With panto cancelled for Lloyd, and Jon enjoying a break from work, the dads loaded up the microphones for a special, unplanned episode focusing on Christmas. Topics of conversation ranged from managing expectations to what to buy a two year old, Christmas dinners and importantly Christmas TV and film recommendations. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone who has listened - enjoy!
It took Stephen Guy and his wife Samatha nearly 10 years, and four rounds of IVF, to get pregnant, and in episode nine Stephen joins the dads to discuss his experience of nearly a decade of trying for a baby and finally becoming a father. In this open and honest account, he discusses what happens when undergoing IVF, the stresses it can cause a relationship and his own mental health as the failures notched up. This incredible episode, with the message of supporting each other and always maintaining hope, is the first of a series of discussions with Stephen, who is about to become a dad for a second time - this time entirely naturally!
For episode 13 the dads were honoured to welcome Sam Jackson, author of the parenting book Diary of a Desperate Dad. Sam, who is a father of four, talks about giving your children equal time and focus, what advice he’d give his younger self and the differences between boys and girls. He also talks about The Five Love Languages, when applied to raising children, and also how to navigate parenting in the digital age. A definite listen for all dads and dads to be!
The dads kick off episode 12 talking about baths - when to start bathing your baby, tips for if your child doesn’t like bath time and Lloyd has a warning about plastic bath toys. They also broach the tricky subject of date nights and having sex for the first time after the birth. Jon has one of his rants, this time about the concept of dad bods and the pressures on new dads to have the perfect body, before the conversation turns to baby classes and toddler groups and why, as dads, you should get involved and be silly with your little ones. Finally, your favourites Stuff to Buy and Cliche Corner are back, along with their jingles.
Jon and Lloyd are joined by psychologist and counsellor Raoul Lindsay to discuss a number of subjects related to mental health and being a father. This includes the change of identity when becoming a dad, media representation of fathers and the pressure social media brings. They also talk about Black Lives Matter and raising children in a time where the movement is gathering momentum and achieving global coverage, and what dads can do to educate themselves and their children about diversity, including reading children’s books that feature diverse characters.
With both dads battling hayfever, they discuss the all important day-night routine (officially called the circadian rhythm) and dealing with pet jealousy when your baby arrives. Plus, they finally get to talk about one of their joint passions - children’s TV shows - and they get quite vocal about which ones they love and which ones they’d rather never see again. WARNING: Ottilie is struggling with a particular word and it’s leaving Lloyd mortified! In fact, this is actually our first explicit episode!
The dads are back, and in this first episode of season two they discuss silent reflux, burping your baby, the benefits and risks of swaddling and baby slings. Plus, they premiere their new jingle (which they’re very excited about) for the segment ‘Stuff to Buy’. To round off the episode Jon and Lloyd answer a question from a listener about mums being shattered in the first trimester - tread carefully boys! Welcome to Poddy Training season two!
The whole of Poddy Training season one was recorded during the coronavirus pandemic. In this bonus episode, Lloyd and Jonathan talk about the ups and downs of living with a toddler in lockdown, discuss ideas and games they’d recommend playing with your child (regardless of whether there’s a global health disaster going on), and finish off with what they’ve discovered about themselves and their lifestyles because of COVID-19.
In the last episode of season one, the dads talk about their final tips for the first few days and weeks of being a dad. They also debate whether dummies are good or bad, talk about which brand of nappies you should consider if you don’t want to remortgage the house and the gadgets they valued the most, including digital vs analogue baby monitors. And it wouldn’t be a dad podcast without the all-important changing nappies discussion!
Following their rather dramatic birth experiences, the dads talk about getting home and the first few days of your new reality. In this episode they discuss the contentious breastfeeding vs formula debate, how to deal with everyone that wants to visit and the baby blues in dads. Plus, we find out what one song Lloyd plays to Ottilie on loop...all night long!
After going through Logan’s birth-day in episode three, Lloyd now takes over to discuss the drama he and Danielle went through when Ottilie was born. Hear about going past the due date, being sent home by the hospital (twice) and what to do when you discover your wife in active labour on the bathroom floor. Plus, the dads round off the episode with their top labour and birth tips for any soon-to-be-dads.
Lloyd and Jonathan give their final tips about the pregnancy before Jonathan re-lives his experience of Logan’s birth, including his wife Lauren being induced due to preeclampsia (he’d never heard of it either), what happens when a baby gets rushed to the neonatal unit in an emergency and the impact all this had on his mental health in the days and year after.
In episode two, the dads discuss preparation. Which books to consider buying (and which ones to avoid), whether to get a sleep consultant and Lloyd discusses his experience of hypnobirthing. Also hear whether Jonathan thinks NCT is worth it, or whether it’s a waste of time and money.
Welcome to Poddy Training, the new podcast for dads! In this first episode, Lloyd and Jonathan discuss the initial stages of parenthood, from trying for a baby to finding out that you’re going to be a father. The dads then talk about what to expect from the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy, including the 12 and 20 week scans, and what purchases you’re going to need to make.
Welcome to Poddy Training, the new podcast for dads. When Lloyd Hollett and Jonathan Griffiths became dads within five months of each other, neither got to experience the births they were expecting or had planned for. What they did experience was the shock of becoming a dad, and the feeling that they were pretty isolated as they navigated their way through the first days and weeks of parenthood. However, once they started talking openly they realised they weren’t alone, and so they decided to create Poddy Training, a platform for them to discuss everything from monitors to mental health. Season one covers trying for a baby to the first few weeks of looking after a tiny human being, and everything in between. The dads discuss topics including pre-natal classes, dummies, hypnobirthing, what books to read (and which ones to avoid), gadgets, gizmos and lots more. Subscribe today or visit www.poddytrainingpodcast.com/podcast
In a bonus episode to mark Dwarfism Awareness Month, which takes place every October, Jon and Lloyd chat with Gareth Jenkins, a father of two whose daughter Freya has achondroplasia, the most common form of Dwarfism. With brilliant honesty and openness, Gareth talks about what it was like finding out Freya had achondroplasia, how he has learned about the condition and how the charity Little People UK have been a constant source of support and guidance in the first year of his daughter's life. You can support Gareth in his fundraising efforts for Little People UK at justgiving.com/fundraising/gjenkins39