The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brott writes honestly and earnestly. His wry sense of humor will be a relief to hassled parents." - Time

Product Description

An indispensable handbook on all aspects of fatherhood during the first 12 months, The New Father charts the physical, intellectual, verbal, and emotional changes which a child experiences in the first year and examines the emotional and psychological developments the father may be experiencing. 30 illustrations.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1 edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789202751
• ISBN-13: 978-0789202758
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #622,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, concise, and entertaining., July 4, 2000

By	H. Johnson "Hal Johnson" (Bella Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Truth be told, when my sister-in-law gave me this book during the week prior to the birth of our son, my thought was, "Well, that's nice, but heck, I've already read the books my wife bought." Yet, I soon changed my mind after starting the book. Mind you, there are scores of excellent parenting books out there, but this is one of the few that relate the experience of becoming a new dad from a man's perspective. That's been of more value to me than I would have thought: Let's face it, we men tend to get self-conscious when we try to talk to each other about issues of the heart, and the result can be that a man too often feels isolated upon becoming a new parent. Armin Brott comes across in a sensitive, sincere manner, without crossing the line into an Alan Alda-ish "Gee I'm sorry I'm a man" tone. He covers the practical considerations of having a new baby in the house, but just as importantly, he discusses the emotional issues that arise with the birth of a child, such as the importance of recognizing the changes in the relationship between a man and his partner that seem to catch too many folks by surprise. "The New Father" is a great resource for new dads; it beats the heck out of drinking beer with your buddies and complaining about how bad baby poop smells.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must have for dads, December 6, 1999

By	Brian Charles (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews

I have really appreciated this book over the past 18 months, as my wife and I anticipated the birth of our child, and as he grew into a happy, bubbly one year old.

I've passed on copies to other fathers and will continue to share this wisdom with others.

There have been plenty of times I've reread chapters in anticipation of what was to come, dreaming of the time I would again be able to sleep through the night, hear my son call me "da", dance for the first time.

All of these events have occurred and are treasured in my heart.

This book helped keep me comfortable and informed through times of great change, great responsibility and overwhelming circumstances.

Moved by the sensitivity and good humor in the pages of this book, I respond by saying buy this book

A mans perspective in a field overflowing with women's experience based books is rare indeed.

Read the book and be reminded that there are other men in the world who take the time to consider their actions, take responsibility when appropriate and believe that having a child is the greatest growth experience a person can have, but only when they remain involved and loving.

Buy it for yourself, buy it for a friend.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for Men Only, October 5, 2002

By	Virginia Lore "rumtussle" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year (Hardcover)

The New Father is a summary of information about parenthood during the first year of the baby's life. Unlike many books not geared specifically to men, it presents information in a concise, direct way without a great deal of context. For this reason it is much less annoying than a great number of other pregnancy/parenthood books.

I bought this book for my partner, but ended up using it a lot myself. Organized by month, the book presents a lot of information that some of my other books didn't. In the fourth month Armin A. Brott discusses temperament, presenting a table of nine temperamental traits that babies are born with and the indicators of those traits. The balance between work and family is given a lot more page space than in other books, and money issues as a possible stressor is discussed as well.

Brott could have expanded some of his topics. I'd like the book to have been longer and more complete. Some topics are barely introduced and then dropped before they are fully addressed. But like parents, no parenting book is perfect. I recommend this book for new parents of all genders.