15 Best Books for Soon to Be Dads: Best Gifts for New Dads

Shopping for a new dad? Pick up one of the best books for soon to be dads. Books make a great gift and offer much-needed advice during this exciting change.

Do you know a dad-to-be? Are you a birth partner who is looking to be prepared to support the mom of your coming baby? While pregnancy books are a dime a dozen, dads sometimes get the short end of the stick. There aren’t as many books designed for fathers as for moms-to-be. Yet dads also need to prepare for pregnancy, delivery, milestones, and baby care.

If you want to help the new dad in your life prepare, or if you are a dad with a baby on the way yourself, the right book could be a helpful tool on this journey. We’ve got you covered with the ten best books for soon-to-be-dads.

Pregnancy Guides for the Expectant Dad

Pregnancy doesn’t just affect moms. The first-time father needs guidance to guide his wife through these days and prepare for the significant life change that’s coming. These pregnancy guidebooks provide everything from birth plan checklists to pregnancy-by-trimester guides. They’re designed to help the new dad with the entire experience, from the exciting, positive pregnancy test to the thrill of the delivery room.

1. The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash Rudick

The Expectant Father is a best-selling month-by-month guide to pregnancy for dads. It lists the facts guys need to understand their baby’s development and their partner’s changes during pregnancy. It also covers labor, delivery, and the first few months of being a new partner. It’s sprinkled with cartoons to help make a potentially stressful time less harrowing for new dads.

This helpful book has been so popular that it landed on the New York Times bestselling list with nearly every edition. Looking for more children’s books? You might also enjoy our list of the best Norma Bridwell books.

“The pregnancy test’s positive result filled me with an incredible feeling of relief. Secretly, I’d always been afraid that I was sterile and I’d have to be satisfied with taking someone else’s kids to the circus or the baseball game. I also felt a surge of pride.”

Armin A. Brott, The Expectant Father

2. A Dude’s Guide to Baby Size: What to Expect and How to Prep for Dads-to-Be by Taylor Calmus

Taylor Calmus has gained Internet fame with his Dude Dad videos, and he brings the same sense of humor along with his first-hand experience with pregnancy and the baby years in A Dude’s Guide to Baby Size. 

This practical guide follows a baby’s development with his signature Dude Dad sense of humor. Instead of comparing the growing baby to a raspberry or a melon, it compares them to a guitar pick or tennis shoes, items dads are much more likely to feel connected to. This is an excellent book for the soon-to-be dad who is a little nervous about what’s coming.

“In less than forty weeks, you’ll be a pop holding your dear little offspring, but so much will happen between now and then.”

Taylor Calmus, A Dude’s Guide to Baby Size

3. We’re Pregnant: The First-Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook by Adrian Kulp

We’re Pregnant gives first-time dads the tools to be empathetic partners and prepared parents once the baby arrives. It has checklists, guides, and practical advice for common parenting concerns. New dads find that it helps them look forward to the coming changes with its relatable writing and helpful guidance.

“Instead of sitting back, taking the path of least resistance, and allowing our partner to bear the burden of what is coming our way over the next nine months and beyond, we guys need to lose the ‘dude’ act and learn to be the man that our partners see in us so we can be the kind of dad our children will look up to.”

Adrian Kulp, We’re Pregnant

4. Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! How to Get Both of You Through the Next 9 Months by John Pfeiffer

Fatherhood creates unexpected challenges that can sometimes make a dad look stupid. Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad strives to help guys avoid these mistakes. It guides men through the nine months of pregnancy so they’re gearing up positively for becoming a dad. With this book, John Pfeiffer created a survival guide for the father-to-be. It’s also short at around 200 pages, so most new dads can easily read it all in just a few days.

“There are approximately 3,712 ways for a man to look stupid during the pregnancy, and I’m here to help you avoid (most of) them.”

John Pfeiffer, Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad!

5. The Pregnancy Guide For Men: The ultimate first-time dad’s handbook on what to expect having a baby and becoming a new father by John Nero

The Pregnancy Guide For Men will help expecting dads unlock confidence in their abilities and easily navigate their partner’s pregnancy. This guidebook aims to equip readers with knowledge garnered from fathers worldwide. Learn how to overcome unexpected challenges, create a practical birth plan, and support your partner every step of the way. This guide hopes to provide essential guidance on what to expect and how to navigate the ups and downs of pregnancy right through to delivery and beyond.

“This book is essentially my love letter to all the fathers of the world, especially the ones who embrace their ultimate roles as dads to a budding new family”

John Nero, The Pregnancy Guide for Men

6. You’re Going To Be A Dad!: The New Dad’s Guide To Pregnancy and The First Year of Fatherhood by DaddiLife

You’re Going To Be A Dad! is an excellent guide for first-time dads looking to learn from a community of dads with a lot of reassuring advice. This new dad playbook will give you a week-by-week focus on pregnancy, giving dads tools to support their partner while caring for their emotional well-being. With plenty of supportive advice, this guide emphasizes working as a team with your partner through prebendary and the first full year of parenthood. Empathy, confidence, and teamwork are the core messages in this helpful guide.

“The journey of first-time fatherhood – throughout the nine months of pregnancy and the first year of your child’s life – are among the most exciting, nerve-racking, exhausting, and remarkable days of your entire life.”

DaddiLife, You’re Going To Be A Dad!

7. I’m Going to be a Dad!: The Ultimate Pregnancy Handbook for First-Time Fathers by David Hall

I’m Going to be a Dad! is a wonderful, positive, and exciting guide designed to support soon-to-be dads and get them excited about their fatherhood journey. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what’s happening to the baby in each trimester, what’s happening to mom, what to do, and what not to do to support mom and baby throughout the pregnancy journey. Find out what to expect and how to have the most epic time as you transition into parenthood.

“A father is like a real-life super-hero who is there to guide, protect, and have fun with.”

David Hall, I’m Going to be a Dad!

Parenting Guides

Once the baby comes, new dads need additional advice. Here are some excellent books to help new fathers in their babies’ first few months of life.

8. We’re Parents! The First-Time Dad’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Adrian Kulp

The sequel to We’re Pregnant is We’re Parents! This book is a baby owner’s manual for dads, or at least the closest thing to it. The information is presented in an easy-to-digest format perfect for new, sleep-deprived dads. It covers burping babies, feeding them, helping them sleep, and has plenty of Adrian Kulp’s signature humor woven throughout. You might be interested in exploring children’s books, such as these best Dr. Seuss books.

“Having a baby was an event that took shots at me emotionally and physically, while challenging my confidence and self-esteem. But, within a few months, I had found a new comfort zone.”

Adrian Kulp, We’re Parents! The First-Time Dad’s Guide to Baby’s First Year

9. Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden

Fatherhood can feel like entering the trenches of a warzone, but Be Prepared gives you everything you need to succeed as a new dad. It even has tips and tricks that make you think of MacGyver himself, and the overall tone is practical and no-nonsense. It even covers important topics like mental health and returning to a healthy sex life after a new baby’s arrival.

“Fresh-out-of-the-womb newborns look very different. As a matter of fact, your newborn may not bear any resemblance to you, your partner, or any known members of your species.”

Gary Greenberg, Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads

10. Diaper Dude: The Ultimate Dad’s Guide to Surviving the First Two Years by Chris Pegula

The author of From Dude to Dad is back with Diaper Dude. This book takes new dads through the first two years of their baby’s life. It includes practical advice and pairs psychology and science with the overall parenting advice you’d expect in a book for new dads.

“When it’s time to change your boy, unless you’re incredibly fast, you are bound to need assistance to prevent getting showered on. Check out the Pee-Pee Teepee. Yes, that’s a real thing.”

Christ Pegula, Diaper Dude

11. You Will Rock As a Dad!: The Expert Guide to First-Time Pregnancy and Everything New Fathers Need to Know by Alex Grace

You Will Rock As a Dad! is the perfect book for soon-to-be dads who might be freaking out and doubting their abilities as a father. This reassuring guide will support new fathers through the everyday stresses of parenthood and support them with helpful tips and tricks. Not only will you learn practical new dad tips, but you’ll also learn the key to a happy relationship throughout pregnancy and the early years. This book dives deep into the life of a new dad and will make sure you feel happy, confident, and ready for the next challenge!

“Your life will now be filled with memorable, once-in-a-lifetime moments.”

Alex Grace, You Will Rock As a Dad!

12. Baby Tips For A New Dad: The Fool-Proof Handbook From Dad to First Time Dad That Answers the 117 Doubts Every Dad-To-Be Has From Pregnancy to Early Fatherhood | Don’t Panic: It Only Gets Better! by Harvey Ward

Baby Tips For A New Dad is perfect for soon-to-be-dads who might have many questions. This guide answers 117 frequently asked questions that all first-time dads will ask themselves at some point in their parenting journey. All the information in this guide will fill you with confidence to best deal with every situation you might encounter throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood. This guide has everything from managing money fears to bonding with your little one!

“Becoming a father is a daunting process that needs clear thinking.”

Harvey Ward, Baby Tips For A New Dad

Alternative Styles

Not all books need to be guidebooks or handbooks. Sometimes, the new dad needs something different to be a good dad. Here are some alternative-style parenting books designed for dads.

13. New Dad, Same Bad Jokes by Slade Wentworth

Every new dad needs to be armed with some killer dad jokes. New Dad, Same Bad Jokes brings some fun to the world of fatherhood. It is a book of 365 dad jokes for new dads. That’s one for every day of the first year of fatherhood. It also has a parenting hacks guide at the end of the book to provide some practical advice in addition to the humor.

“New dads seem to get sick only on weekdays. They must have a weekend immune system.”

Slade Wentworth, New Dad, Same Bad Jokes

14. New Dad Baby Hacks: A Contemporary Guide for Dads by William Harding

New Dad Baby Hacks is an excellent gift for new fathers. This contemporary parenting book is full of worksheets to help keep up with chores with a new baby in tow and guides dealing with common sleep problems. It’s one of the most practical books for new parents, focusing on new dads, and it’s written in a “baby hack” style that dads find practical when they need quick advice.

“The first few hours after your child’s birth will be pretty intense, no matter how well it goes and how prepared you think you are.”

William Harding, New Dad Baby Hacks

15. The New Dad’s Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life by Benjamin Watson and Meg Meeker

This book’s written like a game plan for the biggest game any new dad will face: fatherhood. The New Dad’s Playbook is a tell-it-like-it-is guide, and you’ll find the advice quite practical. As you read through The New Dad’s Playbook, Benjamin Watson, a former NFL player, serves as your coach. Looking for more? Check out our round-up of the best self-help books!

“One minute your wife tells you that you are having a baby, the next you are running out of the house at midnight to buy her a pint of ice cream.”

Benjamin Watson, The New Dad’s Playbook

Looking for more? Check out our round-up of the best children’s book authors!