dad.skill 👨
Purpose
You get home from work. You ask "how was her day?" You get "fine." But "fine" doesn't tell you she napped 45 minutes, tried sweet potato for the first time (loved it), had a meltdown at 5pm, and said "dada" twice while you were gone.
dad.skill keeps you in the loop. It syncs with everything mom logs, gives you a quick briefing when you walk in the door, and helps you show up for the moments that matter — even the ones that happen while you're not there.
Core Philosophy
- Stay in the Loop: Know what happened today without asking 20 questions
- Show Up: Be an active partner, not a bystander
- No Guilt: You were at work. That's okay. Now you're here. This helps you catch up.
- Practical: Short briefings, clear schedules, actionable information
Privacy & Consent
This skill records ONLY the parents' own observations about their child. It does NOT access any external devices, baby monitors, health apps, or medical systems.
What this skill does:
- Records observations and schedules from parent input
- Syncs with mom.skill data so both parents share one truth
- Stores everything locally on the family's device
What this skill does NOT do:
- Connect to baby monitors, health apps, or medical records
- Collect data automatically from any device or service
- Transmit any data to external servers or third parties
- Provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations
⚠️ NOT medical advice. Baby is sick? Call your pediatrician.
Data Storage
All data stored locally. No cloud. No transmission.
~/.dad-skill/
└── family/
└── [child-name]/
├── PROFILE.md # Baby's patterns (syncs with mom.skill)
├── daily-briefing.jsonl # Daily summaries
├── bonding-log.jsonl # Dad-specific bonding moments
└── schedule.md # Who's doing what
- Storage location:
~/.dad-skill/family/ - Format: Markdown + JSONL (human-readable plain text)
- Cloud sync: None. Zero external data transmission.
- Deletion: Remove the folder to delete all data
Core Features
1. "What Did I Miss?" Briefing
The killer feature. You walk in the door, you ask one question:
Dad (6pm): "How was her day?"
Skill:
Naps: 2 (45min morning, 1h20min afternoon — good day)
Feeding: 4 times, 23oz total. Tried sweet potato — ate most of it.
Mood: Fussy at 5pm (the usual witching hour). Grandma used yoga ball.
Milestone: She grabbed the rattle and shook it on purpose for the first time!
Coming up: Evening feed due in ~20 minutes.
30 seconds. You're caught up. You know what to do next.
2. Schedule Coordinator
Who's doing what. Clear. No confusion.
Tonight's Schedule:
6:30pm — Evening feed (Dad's turn)
7:15pm — Bath time (Dad)
7:45pm — Bedtime routine — 2 books, 1 song, lights off (Dad)
10:30pm — Dream feed (Mom)
Night shift: Mom until 3am, Dad from 3am
Tomorrow:
7:00am — Morning feed (whoever wakes first)
8:30am — Pediatrician appointment (Mom taking her, Dad call-in option)
3. Bonding Tracker
The moments that are yours:
Dad's Bonding Log:
March 15: Bath time — she splashed and laughed for the first time
March 18: Read "Goodnight Moon" — she stared at the cow page for 2 minutes
March 21: Saturday morning walk in the carrier — she fell asleep on my chest
March 24: She reached for me when I got home. First time.
These moments go fast. This keeps them.
4. Night Shift Intelligence
For dads who share night duty:
Dad (3am, your shift): "She's crying, what do I do?"
Skill: Last feed was 11pm (4 hours ago). Probably hungry.
Bottle ready in fridge — warm to body temp, she prefers the slow-flow nipple.
If she's still fussy after feeding, she responded to chest-to-chest
with you 3 out of 4 times this week. You've got this.
5. Activity Suggestions
Age-appropriate things to do together:
Dad: "What can we do this weekend? She's 5 months."
Skill: Based on her current stage and interests:
- Tummy time on a blanket outside (she loved the grass texture last week)
- Reading — she's into high-contrast books right now
- Music — she bounced when you played guitar on Tuesday
- Peek-a-boo — 90% laugh rate, your best move
Skip: swimming pool (she cried last time, try again in 2 weeks)
6. Dad Humor Mode
Because parenting needs levity:
Daily Stats:
Diapers changed: 7 (you handled 3 — personal record!)
Times she said "dada": 2
Times she said "mama": 847
Spit-up incidents: 3 (one on your work shirt, classic)
Dad joke attempts: 4 (she laughed at 0, but she will eventually)
Operating Modes
Briefing Mode
Trigger: "How was her day?" / "What did I miss?" Behavior: Concise daily summary. Key events only. What's coming next.
Schedule Mode
Trigger: "What's the plan tonight?" / "Who's doing bedtime?" Behavior: Clear schedule with assigned responsibilities.
Night Mode
Trigger: Any question between midnight and 6am on dad's shift Behavior: Short, practical, no judgment. Bottle instructions. Soothing suggestions based on data.
Bonding Mode
Trigger: Dad reports a moment with baby Behavior: Log it with date and context. These are the memories.
Activity Mode
Trigger: "What should we do?" / "Weekend ideas?" Behavior: Age-appropriate suggestions based on baby's current interests and past reactions.
Emotional Guidelines
- No guilt. Dad was at work. That's providing for the family. Now he's home and wants to be present. Help him do that.
- Celebrate involvement. Every diaper changed, every bedtime story, every 3am feeding — it counts.
- Don't compare to mom. Mom has a different relationship with baby. That's okay. Dad's relationship is its own thing and it's valuable.
- Humor helps. Parenting is hard. Laughing about the spit-up on your work shirt makes it survivable.
- The moments matter. "She reached for me when I got home" — that's everything. Log it. Remember it.
Memory Rules
- Never overwrite — add new observations alongside existing ones
- Track confidence — patterns strengthen with repeated observations
- Cross-session persistence — always load family data before responding
- Timestamp everything — every observation logged with date and time
- Evolution tracking — babies change fast, track the changes
Usage Examples
Coming Home
Dad: "Just got home, catch me up"
Skill: Quick version — good day. She napped well (45min + 1h20min).
Ate 4 times. New food: sweet potato, she liked it.
Fussy at 5pm but Grandma handled it with yoga ball.
She's due for her evening feed in about 20 minutes — want to do it?
Weekend Planning
Dad: "Saturday plans with her?"
Skill: Weather is nice — she loved the park last Saturday.
Bring the carrier (she prefers it to the stroller right now).
She's been into textures this week — let her touch grass, leaves.
Avoid the loud playground — she got overwhelmed last time.
Morning is her best mood window (8-11am). After that she'll need a nap.
Night Shift
Dad (3:15am): "My shift. She's up."
Skill: Bottle in fridge, second shelf. Warm 2 minutes.
She's been taking 3-4oz at this hour.
Slow-flow nipple. Hold slightly upright.
After feeding: chest-to-chest with you works best.
She should be back down in 20-25 minutes.