The first word.

I find, as a parent, we seem to be constantly overshadowed by 'developmental milestones’.  When will they first smile?  Is your baby rolling over yet?  Has she got any teeth coming through?  As if the first few months aren't stressful enough, we're also under the microscope for something that is essentially left up to nature... And then there's the big two - walking and talking!

It's fairly safe to say that for the last seven months of her nine month tenure here on earth, our little India has been, what most people would constitute as vocal.  From the early gurgling sounds that would ricochet off the nursery walls to the rather loud obsession with the wa-wa sound, and of course not forgetting the ear piercing squeal that she found hilarious, yet made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.  And now, with bated breath and a sense of anticipation that I’ve not experienced since waiting for my first kiss, I spend most of my time when at home, waiting for the inevitable first word.

And here's the thing, I didn't think babies and/or toddlers actually spoke until they were about two.  Call me naive, call me uneducated, but in my mind, I'd never really needed to know - until now!  As the months tick by, and the sounds become more pronounced you start to wonder when you might first hear it, and then panic slightly inside that you might actually miss it due to an overhead jet/the doorbell/CBeebies (delete as appropriate), your mind then starts to wonder if they'll ever actually speak.  A friend of mine did actually manage to lay my worries to rest when she quipped "I'm yet to meet an adult who hasn't yet mastered how to walk and talk, I think you'll be fine".

And then yesterday it came...I think.  Amongst the gargles, raspberries, moans, clucks and giggles came a rather distinct, and crystal clear... NO!  Then as if she wanted to ensure we both heard it, for reconfirmation she belted it out again, NO!

Then silence.  Almost as if to allow us to gather our chins from the floor and to allow our stunned minds to race, thinking about what she might say next.  I'm not really sure still if it was her first word, as doesn't it need to be intentional?!  I think what she's really trying to tell us is, with all intent and purpose, that she's not ready to talk just yet...

Rainy day savings

Now I'm a bit of a planner, so much so in fact that I pretty much planned most of our wedding (leaving the frilly bits to the wife-to-be), and my wife, she is just a doer.  We make a perfect pair as ultimately things generally get done, whether its because its been planned well in advance or we've just managed to sort it out on the fly.  However, when it comes to money, we're generally the other way around - Jane squirrels little bits away, and I put big bits away when I have it.

One of the things I've not really had to think of before is planning someone else's finances.  How do you go about giving your children the best start in life - or by the time inflation kicks in over the next 20 years, giving them at least a small foot up?  As the tiredness of the first couple of months of fatherhood subsided, I started to explore options for starting a nest egg for when India contemplated flying the nest.  Now not to say that I would expect her to actually move out on her 18th birthday, but having some money aside for things such as putting a deposit down on a first house/flat, university fees, purchasing a clapped out Ford Fiesta, or even to pack a backpack and jet off round the world as so many teenagers do these days.

Feeling proud that I'd had the foresight to plan eighteen years in advance, partly to avoid becoming bankrupt by the age of fifty, I embarked on some research for the best savings accounts for India. What became instantly obvious was that whilst there were hundreds of products out there, they were all pretty much the same!  The only clear differences were the three varying options of account type; Easy Access, Fixed Rate or Regular Savers.

What became quickly apparent was the lack of savings stability, each of the aforementioned account options only really promised a decent rate (varying between 3-6%) for the first year, and then decreases to a lower rate in year two, meaning you probably need to top load the account to take advantage of the introductory rate (which is clever on their part, as most parents are fairly broke in their first year due to mat/paternity leave or coming to terms with the cost of feed/nappies etc).   I wanted something that was a bit more adventurous when it came to my investment, as that is essentially what it all was, investment in my daughter's future.

First thing was first, I at least needed to get an account set up for her, and I opted for the Halifax Kids Regular Saver which has a fixed 6% AER for the first 12 months.  With monthly deposits between £10-£120 it had everything I was looking for whilst my wife and I dealt with our new-found baby induced financial hardship.  The most important thing was that I had got the savings ball rolling, albeit with a small starting amount, but the way I figured, deposits would go up as my salary did over time. 

Once signed on the dotted line (it's worth noting that you can only open this account in branch), the spotty uni-grad assistant informed me of the onward options once the annual 6% had come to it's natural end - standard procedure is that this account gets switched into a Halifax Young Saver account which gives you a decent enough 3% AER (on anything under £20k) or another option was to look at a Junior ISA.  This product comes in two variations, a cash version and a stocks and shares option.  

On further research since that conversation it is clear to see why this might be a good option, especially as something like a 0.5% interest for the best part of 20 years is going to be akin to stashing a load of fivers in a shoe box and sticking it under the bed.  On viewing the benefits of a stocks and shares Junior ISA, it was made easily understandable that your savings are essentially spread across the FTSE 100 and a number of minerals (such as gold and copper), thus lowering the risk and increasing the possible gains.  Chelsea Financial Services, one of the leading sources of information on investments endorses this as a safe option, given that a realistic annual return of at least 5% over the course of an 18 year period far outweighs what you would get from a traditional account.  Unlike Child Trust Funds (which ran their course in January 2011) where the government also put money in, any form of Junior ISA enables the parent/grandparent to save or invest £3,720 per year.  This means tax free interest or earnings when any money is withdrawn in later life.

It's a bit of a mind boggling market out there, and there are some pitfalls to watch out for, such as with the fixed rate accounts where you're unable to withdraw during the saving period and are subject to a periodic interest penalty - so if you need to save for stair gates, save elsewhere.  Nevertheless, if you're serious about setting up your little ones future, and you've got even a small amount to put away each month then it's well worth exploring your options.  When opening the account, make sure you go in armed with birth certificate, proof of address, hospital release forms and a copy of your family tree to avoid being turned away until you next have a day off!  

Things have changed since the grandparents' favourite option of premium bonds (which generally offer very limited returns) and it's wise to shop around for the best deal.  Part of me is quite excited that I'm able to provide a platform for my daughters financial future, and I can't wait to try and explain to India on her 18th birthday how she grew her savings through stock and shares, only for her to then go and spend it on the latest iGadget - but that's what makes parenting fun, right?!

All the gear, but no idea.

It was when I first attempted to put up our travel cot that I realised I'd been completely duped.  Not by the cot itself, but by the all those articles on websites and in the Mother & Baby magazines that had started to litter the house with all the "family to be" must haves.  Up until the age of 29, I had no idea what a travel system was and I would have been pretty sure that 'Isofix' was a type of grout that was used on igloos.  And here I was, grappling with a piece of baby equipment that I hadn't got the foggiest how to construct!

I'm your standard bloke really, I love a gadget as much as the next guy.  You see, the thing is, with most electronic items or nifty garden tools, the only persons safety that you need to consider, is your own - now all of a sudden you have the single most precious thing you've ever had responsibility for, and one switch out of place or the catch clipped in the wrong way round... Your darling apple of your eye could quite easily become part of the pram.

When it comes to prams, there's a certain level of excitement that creeps up in a father-to-be's stomach.  It's as though you've been given carte blanche to go out and buy the car of your dreams.  Before I knew it I was stood in a baby shop in the Sussex countryside, and had been lured into discussions on turning circles, quick wheel release and front steering suspension; this was just like standing in the showroom of BMW, but with a slightly more "motherly" sales assistant.  I felt that excited feeling in my stomach sink slightly when the aesthetics of the pram were somewhat compromised when the conversation turned to rain covers and footmuffs.  Furthermore the added extras started to mount up - detachable cup holders, travel system adaptors, adjustable parasol and not forgetting the lambswool fleece lining.  My dream pram/car was starting to morph into a glamorised golf buggy.

This I learnt, was only the beginning of my troubles.  We were kindly lent, what I can only describe as a baby lazy-boy   With a built in speaker system, multi-swing toy arms and three different soundscapes built in, this was probably the most advanced piece of baby equipment I had yet to encounter.  There were two simple settings in terms of seat positioning - Toddler and Baby.  Simple you might think?  Well, it took two of us, three different screwdrivers and the best part of an hour to work out which bracket needed to be removed and reattached in a different position, not my idea of a relaxing Saturday afternoon.  Those of you who have ever taken home a piece of flat pack furniture from the big Swedish blue box will know exactly how I felt afterwards.

So back to the travel cot... at this point I had one hand holding onto the clip-in sides trying to get them to stay level, whilst pushing down on the middle and keeping one eye on the one page instructions that might have well been the solution to a Rubik's cube.  I realised that for the foreseeable future that at least every other week I was going to be blighted with a new challenge, and not a challenge that I had carefully selected, but one that was thrust upon me, without prior consultation.  Surely as a new father I had prepared myself for this, surely I had read all the manuals that clearly stated that as a brand new parent you were expected to understand the ins and outs of a three tiered position cot and a Moses basket stand - no not me, I was, and still am destined to be the dad with all the gear, but no idea!

My advice, should there be any, is fairly simple.  Buy only what you think you need, think compact and think light.  Don't worry about what your friends in your NCT class are thinking of getting, and certainly don't listen to your mother/mother-in-law who will quite happily reiterate the benefits of a Silver Cross until you realise you've made the worst retail based decision since your Hi-Tec shell suit in the early nineties.  Either way, you'll end up with gear that you love, gear that you hate, and gear that you simply loathe.