Becoming a father for the first time is an exciting yet overwhelming experience. As a new dad, you’re likely feeling a mix of emotions, excitement, fear, anxiety, and even confusion.
It’s completely normal, but it can be tough to navigate the emotional rollercoaster that comes with this life-changing transition.
Sleep deprivation, balancing work and home life, and adjusting to your new role as a dad can add even more stress.
On top of that, societal pressures to be the perfect father and the stigma around mental health struggles can make it hard to ask for help or share your experiences.
But you’re not alone. In fact, there are many resources out there designed specifically for new dads.
New dads face sleep loss, identity shifts, and the challenge of finding support. These 8 books offer clear advice, steady encouragement, and proven guidance to help you handle the changes.
Let’s dive into the books that can help you navigate the challenges of fatherhood while keeping your mental health and relationships intact.
Here Is A Quick Look At The Best Books for New Dads in 2025
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
- The Expectant Father by Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash Rudick
- You Will Rock As a Dad! by Alex Grace
- We’re Pregnant! by Adrian Kulp
- Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! by John Pfeiffer
- The Simplest Baby Book in the World by S.M. Gross
- Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson
- Cribsheet by Emily Oster
How I Curated the Best Books for New Dads Reading List
Becoming a dad is a huge shift. The excitement feels real, but so does the struggle to figure things out fast.
Then you walk into the parenting section and see hundreds of books staring back at you.
Where do you even start?
I didn’t want a random stack of bestsellers. I wanted a list that made sense.
A reading path that starts at pregnancy, carries you through the messy newborn stage, and keeps you going as fatherhood gets bigger and more rewarding.
Here’s how I built it.
- Stage by stage
Fatherhood changes with each phase, and the list follows that rhythm. It starts with pregnancy guides, moves into newborn survival books, and ends with bigger-picture reads on fatherhood. - Broad to specific
I started with books that give the full picture. Then I added practical ones that answer the smaller, urgent questions. - Different styles for different dads
Some dads want straight facts. Others prefer stories or humor. Some just need a quick visual guide at 3 a.m. The list has a mix, so you can find what fits you.
Using this framework, I picked the 8 Best Books for New Dads that stand out in 2025.
Each one brings something different. I’ve laid out the pros and cons so you can see which ones deserve a place on your shelf.
1. What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
When I first picked up What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff, I thought it might just be another pregnancy manual.
It turned out to be more like a companion through every confusing and emotional stage my wife is going through.
The book doesn’t shy away from the questions you actually ask yourself, like whether you can still drink coffee, eat fish, or work out when you’re exhausted.
I remember my wife flipping through the section on morning sickness while too queasy to keep down even crackers. The tips she found there actually helped.
The week-by-week breakdown made it easier to follow our baby’s growth and gave us a sense of connection.
I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting when I was pregnant, and it was an invaluable resource throughout my entire pregnancy. The book covers everything from the early days to delivery, and it’s filled with helpful advice, tips, and reassurance.
Now that my daughter is expecting, I bought a newer version for her, and she’s been loving it just as much as I did. It’s comforting to have such a trusted guide during such an exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) time. Highly recommend it to any expecting parent! —Lisa
The week-by-week breakdown made it easier to follow our baby’s growth and gave us a sense of connection.
It covers relationships, work, beauty routines, and the not-so-pretty parts like swelling and backaches. For us, it felt like a friend who had already been through it and knew exactly what we needed to hear.
For us, it felt like having a friend who had already been through it and knew exactly what we needed to hear.
2. The Expectant Father by Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash Rudick
When my wife was pregnant, I kept hearing about books for moms but very little for dads. The Expectant Father by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash Rudick filled that gap for me.
It doesn’t just explain what’s happening to the baby each month but also helps you figure out what’s happening to you.
For fathers soon expecting the ultimate gift―a new member of the family―The Expectant Father is their best friend.―CNN.com
When I read the section on work-life balance during COVID, I realized I wasn’t the only dad struggling with career stress and family priorities
The month-by-month format made it easy to follow along. The mix of medical insight, real stories, and even cartoons kept it from feeling heavy.
What I liked most was that it treated dads as part of the pregnancy, not just bystanders.
It gave me practical ways to support my partner and prepare myself for fatherhood. By the time labor came, I felt far more confident walking into that delivery room.
3. You Will Rock As a Dad! by Alex Grace
This book helped me laugh through the panic and focus on what really mattered.
It doesn’t just throw medical jargon at you but also breaks down pregnancy and fatherhood in a way that feels like you’re getting advice from a buddy who’s been there.
I especially liked the practical hacks, like what to bring to the hospital and how to keep supporting your partner when hormones and exhaustion are running high.
You Will Rock As A Dad is our favorite survival guide for expectant fathers. This book covers everything soon-to-be fathers need to know about, from pregnancy, to birth and beyond. You Will Rock As a Dad focuses on the changes your partner is going through so you can be a supportive partner and offer the help they really need. —WonderBaby
The humor kept it light, but there were also sections on serious stuff like postpartum depression and relationship stress that made me feel prepared instead of blindsided.
The book gave me enough confidence to feel like I wasn’t just tagging along, I was actually part of the process. For me, it struck a good balance between being informative and being real.
4. We’re Pregnant! by Adrian Kulp
This book gives you a roadmap that feels both practical and reassuring.
The month-by-month format is a lifesaver, letting you focus on what matters right now instead of getting lost in everything at once.
It’s not just about the baby’s development, but also about how you can support your partner, ask the right questions at doctor visits, and keep your relationship strong through the ups and downs.
When my wife was expecting for the first time, I had little to no clue what to do. I learned an incredible amount from my wife (she already had 50 nieces and nephews) and her doctor, but I wish there would’ve been a book out there that could have given me the knowledge and encouragement to better connect with her during pregnancy. Now that book has arrived. has you covered, guys. Just do it. And good luck!―Tom Riles, founder of Life of Dad?
The sections on family goals push you to think about things you might not have considered, like planning a babymoon or how you want to announce the pregnancy.
What stands out the most is its friendly tone. It makes fatherhood feel less intimidating and gives you the confidence to step up from day one.
5. Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! by John Pfeiffer
If you don’t want to screw things up as a dad, this book is the right one for you. It felt like a guy-to-guy conversation from someone who had been through the sleepless nights, doctor visits, nursery prep, and even IVF.
Instead of only explaining what was happening to my partner, it showed me what I could actually do.
Full of practical advice for new dads-to-be, Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad by John Pfeiffer is an absolute page turner…and I’m neither pregnant, or a man. I absolutely loved it. ―WeGotKidz.com
Things like going to appointments, packing the hospital bag, or reminding her she’s beautiful when she feels anything but.
The humor kept me reading even when I was stressed, and the advice was simple enough to use right away. It never felt preachy, just practical.
For me, it turned nine months of anxiety into something I could manage step by step.
6. The Simplest Baby Book in the World by S.M. Gross
Instead of dense chapters of conflicting advice, this book gives you quick, visual answers with more than 700 illustrations, perfect for clueless parents.
Each section breaks down the essentials of sleep training, feeding, bath time, safety, travel, and more into easy-to-follow steps.
I loved that every chapter starts with product checklists, so I knew exactly what I needed without wasting money on extras. The advice isn’t just random tips eitherit’s distilled from pediatricians, NICU nurses, doulas, and real parents.
Seriously, this is the best baby book I have ever read! And I have read them all, and I have it all. I have a master’s in pediatric nursing, I worked in Cedars Sinai as a NICU nurse, I took care of thousands of babies in the last 20 years, and I wish this book would have been available the entire time so I could recommend it to parents. ― Helen Vitaris, Pediatric NICU Nurse, Cedars Sinai
The “Daddy Hacks” sprinkled throughout are especially helpful for making everyday baby care less stressful.
Whether I was figuring out the nursery, dealing with colic, or just trying to keep my sanity, this book gave me the confidence that I could actually do this parenting thing.
7. Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson
In this book, Rick Johnson connects the everyday struggles of fatherhood with timeless lessons, weaving in faith and character building. What struck me was how personal and practical it felt.
As a dad, I know how hard it can be to have conversations about respect, self-discipline, or dating, and this book gives a framework for making those talks less awkward.
I only wish I would’ve picked this one up sooner. I highly recommend this book to ANYONE who is about to become a father whether you are Christian or not. I can say that even though I didn’t really consider myself a religious person prior to reading this book the teachings in this book will really force you to reflect on certain areas of your life.. And may even guide you to reconsider another look at your faith in order for you to become the best man you can be for your son. ―Aaron Ohlsen
I especially appreciated how it reminded me that being a good father is as much about who I am as a person as it is about what I do as a parent.
While it leans heavily on Christian values, even non-religious dads will find some solid takeaways.
8. Cribsheet by Emily Oster
When I became a parent, I was drowning in advice. Google said one thing. Relatives swore by another. Parenting blogs argued about everything. Picking up Cribsheet was like a breath of fresh air.
Emily Oster doesn’t tell you what to do.. She hands you the data, explains what it actually says (and what it doesn’t), and lets you decide what works best for your family.
Cribsheet, a new book by Emily Oster of Brown University, shows that in the hectic haze of parenthood an economist’s perspective can prove surprisingly clarifying . . . Parenting can be fraught. Cribsheet aims to help parents do better. —The Economist
I loved that her myth-busting approach made me feel less guilty about choices like sleep training or when to start potty training.
She writes with humor and empathy, making heavy research surprisingly digestible.
At the same time, the book is very analytical. If you’re looking for emotional reassurance or one right answer, this isn’t it. Still, for me, it gave back a sense of control in early parenthood chaos.
FAQs
What age is hardest for new parents?
For first-time parents, the newborn months tend to be hardest. Intense sleep loss, feeding learning curves, and role changes peak in the first three to six months.
Different stages bring different stress. Many parents find toddlerhood and later transitions also demanding in other ways.
What age do boys need their dad the most?
There is no single age. Father involvement helps throughout childhood.
Early years matter for attachment, language, and emotional regulation. Teen years matter for behavior, school outcomes, and risk-taking.
Regular supportive presence at every stage shows measurable benefits.
Is 40 too old to be a first time dad?
No. Many men start fatherhood after 40 and raise healthy children.
Older paternal age carries small increases in some risks, for example, certain neurodevelopmental conditions, but the absolute risk for an individual child usually remains low.
If you are planning conception after 40, consider routine preconception care and discuss concerns with your clinician or a genetic counselor.
Conclusion
Each of these books speaks to a different kind of dad. Some focus on pregnancy, others on the newborn chaos, and a few on the bigger picture of raising kids. None covers everything, but together they give you a solid toolkit.
Pick the ones that match your style. Pair a light, funny read with a practical guide. Add a data-driven book if you want evidence, or a faith-based one if that’s important to you.
The real value isn’t just in reading, it’s in using what you learn. Talk about it with your partner. Try these tips and share with other dads. Don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way.
Fatherhood isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s about showing up, learning as you go, and staying present. These books can help you do that.
