Baby Books for Dad-to-Be
When my wife and I talked about purchasing books to read on first pregnancy, I told her I wanted to read books that were funny. In fact, I remember saying, "I want Dave Barry to write a serious book on pregnancy and fatherhood."
After a quick look at Amazon, I found three books to buy: The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion: A Survival Guide for Expectant Fathers by David Port and John Ralston, The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael Crider, and Keeping the Baby Alive till Your Wife Gets Home by Walter Roark.
I decided to only read the books up to childbirth, as it was many (although not as far as I think) months away.
I completed Caveman since it covers everything up to childbirth. The book takes the premise that I am a caveman when it comes to pregnancy and guides me through everything I need to know about the next nine months. I learned a lot, and was proud to spout the new words I'd learned to my wife. The book was lighthearted and had many funny sections. It also had a chapters on healthy meals I could cook, massage techniques to lower her pain, and even advise on making sex possible in the later months.
I just finished reading Guy's Guide up to the section on childbirth, and I must say it's much funnier than Caveman. Crider writes the book in his own experience with his first child and writes just as funny as anyone I've read before. However, his book doesn't provide too much insight to the whole experience. While it's great to laugh at his cynical and humorous portrayals of everything from finding out his wife was pregnant to the baby showers, not too much information was gleamed from his writing.
I haven't started Keeping the Baby Alive since it deals with the basics of parenting chores (changing diapers, feeding, etc.). I expect it to be funny as well, but don't know how it will compare to Guy's Guide.
Overall, I'd suggest both Caveman and Guy's Guide to any dad-to-be, and will probably buy both books for every new dad that I know. While Caveman isn't 100% comedic, it gives a lot of "inside" information to what's happening, why, and how to deal with it. Reversely, Guy's Guide doesn't give too much information, but educates you on the broad topic while making it hilarious.
Are there any books you suggest for the dad-to-be? If so, why should he read it? Have you read any of the above books? If so, what did you think about them? Were they helpful for you?
After a quick look at Amazon, I found three books to buy: The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion: A Survival Guide for Expectant Fathers by David Port and John Ralston, The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the First Year of Fatherhood by Michael Crider, and Keeping the Baby Alive till Your Wife Gets Home by Walter Roark.
I decided to only read the books up to childbirth, as it was many (although not as far as I think) months away.
I completed Caveman since it covers everything up to childbirth. The book takes the premise that I am a caveman when it comes to pregnancy and guides me through everything I need to know about the next nine months. I learned a lot, and was proud to spout the new words I'd learned to my wife. The book was lighthearted and had many funny sections. It also had a chapters on healthy meals I could cook, massage techniques to lower her pain, and even advise on making sex possible in the later months.
I just finished reading Guy's Guide up to the section on childbirth, and I must say it's much funnier than Caveman. Crider writes the book in his own experience with his first child and writes just as funny as anyone I've read before. However, his book doesn't provide too much insight to the whole experience. While it's great to laugh at his cynical and humorous portrayals of everything from finding out his wife was pregnant to the baby showers, not too much information was gleamed from his writing.
I haven't started Keeping the Baby Alive since it deals with the basics of parenting chores (changing diapers, feeding, etc.). I expect it to be funny as well, but don't know how it will compare to Guy's Guide.
Overall, I'd suggest both Caveman and Guy's Guide to any dad-to-be, and will probably buy both books for every new dad that I know. While Caveman isn't 100% comedic, it gives a lot of "inside" information to what's happening, why, and how to deal with it. Reversely, Guy's Guide doesn't give too much information, but educates you on the broad topic while making it hilarious.
Are there any books you suggest for the dad-to-be? If so, why should he read it? Have you read any of the above books? If so, what did you think about them? Were they helpful for you?