THE NEW FATHER: A DAD'S GUIDE TO THE FIRST YEAR by Armin A. Brott ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fatherhood for some of us is full of immense pride, crippling self-doubt, probably some cringiness, thousands of diaper changes, and a lot of hard work, physically and emotionally. While nothing compares to what moms go through, we go through a rollercoaster ourselves that sometimes can put us on an island of our own. It can be hard to voice our concerns and struggles when we also need to be strong enough to console someone else. In comes The New Father to reassure you that you aren’t alone, that many have come before and walked the same path, and that you have way harder things and stinkier diapers ahead, so don’t get too ahead of yourself and just enjoy the ride.

I really enjoy these books — more so than the What to Expect series — because they just lay it out plain. At times it can be a bit on the nose with the remarks and advice, but generally it hits to the core of issues I myself am feeling or wondering at the time. It was always comforting to find an issue in the book that I was having in real-life and have it explain exactly why this is a happening and how not to lose my mind. It also quickly summarized each month and milestone so you know about where you should or could be with your baby, along with a million anecdotes and recommendations for the first year of parenting. It was a staple in my day-to-day in those early months, and a reliable check-in the whole way through.

I recommend this to anybody filling a fatherly role, and am thankful I found it before I started my own journey here. And yes, I have already bought the 12-36 month version for my nightstand. I can only imagine the advice I will need to survive the toddler years.