How To Dad is just a big kid himself

How To Dad Jordan Watson with Alba, 20 months old, and 3yr old Mila. Photo / Supplied

He's one of the coolest dads on the internet, sharing hilarious and very Kiwi ways of raising a child.

But Jordan Watson - the How To Dad - admits he is just a big kid himself.

"It means I have an excuse to not have to grow up. I've always been a big kid and having my own kids means I have another 18 years of being an embarrassing dad,'' he joked.

Watson, who grew up in Te Kauwhata in the Waikato, is the proud father of 3-year-old Mila and 20-month-old Alba.

His girls both feature heavily in his hugely popular video clips, helping their dad clean the house, running off in the opposite direction or refusing a high-five.

Young Alba has been taking part since her dad made his first ever video when she was still a newborn. That video, which was posted to Facebook, was just meant for one of her old man's friends - but instead went viral.

"A mate at work had a kid on the way. I was bored at home with my newborn and thought of making a 'how to hold a baby' video for him. It wasn't flash or very PC.

"I uploaded it and it went nuts - worldwide and all that. For two days I was a Z-grade celebrity.''

That clip showed Watson demonstrating various ways to hold a baby and giving each position a name, including the standard shoulder hold, box of beers, dance partner and the rugby ball hold.

It has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube and continues to be popular.

Watson said he got inspiration for videos from everyday parenting situations, as well as suggestions and ideas from his fans on Facebook.

Asked what the weirdest thing he had done on a video was, he said the attention from people was what he felt was weird.

"I built a tree hut by taping a plastic chair to a tree trunk once. I thought it was awesome - my daughters, not so much.

"I get heaps of emails from different media outlets around the globe and you stop and think: 'Really? China, Germany, Mexico - they like these random, budget videos?' It's weird.''

His latest videos are an ode to Father's Day tomorrow: How To Buy a Father's Day present and How To Have The Best Father's Day ever.

Asked about his own father, Watson called him "a true MacGyver'.'

"He'll never take anything to a professional to get fixed. He'll sort it. The biggest thing I learnt from him is solid gold Kiwi DIY know-how.

"Every dad should be equipped with the basic DIY tools: A piece of No 8 wire, insulation tape, a can of CRC and a hammer - a hammer can fix anything.''

And the scariest thing, for him, about being a father?

"Losing or dropping your kid. Don't drop your kid. It's frowned upon.''