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Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

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Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#1
Our baby is due in September and I want to be prepared. What is the best data-driven, tactical field-guide that you found before becoming a parent?

I've started reading a few, but there's a mountain of choice and so far, these books are about 80% fluff. They pontificate like recipe websites, despite having no ads in the pages. I'd ideally like to find a book that goes over:

1. What I need to do

2. When I need to do it

3. Why it's important

4. Absolutely nothing else

I'd especially like to avoid pseudo-science / instructions backed up by no data, paragraphs congratulating me on being a modern participatory dad, and anecdotes.

Re: Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#2
The problem is you are not having "a baby" you are having "your baby" and each one is different. Also there are a million opinions on every subject you'll have to decide for yourself which side of the argument you're on. And it's impossible to decide just by reading ahead of time. I'll give you a great example from a friend who read ahead of time that glass bottles were the way to go, plastic bottles leak chemicals into the milk and are bad etc. After the 3rd glass bottle to break all over the floor he changed his mind and decided broken glass was more dangerous than plastic!

Re: Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#3

The problem is you are not having "a baby" you are having "your baby" and each one is different. Also there are a million opinions on every subject you'll have to decide for yourself which side of the argument you're on. And it's impossible to decide just by reading ahead of time. I'll give you a great example from a friend who read ahead of time that glass bottles were the way to go, plastic bottles leak chemicals i…

I hear you, but I wonder if like in most fields, there are some basic truths that can be relied upon, but that total "juniors" will be ignorant of.

Re: Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#4
Keep 'em clean, keep 'em fed, keep 'em near you (they can wander father as they age), do your best.

That pretty much sums up all the advice, I think. Good luck, kids are fun.

edit: You have time to get a puppy, now; and learn to deal with all the shit on easy mode. When the baby happens the puppy will be the perfect age to be an actual help watching the baby, and help raise the kid.

Re: Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#8
From today's fortune: (what a coincidence)

--------------------- Fortune Begin ------------------------

They're basically very smelly houseplants until they get to the crawling age. You're constantly terrified that they're going to randomly die on you, but the rules for preventing that outcome are straightforward and hard to forget. -- Thomas Ptacek, giving advice to a new father

---------------------- Fortune End -------------------------

Re: Ask HN: Concise, pragmatic baby manual for first-time dad?

#10
Based on my own recent experience:

1) no amount of books or articles will prep you for what to come 2) find a good pediatrician, listen to them 3) use your common sense, avoid comparing your baby behaviour with others

As for recommendations, the one that I found useful is https://parentingscience.com/ that usually has links to studies / science papers in their articles

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