The Ultimate Daddy-to-be Survival Kit I made for my hubby.

When I first learned there was such a thing as a "hospital survival it" or "daddy-to-be survival kit", I was super excited and curious. I looked at just about every one blogged about online and studied what was in them. But I felt like a serious personal touch was missing - and maybe it was that most people like "DYI on a budget" stuff so they stuffed some baskets with candy and cute sayings and wrapped it in a bow. I wanted the one I made for Dave to be really special - really emotional, really personal. And I have to say, this one achieved just that. I just finished giving it to him (and couldn't wait to share it) and he cried - SUCCESS! Okay, I cried too watching him cry. It was so sweet and the gift in itself since like me, Dave had never heard of such a present, was unexpected.

Daddy to be Survival Kit

I had two themes; birds and VW bugs. Birds are our life, so that was a given, but it can be so hard to find unisex bird themed stuff, especially toucan stuff! We don't know the gender of our baby yet, so I tried to stick with generic not too girly yet not too boyish things. Dave has a blue VW bug, so it kind of made everything gear towards blue picking out that theme. My favorite places for personalized, custom, unique and one of a kind gifts are:

• Etsy! This is where I found custom VW bug stuff like t-shirts, blankets, diaper covers, onesies, etc.
• Amazon! I found an array of bird themed toys here and funny gifts.

Otherwise my other shopping was spent at the liquor store and Target for candy and alcohol! Since Dave's favorite candy is a 3 Muskateers, I had to include it as a comfort food. And his favorite drink of choice is Royal Crown whiskey, so that had to be a life saver included in there as well. The 100 grand and kit kat were more for the sayings behind them - because every dad is gonna need a "break" and every dad has that panic of needing to make more money and not feeling broke with a baby on the way - what better than a bag of a 100 grand?! Never feel broke again, hunny! We're set for life!

So you never feel broke!

Bird rattle from Amazon.com (Jinx is our blue throated macaw)

Night light from Etsy

Baby bird themed book from Amazon

Russian cartoons from Amazon

The really big one, his favorite!

Every future daddy is gonna need one!

Because the one for adults was soooo good! VW bug tags from Etsy.

One of my favs! Buahaha...

Baby blanket from Etsy

Pardon my language... (from Etsy)

Acts as a white board so you can write on it as often as you want. Tag reads "Through the chaos we don't forget 'us'" - From Etsy

To keep track so you don't have to!

Every man has got to have theirs.

Stackable birds from Amazon.com

He was crying by this point... tag reads "Because he or she will likely be as cuddly as you are!" I have a very cuddly hubby!

Cutting board from Etsy

I gave him 3 different VW Bug shirts with a tag that said, "For when what you're currently wearing gets spit up on. I figure it will happen more than once.

VW bug shirts from Etsy

This is a door jammer that makes it so that you can close the door quietly. You can find an assortment of different designs of these on Etsy!

This plugs the drain to the bath tub - I couldn't pass it up! From Amazon.com

Some other ideas I had for a survival kit that I didn't do because my basket was FULL... were:

• Flash drive (they make some interesting ones!) for holding all the pictures he's GONNA take...
• Baby wipes (sure we could all come up with funny sayings for these!)
• Cards that say things like "PASS - this one is all yours to clean up!" and funny sayings like that. Only I really wouldn't want it if HE passed on it. So be careful what you promise!
• Monster condiment heads (they're on Amazon.com and they're hilarious for the tops of mustards and ketchups)
• Pacifiers (so many options nowadays but I couldn't find many unisex ones that I liked)
• Love on toast stamp (a way to write LOVE on toast) cute way to make breakfast
• Monster spray - to keep the monsters away, you could make this yourself

Obviously, the first thing he took out was the crown royal whiskey...

Oh, and my basket was from a JoAnn Fabrics. I am sure you can find one suitable for the size of stuff you want to give from any Target, Michael's or Joanna craft stores. Cheap plastic ones can be found at the dollar store. I wanted one I could use later on in the nursery closet so this one matched best. I made the daddy to be survival tag myself from a bird related card I had, then typed out the letters on blue printer paper in a child like font that screamed "kid!" to me. So although not as bird-heavy-themed as I would have imagined it to be, being a bird trainer and all... I am really happy with the outcome nonetheless and have lots of clothing choices picked out depending on whether we find out we're having a boy or a girl. So many more bird themed things to come after we find out the gender news! That's why everything is marked with pink and blue tags - who knows which one it will be! Though you are welcome to guess!

Article by Jamieleigh Womach. She has been working with parrots and toucans since the age of 17. She isn’t homeless but is home less than she prefers to be. She travels the world with her husband, daughter, and a flockful of parrots whom she shares the stage with.