Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year [Paperback]

Susan Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Get in the game of fatherhood!

All new dads want to bond with their babies -- but how? With seventy-two safe, simple exercises, each illustrated with a fun photograph, Rookie Dad helps busy fathers make a real connection with their little ones -- and have a ball doing it!

• "Shake Hands with Dad" promotes motor coordination
• "Eyes on the Ball" boosts eye-tracking skills
• "Flashlight Tag" is fun at lights-out time
• "Crunch Time" helps baby learn balance while tightening Daddy's abs
• "Box Score" is a fantastic tool for bedtime,helping babies enjoy snug spaces

These and other age-appropriate activities, designed for the newborn to the twelve-month-old, help develop fundamental skills needed for sitting, crawling, walking, and more. They also plant the seeds for a lifelong love of sports and physical fitness. But all Baby knows is Dad is really fun to be with! Be a champion to the MVP in your life -- by sharing the joyful and unique approach to quality time illustrated in Rookie Dad.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

But dads needn't despair. In Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year, Susan Fox, a pediatric therapist, coaches newcomers on the joys and trails of fatherhood. Deploying sports jargon throughout (chapters include "The Pregame Show" and "The Handoff: When Mom Leaves You Alone With the Baby"), Fox encourages enthusiastic and reluctant dads alike to participate actively in their baby's fast-paced development. Games like "Stunt Pilot," "Tug-of-War," "Peekaboo-Playoffs" and "Air Races" are just the beginning, and moms will be reassured by Fox's emphasis on safety (always support that head!). Old-fashioned advice on feeding, changing, burping and sleep will also be welcome.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Fox, director of Seattle's Pediatric Therapy Clinic, offers this gentle, sports-themed book filled with 72 activities. Her easy, stimulating games encourage father-child intimacy from birth (e.g., the aptly titled "Daddy Huddle" in which the new team snuggle together) to about 18 months (e.g., "Halftime Band" involves music). Chapters are grouped by the age of the child and feature short advisory sections. Writing in an authoritative voice that will reassure new, and most likely nervous, fathers, Fox resorts to familiar sports metaphors, as when she compares learning diapering to rookie basketball: "Did your coach stick you in the middle of a game with a bunch of experienced guys and expect you to play like a pro? No [and yet] eventually you put all the pieces together and learned to play basketball." Accompanying photographs vividly demonstrate the joy of bonding. Appropriate for gifts and public libraries. Douglas C. Lord, Hartford P.L., CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743410343
• ISBN-13: 978-0743410342
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,009,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Dads, July 29, 2001

By 

Michael Miller (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year (Paperback)

Using the sports theme, the author presents dozens of games to play with your baby to build their physical and mental development, as well as to promote bonding. My husband and I found that we just "naturally" did some of the games suggested before we even had the book, but it offers a wide variety of things to choose from and gives and interesting background on what benefits the activity offers.

This is a great book for a new dad OR mom and offers games from birth until about 2 years old.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy, April 3, 2002

By 

Casey Sullivan (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year (Paperback)

If you are looking for a book with tons of fun games and excercises to do with your infant, this is the book. I swear by it. We were trying to help my daughter crawl and I found an excercise/game in the book that had her crawling in days!!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Laid out but some good exercises, January 31, 2004

By 

uq6810 "uq6810" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rookie Dad: Fun and Easy Exercises and Games for Dads and Babies in Their First Year (Paperback)

Most of the exercises are good and one usually comes to them naturally. It's a good reference to get a base set of things to do with your child. The only problem is it's poorly laid out meaning some of the sets are birth - 3 months with another set being birth to 6 months. Why not have them birth, 3 months, 6 months etc. The pictures are somewhat useless as well in that they show a guy and a child smiling. Diagrams with how the exercises should be performed might be a bit better.