Babypalooza Magazine Spring 2018

says. “When I had the chance to be at home full
time, it seemed like a great opportunity. I’m also
very excited to be my son’s main teacher for the
first few years of his life.”
His last day in the office was five days before Leo
arrived, which gave the couple a few days to relax
and prepare. Now, with 10-month-old Leo, those
quiet days are a distant memory. Jonathan starts his
days early, eating breakfast with the family, prepping
Lindsay’s lunch and snacks for the day, and seeing
her off to work. Next comes playtime with Leo,
followed by naptime or a stroller ride.
Jonathan prioritizes exercise, choosing to walk to
the gym, clock four or five miles in the neighborhood,
or run on the treadmill at home. He also enjoys
walking around town to run errands. “I’m very
fortunate to live in a neighborhood where everything
I need is within walking distance,” Jonathan says.
In fact, Jonathan lost more than 30 pounds during
Leo’s first five months, simply by staying active.
After exercise and errands, it’s time for Leo’s lunch
and playtime. Jonathan puts on an educational TV
program, such as a live orchestra or a lecture, and
father and son watch together while Leo enjoys his
bottle. Jonathan builds block towers, and Leo knocks
them down. Sometimes he reads his son a book, and
other days he practices his guitar on the floor.
Then comes another nap, which means lunch for
Jonathan, a shower, and housework. At some point,
he takes a quick break to read, and then Leo is awake
ADVICE FROM STAY-AT-HOME DADS
Around half of fathers across the U.S. say they
spend too little time with their kids. Are you
thinking about becoming a stay-at-home dad?
Jonathan Burton shares advice from the
trenches of full-time parenting on the
Babypalooza blog at
BabyPalooza.com
“It has taken time to
accept that I often
can’t get everything
done in a day that I
may have wanted to
do. But that’s okay,
and the household will
survive.”
—Jonathan Burton
and ready to play. Then, Lindsay comes home
and they eat dinner together.
For Jonathan, being a SAHD is incredibly
rewarding. He loves to watch Leo grow each day,
hitting those special milestones like crawling or
standing. He makes a point of sending photos of Leo
doing fun activities to Lindsay at work so she doesn’t
feel like she’s missing out, and the fact that Lindsay
thinks he’s doing a good job means a lot to him.
Though at times staying home is “almost like
being on vacation with Leo,” Jonathan says, he
admits there are tougher days when the schedule is
thrown off or he feels that he’s not doing as much as
he should around the house. “It has taken time to
accept that I often can’t get everything done in a
day that I may have wanted to do,” he says. “But
that’s okay, and the household will survive.”
The days he spends with Leo are precious also
because of the close father-son relationship they
yield. “Spending every day with him, I get the chance
to really understand my son,” Jonathan says. “I know
exactly when he needs to eat, sleep, play, or if he’s
sick, has gas, or is scared of something. I think my
wife notices this about our relationship and sees the
value it’s added to our family.”
He’s never caught any flak for the choice—on the
contrary, if anything, he hears that people wish they
could’ve spent so much time with their own children
while they were growing up since it goes by so fast.
26 BabyPalooza.com