So You're Going To Be a Dad

My Dad bought me this book when we announced that my wife was pregnant. Now that we are within a couple weeks of the big day, I realize how true much of the advice in the book is even if it is written rather tongue-in-cheek. This is a great present for the 'dad to be' and one of the few baby books that I found worth the time invested in reading it. Thanks Peter for sharing your experience for the rest of us wide-eyed soon to be dads. By the way, I removed the carpet from my Jeep based on page 97 - just in case!

A must read for expectant parents (yes, mums too!!!!). I am currently seven months pregnant with our first child and some good friends of mine who have just had their first baby lent me this book. They said, however, that I should read it as well as my husband, as it was so good. I cried laughing. In all honesty, I have not read a book that made me laugh so much in ages. At one stage I was laughing so hard that my husband was quite alarmed and thought I was crying. He is also reading it now and I hear him laughing while I'm trying to sleep with a watermelon rolling around inside me. Well done to Peter Downey - down with other super-serious books that frighten, and up with laughter. A thousand thanks for making me feel human again - there is nothing more joyful than a good belly laugh, particularly after months of dire morning sickness and wanting to die.

Just a quick note to say thankyou for writing your books, (well, only the first and second - a bit late for the marriage one!!) I found them enjoyable, funny and informative. I will be recommending them to any male who has a child (after I have found friends with children). As my daughter is only four months old I have lots to look forward to, and am looking forward to making all the mistakes and Aussie male is bound to make, Thanks and good luck with your children, Steven PS.. Anyone who gives him less than 5 stars doesnt;1. have a sense of humor,2. know how to read or, 3. has no children!Hope that balances things up for you.

A mate gave me Peter Downey's book after my wife and I found out we were pregnant, we were in a restaurant and (much to the consternation of those around the table) I started reading a bit of it. Talk about laugh! For the next few minutes I kept interrupting the conversation by reading a few lines from the book. Mercifully, all the other people found Downey's humor pleasing.As I got into the rest of the book, I found that as a bloke who knew virtually nothing about babies I understood what was going on. The book is written for the average bloke, who has a fairly dry sense of humor. It does not put off prospective fathers with a whole lot of technical jargon that no-one outside the medical field understands. It just tells it like it is. And yes, Peter Downey - those nappies that start when the teeth break through the gums are quite simply, unbelievable.If you are going to be a dad, but are a bit nervous about what lies ahead, get this book and read it. When you've finished, you'll know a little more than you did when you started, although in reality, nothing prepares you for what you are about to see (provided you are conscious for the birth), or experience as your baby becomes an infant; your infant a toddler and so on. And on the way, you'll have a dammned good laugh, even moreso when you read it again when your baby is three and you are reminded of all those wonderful (smelly, putrid, nay, rancid) things you have seen and done in the last few years.I would recommend this book to anyone out there who wants to read of a typical bloke's experience of impending fatherhood - and who doesn't mind a good laugh along the way.

So You're Going To Be A Dad is a great way to laugh your way to fatherhood. This practical paperback holds no punches but also squarely delivers the goods, which are, after all, parenting of the Male variety. A wonderful description of the reasons Peter Downey wrote the book emblazons the back cover: "He wrote this book because he believes somebody should warn dads-to-be about the enormous changes fatherhood will bring to their lives. He also wrote this book because he believes that our society needs more good dads." So You're Going To Be A Dad achieves its goals through humour, solid information, and practical details. Its tone is unflinching. From morning sickness (after sex and its side effects) to Labor to surviving at home, there is something of interest for every man who will become a father. The book ends with anecdotes from friends who became fathers sharing their experiences. Best advice? Don't forget your wife. Get all the help you can. Keep trying, it's worth it. This is a great baby shower gift for the father to be.Nancy Lorraine Reviewer