Becoming a first-time dad can be one of the most significant and rewarding experiences of a man’s life. However, it can also be one of the most challenging and overwhelming. From changing diapers to dealing with sleepless nights, there are countless things to learn and prepare for when entering the world of fatherhood.
While there’s no manual for being a dad, reading can be an excellent way to prepare for the journey ahead.
In this blog post, we’ll be sharing seven must-read books for first-time dads, covering a wide range of topics from ultimate dad guides to caring for a toddler.
Whether you’re a soon-to-be dad or a new dad looking for guidance, these books will help you navigate the challenges and joys of fatherhood.
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The Best Book For First-time Dads
Book Title
“We’re Pregnant! The First-Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook”
by Adrian Kulp
What it’s about
Being a great first-time dad doesn’t mean being perfect; it means participating in the experience with empathy and confidence. From the basics of pregnancy to designing a birthing plan to tips on being helpful and supportive for your partner, We’re Pregnant! provides all the need-to-know information on how to be a fully prepared parent.
Featuring must-ask questions for the doctor, milestone trackers, and more, this funny and friendly standout among pregnancy books also takes you beyond the due date, offering a helping hand on how to plan and perfect your style of childcare.
What makes it great
This first-time dad’s guide to their partner’s pregnancy is the perfect beginner book for a dad who doesn’t know where to start.
Moms are blessed with an abundance of books guiding them through pregnancy, including all of the changes to their bodies.
This book breaks down pregnancy week by week in an easily digestible way, catered to dads, and provides just the right amount of information.
The book is divided into trimesters, months, and weeks so that you can follow along with the pregnancy while increasing your knowledge about the baby and momma.
Each section has a helpful hint on how you can help mom feel more comfortable throughout the pregnancy like empathy tips and stress relief recommendations.
Read each section every week, or binge the whole book so you know what to expect way ahead of your partner. This book is a top-selling dad-to-be book with a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Amazon.
An ultimate guide for new dads
Book Title
“The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be”
by Armin A Britt
What it’s about
This reassuring month-by-month overview gives you the facts and advice you need to understand your baby’s development, support your partner, and prepare for the joys and challenges of fatherhood. It concludes with two special sections: one on labor and delivery, and the other covering the first few months after your baby’s arrival.
What we love about it
This soon-to-be dad saw a lack of information for dads on becoming a parent for the first time. So, he decided to be that resource. This book was created with dads in mind by a dad who’s been through it.
It provides all of the information you need to become a parent alongside your partner including education on labor options, month-to-month updates, and everything in between.
The book is structured in a way so that you know what’s going on with your partner, what’s going on with the baby, and what’s going on with you.
Also, it provides insights into the emotional and psychological sides of pregnancy for you and your partner.
In its most recent update in 2021, the book tries to be as inclusive as possible by speaking on adoptive fathers, multiples, and infertility while using inclusive terminology.
After reading this, you’ll feel more prepared than ever for the birth and growth of your baby.
Taking care of a newborn
Book Title
“NEW DAD BABY HACKS: A Contemporary Guide For Dads, Strategies For The 1st Year That Every First Time Father Needs”
by William Harding
What it’s about
Are you excited about your baby’s arrival, but you’re not confident that you can take care of a mini-human?
You might be fearful of what’s going to happen when you bring home your baby.
From changing their diaper to bathing and feeding, you’re wanting to make sure you’re doing everything right from the get-go.
Navigating the first year of fatherhood can be overwhelming, and asking for help will make your life as easy as possible.
Aside from providing your baby’s basic needs, creating a healthy attachment with your kid can make a difference in securing your bond.
But you might be experiencing anxiety and don’t even know where to start – and that’s where New Dad, Baby Hacks comes in handy.
It’s time to do away with your fears. If you want to have peace of mind and confidence when your newborn arrives, let New Dad, Baby Hacks help you do just that.
What we love about it
Supporting your partner through their pregnancy is just the first step in becoming a dad. But what about when the baby arrives?
So many questions pop up for new parents when they take the baby home from the hospital for the first time.
How often do we change their diaper? What do I feed them? How do I get this baby to fall asleep?
Some of these answers will come naturally, but for dads, it takes a little more research.
This book will answer all of those questions you’ll have when the baby first arrives and offers advice for raising your little one.
The book contains 125 pages broken down into chapters on the first 24 hours after birth to juggling life as a new dad. With 76 5-star ratings, you’re sure to learn more than a few things from reading this one.
For the baby’s first year
Book Title
The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year
by Armin Britt
What it’s about
The essential handbook for all things first-year father is now fully updated and revised. Not only will new dads get a month-by-month guide to their baby’s development, men reading The New Father will learn how they change, grow, and develop over the first twelve months of fatherhood.
In each chapter, Brott focuses on What’s Going On with the Baby; What You’re Going Through; What’s Going On with Your Partner; You and Your Baby; Family Matters; and more. The latest research, as well as time-honored wisdom―and humor, thanks to New Yorker cartoons and Brott’s light touch―make The New Father indispensable for the modern father who doesn’t want to miss a moment of his child’s first year.
What we love about it
We’ve already listed one of Armin’s books, but here we are again with a different one. Instead of guiding you through your baby’s development in the womb, we’re looking at the first year of your baby’s life.
The easy part’s over. Now you have an infant to take care of and the first year is one of the most fundamental parts of developing your parenting style.
This book deals with technology, society, and strategies you can implement as a father throughout your baby’s first year.
Starting at day one, this book has all of the answers to the questions you’ll have about baby tests, baby language, and normal baby behavior. Don’t skip this book whether you’re a new dad or this is your third time around.
For dads raising a Toddler
Book Title
Toddler 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Toddler
by Ari Brown, Denise Fields
What it’s about
You’ve made it! Your baby has turned one! Now the real fun begins. From temper tantrums to toilet training, raising a toddler brings its own set of challenges and questions — and Toddler 411 has the answers. Following on the heels of the best-seller Baby 411, Toddler 411 bottles the wisdom of parents who’ve “been there, done that” …and combines it with solid medical advice from an award-winning pediatrician.
What we love about it
Fatherhood goes beyond the first year of your baby’s life. Your baby’s toddler stage is the time that they learn about themselves, develop their personality, and push boundaries.
This book guides you through all of that including how to handle those difficult situations you’ll come across as a parent.
Picky eaters, potty training, and growth and development are just a few of the subjects Ari goes over in this book.
The hefty 576 pages go through it all. After reading this, you’ll feel the most prepared you ever have for the following years to come. The format of information provided makes it easy to read and highlights important parts of the text so you don’t have to.
New dads raising a son
Book Title
Raising Men: From Fathers to Sons: Life Lessons from Navy SEAL Training
by Eric Davis, Dina Santorelli
What it’s about
After Eric Davis spent over 16 years in the military, including a decade in the SEAL Teams, his family was more than used to his absence on deployments and secret missions that could obscure his whereabouts for months at a time.
Without a father figure in his own life since the age of fifteen, Eric was desperate to maintain the bonds he’d fought so hard to forge when his children were young―particularly with his son, Jason because he knew how difficult it was to face the challenge of becoming a man on one’s own. Unfortunately, Eric learned the hard way that Quality Time doesn’t always show up in Quantity Time.
In Raising Men, Eric and his SEAL brothers will use a unique blend of discipline, leadership, adventure, and grace to teach you how to connect, and reconnect, with your sons and learn how to raise real men―the Navy SEAL way.
What we love about it
Who can we trust better for raising a child than a Navy SEAL, right? Eric Davis went through a lot during his Navy SEAL career and is now raising 4 kids.
In this book, he ties in lessons from his Navy SEAL duties into parenting in a way that everyone can understand.
Even if you don’t have a military background, this book will immerse you in Eric’s experiences and show the connection between lessons he’s learned in the line of duty to parenting.
Eric takes extreme situations he’s been through and ties them into the life of being a great parent. His examples are exaggerated to help you understand the point he is making.
The book is divided into chapters, each with lessons of learning for both the parent and the child. It goes through subjects such as communication and self-regulation.
At the end of this book, you’re sure to understand life and parenting a little bit better.
For dads raising daughters
Book Title
Girl Dad: Stories, Lessons, and Advice from Girl Dads & Their Daughters
by Madeline Anderson
What it’s about
Girl Dad is an anecdotal, relatable, and heartfelt book that will make you laugh, smile, and learn as you enjoy stories from real Girl Dads and their daughters.
Throughout Girl Dad, you will find:
- Countless inspirational and heart-warming stories from Girl Dads and their daughters.
- Actionable steps to becoming a supportive, intentional, and present father—someone your daughter is proud to call “Dad.”
- Perspectives from daughters about what matters most.
- Ideas for creating unforgettable memories, unique gifts, and special moments with your daughter.
- Tips on how to navigate difficult situations and conversations with your daughter.
- Insight into “Girl World” and the little things that make daughters happy.
- Motivation to take on one of life’s most rewarding challenges.
After reading Girl Dad, you will be equipped with tips, tricks, and tools that have proven successful in creating a strong relationship with your daughter.
What we love about it
We’re going into a different book style by following the rules! This book is formatted into 7 different rules spread out over 183 pages.
These rules will guide you through parenting a little girl as someone raised as a man. The book is littered with quotes and stories from other girl dads.
This book helps empower men into embracing the Girl Dad in them by affirming the good you can instill in your daughter.
In this book, you’ll take a peak into the girl world so you know what to expect and how to handle situations that might arise as a parent to a little girl.
Conclusion
In conclusion, becoming a first-time dad can be an overwhelming and daunting experience, but it doesn’t have to be.
Reading can be an excellent way to prepare yourself for the journey ahead and help you navigate through the ups and downs of fatherhood. The seven books we have highlighted in this blog post cover a wide range of topics from practical advice on childcare to insights into the emotional and psychological aspects of being a father.
By reading these books, you can gain valuable insights, learn from the experiences of other fathers, and build confidence as you embark on this new phase of your life. We hope these book recommendations help you on your journey to becoming the best dad you can be!