Install a Performance Chip

If you have a newer model, it’s more likely to rely on a computer system to help with essential functions. Your car’s computer system makes calculations for various features, such as anti-lock brakes and fuel-to-air ratios.

By installing a performance chip, you can override the factory settings, allowing you to adjust the engine’s power and horsepower however you like. Installation is easy; after you familiarize yourself with your car’s electronics, you can remove the factory chip and replace it with a performance chip.

Add a Turbocharger

Adding turbochargers is a fun and exciting way to improve your engine’s performance. Turbochargers function through forced induction; they compress the airflow into the engine, pushing more air into the engine cylinder. This results in more fuel combustion and power.

Whether you want to use a twin-scroll turbo or a single turbo depends on your engine size and makeup. Turbochargers increase torque, horsepower, and fuel efficiency, making them a fun add-on to your engine.

Apply Synthetic Lubricants

If you want your engine to last beyond its life expectancy, applying synthetic lubricants will help. Not only does it aid with engine durability and all-temperature use, but it also allows for better performance and high mileage.

You can improve your engine even more by using an additive in your lubricant. You can use a formula that cuts engine friction down, reducing heat and allowing your engine to run harder and longer.

Perform Engine Maintenance

To keep your engine in optimal shape, you must maintain and clean it every so often. Replacing the oil and checking parts will keep your engine running longer and improve its quality. Keep your engine filters clean, replace old oil, and flip through your owner’s manual for the specific liquids and parts it needs to function correctly.

Reduce Car Weight

An essential tip for optimizing your engine is to know that the more weight your car carries, the harder your engine works to perform. You can remove excess gear and parts from your vehicle so that your engine can function optimally. Replacing your glass windows with acrylic or plastic windows, removing equipment from the trunk, and so on can help your car run better.