Do you secretly panic about parenthood? Fear not, bookish help is on its way.
Being a father has its pros and cons. A con most fathers face is second guessing themselves. Did I feed them the right amount? Did I handle that tantrum well? Or even the simple question of why are they crying? If you find yourself asking these and many more questions to yourself, don’t worry! You’re only human.
Below are some of my recommendations for books that help you answer those exact questions. Written by fathers just like yourselves, who by sharing their experiences want to help others fight the good fight.
The New Dad’s Survival Guide by Scott Mactavish
The author, a master infant-tamer, states that this is not just a book. It is a military-style guide to surviving the entire journey of having a child. A big claim to make! He lives up to his statement and makes sure that he gives you the best tips in a funny, relatable and interesting way. There are no long passages about what is the ‘right thing to do.’ There are short and easy to implement tips that help you deal with every aspect, be it feeding and cleaning, surviving sleep deprivation, getting used to the bodily functions, sex: let the games begin again and my personal favourite: pee, poo, hurl and snot.
Read this if you’re looking for a relaxed, fun read that covers it all which making sure you’re not left intimidated and lost.
£12.99 | Amazon.co.uk
From Dude to Dad by Chris Pegula
The title suggests that the author (who btw is a dad of three) writes only about pregnancy. That’s not the case. He dives into each part of the journey in different chapters. It starts off with Chapter 0 – pre-pregnancy and moves onto three chapters discussing each trimester. These are useful but similar to other books. The interesting advice comes in with the chapters post pregnancy, birth and parenting.
The author does an excellent job of connecting with other fathers, through his casual ‘man’ language and lingo. He also gives fathers advice regarding the ‘emotional’ part of parenting. Such as communication, how listening is important, women’s hormones, what she’s going through, and how men can help through it all. All aspects fathers struggle with (or at least my husband did).
Read this if you want a ‘friend’ to tell you that you will be ok, whilst giving you practical and easy to do advice through his real-life experiences.
£13.99 (Kindle Edition £9.99) | Amazon.co.uk
The New Dad Dictionary by Chris Illuminati
When in conversation with other parents, do you find yourself thinking ‘I’ve never heard of that!’ Fear not, you are not alone. You and many other fathers out there are winging it for a major part of it. To avoid that, grab yourself a copy of The New Dad Dictionary. It’s like getting the cliff notes for that book you didn’t read for English class!
This book offers new fathers a simplified guide to the various stages of having a child. It’s not limited to a phase but covers the entire journey in a fun way. The author shares his own experiences, along with anecdotes from others and gives you short tips and explanations for things you always wanted to know about, like doctor visits, different ailments and conversations with mom. The range of topics is so vast that it makes this book a great tool to have for the biggest transition of your life.
£9.99 (Kindle Edition £6.99) | Amazon.co.uk
