Crawling: a Father's First Year

This has been my husband's favorite book so far...  :)

From Publishers Weekly

In spite of all the fine children's books he'd written and illustrated (Magic Thinks Big; Dance!), Cooper always knew, deep down, that he didn't really like children "in person." Parents were worse. Parents were people who used to have interesting lives, but now spent their waking hours discussing how tired they were. Adults without children dined in marvelously relaxing restaurants; parents ate in horribly plastic places featuring "mac and cheese." The very act of becoming a parent—that "miracle" of his wife giving birth to Zoë—was frightening; as he said, "I'd call 911 but we're already in a hospital." In loosely chronological essays, Cooper describes his experiences taking Zoë to the local cafe, to playgrounds, to the petting farm or to "baby night" at the movies. Before long, he started to relax. He learned to give her diaper a surreptitious sniff and not make a big deal of it. Rather than complain about Zoë's outfits, he learned just to change them after his wife left for work. While he always found something new to worry about, he also realized it didn't matter, since he was so totally besotted with this dear child. With a delicious sense of humor and remarkably graceful phrasing, Cooper's journal is a gift to all new parents—especially the guys. (Sept.)

Posted by LisaThakker    Monday, November 12, 2007 9:32 AM

re: Q: Best Books for Dad?

My hubby isn't a big reader.  He usually gets half way through an article in a magazine and gets bored.  He LOVES "The Caveman's Guide to Expecting"  Not only is it in "man terms" but it also covers everything.  He's now telling me healthy recipe's we should try, idea's for the nursery, what pain relievers and labor options we should think about and is asking the doc more questions than me.  It's really gotten him involved in the pregnancy.

Posted by Tash13    Friday, November 16, 2007 8:23 PM

Pregnancy Sucks for men

My husband LOVES this book- and I've read some of it, too- it's hilarious, and really helps guys feel like a part of the pregnancy.  It's easy to read, and there's one chapter for each month.  My husband has been keeping up with my pregnancy this way- it's been great!

Posted by uoflnicole03    Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:22 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

The Caveman’s Pregnancy Companion.  My husband read this cover-to-cover in just two days after we found out we were pregnant.  It's funny but still very helpful for dads-to-be with lots of questions.

Posted by chandrab    Monday, October 27, 2008 7:57 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My Boys Can Swim - my husband doesn't like to read in depth books either but cracked up reading this one.  It's not informative regarding babies, but it definitely gives him a guide to dealing with us pregnantzillas.  

Posted by caroly713    Friday, November 07, 2008 8:43 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband has been reading the book 'Dad's Pregnant Too!' & I've read a few things from it occasionally- it's got good advice (from multiple people, not just the author) as well as an online site/forum to check out & it has a bit of humor so you don't get bored. So far we've really enjoyed it the most out of the dad books we've been reading!

Posted by purdybooshka    Saturday, May 16, 2009 2:25 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

Another satirical book is "What to Expect When Your Wife is Expanding", which plays off of the "What to Expect" books for women. My husband is currently reading it, chuckling every so often, and sharing some of the tidbits... While it may not have completely useful tips/info, it does put the humorous spin on a time during which we all get bogged down with details, fears, concerns, and so on.

Posted by Annie4581    Friday, August 21, 2009 8:43 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

I'm still not sure how involved my hubby is cause he doesn't much talk about it.  I hope these book ideas help.

Posted by tamsynandmac    Thursday, August 27, 2009 5:58 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband is also reading My Boys Can Swim. He's not a reader, but likes that he is getting good info on my pregnancy, too. In fact, sometimes he talks like he is the expert. "You are going to gain a lot of weight, but that's ok because it is healthy for the baby."

Posted by KristaSuz    Sunday, October 25, 2009 10:20 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My Fiance is reading a book called So your going to be a dad! He really likes it! Its funny and it give you Advice on just about everything! When we started looking at furniture and I didn't have a clue he already knew what we should be looking for! I highly recommend this book!!

Posted by emilyk33    Monday, October 26, 2009 5:23 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband isn't much of a reader but he is loving "The Everything Father-to-Be Book" and is always eager to share things he's learned from it.

Posted by michkev    Tuesday, November 03, 2009 2:09 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband also loves Pregnancy Sucks for Men  - it is really funny!

Posted by zolagrif    Monday, March 01, 2010 1:14 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads

My boyfriend found this book at booksamillion and I swear it was written just for him lol. It is perfect for your typical " Mans man"  Its quite funny and I find it an interesting read myself.

Posted by mrsjwr    Thursday, April 01, 2010 7:35 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

Most of the books that are out there for dads are the "i don't know what to do, i'm freaking out because i'm a nut case" sort of books.  Personally, my husband wanted books that are facts, like a text book.  So, right now, he's reading: http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Pregnancy-Book-Important-Parenting/dp/1598692860/ref=sr_1_89?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274193827&sr=1-89.  It's been much more helpful than most of those other books that they continue to promote.

Posted by j&sclark320    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 9:44 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

Okay, so I've bought a few of these for my husband, borrowed a few from the library and he's looked up stuff on line too...he says he hates reading the books now because he hasn't found anything actually useful.  That the books basically say to hold our hand and color and get over it all the future mom is right, is going to be right, and he won't.  I've told him to read the What to Expect when Your Expecting book in order to just understand it and then we can talk about it...

 If anyone has any positive feeback to this; that would be great!

Posted by SunshineDanie    Sunday, August 08, 2010 9:01 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband looked at several books before he settled on this one: The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash.  It is a great book for those dads-to-be who feel like society only makes expecting a child all about the mom-to-be.  This book gives information and helpful tips, as well as touches on what is going on with the new dad-to-be emotionally.  

For after the baby is born, he really liked Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden as recommended above.  He said the practicality of it was just perfect for a man!

Posted by nse712    Thursday, August 26, 2010 10:08 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

Here we go... I work at Borders and the two most obviously hilarious books I recommend (but keep away from the grandparents if they lack a sense of humor) are "Mommy Needs a Martini" and "Daddy Needs a Drink."  They are really great books with obviously humorous tones.  Despite how it sounds, these books give good advice and are easy to follow.    I think I'm going to find the Caveman's Guide, too, though. haha

Posted by brunoshort    Sunday, August 29, 2010 6:28 PM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband is enjoying "Dad's Pregnant Too" as someone above mentioned.  I catch him laughing and sharing some of the "tips" with me.  

Posted by sherbear1322    Tuesday, March 15, 2011 7:24 AM

re: Q: Best books for Dad?

My husband is reading 'The Expectant Father' and he really likes it.

Posted by gvanessa    Sunday, August 28, 2011 2:48 PM

Best books for Dad?

My husband enjoys reading and wants to know as much as he can. He read "The Expectant Father," as someone else mentioned, and really enjoyed it. It was entertaining to him and had information that even my books didn't cover. Now he's reading "The New Father" by the same author. It has chapters divided by the age of the child and seems to be enjoying it as well.

Posted by anet1223    Sunday, September 11, 2011 6:52 AM