Differences Between Moms and Dads

Do you and your partner butt heads from time to time when it comes to the “best” ways to teach your baby? Turns out, this is yet another gender bender that’s common between parents – moms and dads do have different approaches when it comes to building baby’s brain.

Goodnight Moon or Dr. Seuss, anyone? The latest Evenflo “Savvy Parents Survey” found that 84 percent of mothers choose to read to their children, while 58 percent of fathers favor developmental toys. Activity centers like that mind-blowing exersaucer are a popular choice for dads who want to keep an active baby busy (47 percent) while 66 percent are likely to turn on a DVD to occupy their little one. No word on whether they prefer Baby Einstein to Sesame Street, though.

Surprisingly, when choosing between activities, encouraging baby to take a nap doesn’t rank very high among busy, multitasking parents. Sixty-two percent are more likely to employ their child’s favorite toy as a diversion while only 32 percent aim for the crib.

Though it’s well-known that developmental milestones are not met at the exact same rate by all babies, there is a common timeline that notes the age when little ones are most likely to roll over, sit up independently, say their first words, and so on. Turns out, 64 percent of moms describe themselves as “calm, cool, and collected” when it comes to worrying about their child reaching these goals; of dads however, only 43 percent of them would classify themselves the same way, and 12 percent would describe themselves as neurotic.

This might explain why, when asked to assess their baby’s advances, 51 percent of parents surveyed said their child’s developmental progress was “above the average baby.” Interestingly enough, when it comes to smarts, 56 percent of moms think their baby takes after them – and 52 percent of dads agree. Could it be because babies are more likely to spend the majority of time with mom?