Table of Contents
Introduction 11
Part 1 Months 1-3 15
Chapter 1 (All Together Now) Getting to Know You 17
Meet Your Baby 17
From BMP to BRP-Here's Mommy 21
This Is You as a Father 26
Chapter 2 Home Sweet Home 33
Preparing Your Home for Tiny New Residents 63
Baby Seats: Trickier Than You Think 42
Toys R You 45
Baby Clothes: Beyond the Onesie 52
Puppies and Kitties and Babies … Oh My! 54
Parental Leave 56
Chapter 3 Playing Doctor 61
Doctor Selection for Beginners 62
Doctoral Relations 65
Playing the Percentages 66
1st Year Appointments 68
They Grow Up So Fast 82
Common Health Issues 84
Illnesses 85
Vision and Hearing 90
Hygiene 93
Chapter 4 Eat, Sleep, Poop, and Other Exciting Things Babies Do 99
Feeding (Months 1-3) 100
Sleeping (Months 1-3) 103
Poop Goes the Weasel 107
Talking and Signing 108
Part 2 Months 4-7 113
Chapter 5 Babies Grow Like Weeds 115
Medical Considerations: The Four-Month and Six-Month Medical Issues 116
Physical Growth and Development 118
Eating and Nutrition 123
Sleeping (Months 4-7) 126
Chapter 6 Taking Care of Mom 129
Know Your Role 129
Moms and Dads: Teamwork Makes Winners 131
Brownie Points with Mom 135
Her Health 138
Chapter 7 Your Health 145
Physical 146
Mental 147
Vasectomy: To Snip, or Not to Snip 151
Work/Life Balance: What's That? 153
Chapter 8 Welcome (Back) to the Outside World 157
Competitive Parents 157
Working with "The Schedule" 158
Daycare 161
Oh the Places You'll Go (If You're Brave Enough) 169
Part 3 Months 8-12 175
Chapter 9 Breaking Developments 177
Baby's First Steps 177
Sleeping (Months 8-12) 178
Separation Anxiety 178
Dealing with Temper Tantrums 179
Playtime 180
Little People Exploring a Big World 180
Chapter 10 Mom and Dad 183
The Relationship 184
Getting Back to Normal 191
Chapter 11 Parenthood 195
Different Parenting Styles 196
The Answer to Raising Children 199
Part 4 One Year and Beyond 203
Chapter 12 Year One: Milestones and Beyond the First 12 Months 205
Physical Developments 205
Talking 206
Social Developments 206
Eating 206
Sleeping 207
Toddlers: Fun and Frenetic 208
Afterword: Ready for More? 215
Appendix: Additional Resources 216
Index 218