Books, Toys and Activities

With its friendly cover and humorous tone, Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads, by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden (©2004 Simon & Schuster), lives up to its title quite easily. Practicality is the key for Greenberg and Hayden, a husband and wife writing and illustrating team who are also parents to a daughter named Madeline. Everything from burping, breastfeeding, and soothing a crying baby is covered, with helpful, and humorous, illustrations to boot.

First-time dads, nervous about their impending parenthood, will find this book reassuring and entertaining. The tips are practical, and the approach encourages relaxation and ease, which is something that new parents might find hard to attain as they approach the birth of their first child.

The book is useful beyond just the first few weeks of your child's life, as it continues into baby-proofing and the perils of soothing a teething baby. Moms and Dads alike will find many things to both educate and entertain in the pages of Be Prepared.

Not only is there a book, the authors were kind enough to take to the internet to fill in a few gaps left by the printed version. At www.beprepared.net there are useful educational and entertaining downloads available of white noise, samples of a crying baby, bathing tips, infant CPR, and a link to some important information on paternity leave.

©2008 Jessica Lane