The Stay-at-Home Dad Handbook [Paperback]

Peter Baylies (Author), Jessica Toonkel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Written by a stay-at-home dad for other stay-at-home dads, this handbook addresses the particular parenting issues men face when they become the primary caregivers. This "man-friendly" resource offers practical solutions to such challenges as living well on one income, understanding the wife's breadwinner status, cleaning the house without feeling overwhelmed, and networking in a female-oriented community. Creative anecdotes offer supportive and effective advice to help stay-at-home dads successfully deal with the psychological issues, as well as the everyday details, that make this parenting situation different. This advice-oriented guide also offers a special section of newsletters, online chat groups, playgroups around the country, and stay-at-home dad organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Provides the tools, knowledge, and support that no stay-at-home dad should be without." —Armin Brott, author, The Expectant Father and The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year

"Provides tools, support and a dose of reality to life at home with children." —Nashville Parent Magazine

"The perfect resource for current stay-at-home dads as well as new parents considering their child-care options." —Norwich Bulletin

"Offers plenty of practical tips and resources." —Queens Parent

"There's plenty here that could provide a first-time stay-at-home dad some comfort and practical information." —New York Post

"Couples must read this before deciding who will stay home...with this helpful handbook, dad can do it too!" —Dr. Robert Frank, author, Parenting Partners and The Secret Life of The Dyslexic Child

"Helps validate the feelings of its male readers while offering...ideas to combat the hardships and embrace the benefits." —The Plain Dealer

"A great resource for any dad, but an invaluable one for the 'Stay-at-Home' dads out there." —City Parent

About the Author

Peter Baylies has been a stay-at-home dad for his two sons for over 10 years. He writes the At-Home Dad Newsletter and he is the founder of The At-Home Dad Network, a stay-at-home dad online community. His work has been featured or mentioned in the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, Men's Health, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parents, USA Today, and Woman's Day. He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts. Jessica Toonkel is the managing editor for Fund Marketing Alert/Fund Action. She has been a reporter and editor covering international business and finance for publications such as American Banker, American Lawyer, and Financial Net Alert.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556525346
• ISBN-13: 978-1556525346
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Fatherhood

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more "Mr. Mom", December 5, 2004

By 

Fearless Reviews "D. Patrick Miller, Editor" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Stay-at-Home Dad Handbook (Paperback)

While the day-to-day, 9-to-5 (only it's sometimes more like 24/7) career of child-rearing is still largely a female domain, Mr. Mom is no longer a movie cliche, but an SAHD, or Stay-at-Home Dad. As more mothers bring home larger pay checks, and more paying jobs can be done at home, more fathers find themselves able and willing to do the daycare thing. Thus the rise of dads like Peter Baylies, founder of the At-Home Dad Network and publisher of its newsletter, and thus this very useful and pragmatic guide for "Men Who Clean Bathrooms and the Women Who Love Them."

The Stay-at-Home Dad Handbook would be an excellent tool for any expectant parent, male or female, who wants to look after both home and children. Baylies is full of clear and clever advice about establishing routines, cleaning house (and how to schedule this around the needs of a small child), dealing with tantrums, attaining and maintaining a satisfying social life, living on one income, working at home, avoiding burnout, and what to do when the kid hits kindergarten age. Some of this stuff men simply need explained to them, and Baylies does that with admirable precision, flavored with amusing examples of traditional can-do male attitude - there's a really good idea about how to recycle your old computer and edutain your child at the same time - and tips only a dad would think of, or publish. (Having fun in the summer months via the "ice cube meltdown in armpit" method comes to mind.) But the book's guy-ness comes through most strongly in the "Spotlight on Dad" profiles that finish each chapter: vignettes, some funny and some poignant, by other SAHDs about their at-home experiences: the frustration of waiting and waiting, a squalling infant in one's arms, for the breast-feeding mom who's stuck on the freeway; the guy who's finally taken the proud step of calling himself "a professional parent." ("And if you call me Mr. Mom, I'll hit you with my diaper bag.")

It would be nice to hear a little more about the less tangible rewards of staying at home: the ease and intimacy of life with one's child, the pleasures of not commuting and of being one's own boss. But not to quibble; with its attention to detail and the appendix of cool resources, Baylies's latest child is for any father-to-be who dreams of becoming a real pro. -- Melanie Lawrence for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book Ever on Stay at home Dads, November 17, 2004

By 

Curtis P. Cooper (Kansas City, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stay-at-Home Dad Handbook (Paperback)

This is "THE BOOK" on stay at home dads! Fun and fast reading that offers valuable insight into the life of stay at home dads. Great parenting tips for both mom's and dad's. Read this book and you will be a better father. This book is a must read for any parent who takes parenting seriously.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fathers are people too, October 13, 2004

By 

Dr. Jonathan Waks (Truth or Consequences, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stay-at-Home Dad Handbook (Paperback)

I had a chance to peek at an advanced copy of the book and I was floored by the creative advise and down to earth approach. I should have read this book 5 years ago when my son's were still young. Luckily I'll have plenty of time to practice on my daughter.