From Dude to Dad: The Diaper Dude Guide to Pregnancy

by Chris Pegula, Frank Meyer

Congrats: You’re going to be a dad!
Now what?

Dude, relax; you’re going to be fine. But it wouldn’t hurt to get a few pointers—a road map of what lies ahead. That’s what this book is for.

From Dude to Dad gives you the need-to-know essentials on pregnancy, birthing, and parenthood, and how it’s okay to be scared out of your mind. You’ll learn what the expecting mom is going through during each trimester, how you can be the best partner and dad-to-be, and how to immediately start bonding with baby.

Be prepared for the arrival that will ultimately change your life in the best way possible.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Family

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2014

Reviews

[Frank Hood · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’d give this a lower rating if I could. It seemed like the overarching lesson is “you can still have sex”. Far better books out there that are oriented toward guys. Plenty of important information is missing, especially on the medical side. Example: yes, it’s important to be there at appointments, but understanding what is happening at them is also important, and this glosses over that, and many other points.

[Jeffrey Mervosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I feel prepared.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I either have too much common sense or am not a selfish, self-serving individual.

It's full of cliches and expected answers and really doesn't break open the idea of being a parent.

With that being said, there are brief moments where it is useful.

[Jared Bercea · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book with a man's perspective on growing into the roll of being a father. the first few chapters were all about common sense things; help your wife, care for her and the new baby growing in her, start doing more chores, etc. the end of the book was chalked full of good information pertaining to the final trimester and planning the event as best as you can and how to prepare for bring baby home. if you know nothing about child rearing then I'd definitely recommend this book. if you have experience being a older sibling or have been through a family member having a kid, you probably want something more in depth.

[Jordan Munn · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent book. Schtick gets a little much at times, and the book is less about conveying lots of factual information and more about discussing the mindset of a guy as partner in this particular situation.

[Chris Mercado · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should really be titled "From Douche to Dad". It did not speak to me in the slightest. This book's audience are younger "Bro Dads", younger men who are afraid that having a baby will mean they can't go have a beer with their bros and play football with them on the weekends.

If you are looking for an information book for first-time dads, there are better books out there with better information and in a better format.

Despite having my first child, I am an older, more mature man of 40 and nothing about this book pertained to me. Perhaps if you (or your partner) falls into the category of a young, first-time dad who still acts like he's in a frat, then sure, this book could be useful for you...

But honestly, most "problems" this book addresses can simply be solved by just growing up and stop being a man-child...

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too simple and plain for what I was looking for. I gave up as I found myself just not interested and skipping ahead

[KRM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously I am not the target demographic for this book, being a single woman. I’m not even sure why I read it other than the cover being cute. I still really enjoyed the book, especially because of how progressive it is in handling pregnancy. It puts a huge emphasis on helping men be involved and supportive instead of making lots of wink-wink nudge-nudge jokes about how “bitchy” or “overly emotional” their partners are during pregnancy.

[Wajahat Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice info that can be summarized into prioritizing your wife during and after her pregnancy. While not as informative as I was hoping, this book is more of a reminder to reset your mindset and to remain flexible and supportive in all things relating to your new baby. There are a few things I will definitely be doing that I learned from this book.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started out a little rough quality wise but I am glad I finished it. Had some useful advice for new dads, in particular a number of useful tidbits about pregnancy and birth that I had not heard before.

[Filip Olšovský · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useless. Unless this is your first book on the topic but even in such situation I would choose a book that goes deeper.

[Bret · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the dude that designed diaper bags that were manly enough to protect his masculinity, a book that only dudes that need manly diaper bags would like to read.

[Bruno Peres Hernandes Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting things for when you know nothing about the matter. But a few parts didn't age well

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, short, sweet and entertaining. Easy read for a potential dad that wants to get their feet wet. There's a good amount of info for someone that knew nothing about pregnancy. Pegula adds lots of his own stories, many for entertainment. Main point is to make your partner's life as easy as possible since she's going through a lot, physically and emotionally. You may want to do more research than just reading this book.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for expectant fathers - especially first time dads. Whilst the use of “dude” throughout was not something I personally believe was necessary, it was on brand.
The information contained herein is straightforward and also assists with the overwhelming plethora of feelings at such a time.

[Andrew Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, witty book detailing life up to and beyond the birth of a baby. Written from the perspective of a father, there are lots of good advice in how to care for your partner and navigate the tricky moments to come. I’d thoroughly recommend! It’s definitely helped me!

[Blake Brashear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Content is only about 2/3 of the book. Overly emphasizing the "Dudeness" of the book was distracting. There are better books out there, but this did have some useful information, albeit it was a little more broad subject rather than specifics.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of pointless, but easy enough to read. I would have thought this book was much better if I was 18, but I'm a little better prepared now.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid starting point and overview book. I'm a grammar Nazi so the typos really killed me. But all in all, a solid read/starter book that paints a nice picture of the guy's POV.

[Mike Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When it gets tough, remember that there is no feeling in the world quite like the tiny grip of your child's hands as her little fingers squeeze yours"

Author writes with tenderness & caring. Talks about the emotions & the love you’ll feel when your baby is born. Things will change, but you don’t have to lose your identity when you become a dad. He used to think how busy his life was, but it’s comical in retrospect. And he wouldn’t trade it for anything, as life becomes fulfilling with a kid.

General
● The first month is like the movie Groundhog’s Day
● Remember to lend an ear during postpartum. Don’t solve problems, or joke or quip
● Take care of Mom as well. Leave her Post-It notes to find, and be spontaneous with love like meals/gifts
● Sometimes just shut up, give in, and do what needs to be done

Baby proofing tips
● Get on all fours and see the world as she will
● Sharp edges? Wires? Tug and pull at everything in sight
● Use eco-friendly supplies for floors and anything baby will touch (Method, 7th Generation)
● Anything that can fit in a toilet paper roll is a choking hazard

[Rhys Tiivel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had I read this book BEFORE attending birthing classes and doctor’s appointments with my wife, I would have found the content far more interesting as it did repeat much of what had already been presented to me.

However, for an expectant father who manages to pick this up far earlier in the journey, it is an easy to read guide on what to expect and how to step up in basic ways that make a difference.

Are some of these tips common sense? Certainly.
But I’m sure plenty of wives don’t experience these actions from their husbands despite the many claims in other reviews that they ‘learnt nothing new’ from this book.

You’ll be no less prepared and certainly more at ease for reading this book.

[Byambasuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not quite about informing you how to be a dad from a dude. It is about preparing you to adjust yourself for the incoming role. I found it useful to read especially when your lady is pregnant because as I said, it depicts how your life as a man will adjust to father's lifestyle.

The author will interact with you through the whole book. Thus, you might relate to what he wrote, but in my case, it was completely blank since I wasn't going to become a dad in the following 9 months, though you might enjoy the book because of the author's sense of humor that he explained pregnancy from a totally different perspective, and reading it informed me about pregnancy and was so much fun.

[Ryan Vasko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that we’ve finally announced to the world that our baby boy is on the way in the fall, now begins the deluge of posting all the dad books I’ve been reading!

This one… ehhh. There’s a lot of cleverness here and he’s clearly trying to appeal to a wider dudebro audience, but it’s sort of patronizing. A lot of assumptions that you know next to nothing about kids or, honestly, women. I appreciate the attempt to speak to a group that hasn’t had a lot of content aimed towards them until recent years, but it’s definitely a bit too schticky to sustain itself.

[Tyler Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book for any first time dad.

Chris Pegula sheds light on several concepts I was previously unfamiliar with.

The balance between information and humor was on point. It’s difficult to find a parenting book that isn’t just dumb dad jokes, but also isn’t a dry textbook.

The back section of the book provides weekly updates on the pregnancy, and what to expect after pregnancy.

I plan to revisit this book after my child is born.

[Nick Gottuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it takes this approach to get a guy comfortable enough to read a pregnancy/parenting book then fine. But the lack of real information and his inclusion of some dangerously disproven science overshadowed it for me. This book is a very high level gloss over of the whole process so (if it’s not skipped altogether) I would highly recommend following it up with something of substance based on current data (like Emily Oster’s Expecting Better)

[John Riselvato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up to get a head start during the pregnancy. I enjoyed the read and I thought Chris has good humor and decent points. I kind of think it's written more from the dude-bro than the skater-dude that I identify with but it still got me to Dad status. I think the most powerful part of this book is the idea on Dad tribe; That we get to nod to each other in reverence, for all Dad's get "it".

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely thought the title was ironic until I started reading this bro essay. The writing here assumes that every man is an idiot who has done nothing but crush beers their entire life. While some of the information does prove a bit useful near the end of the book, if you've read more than just this book in your life or you've done anything to prove yourself greater than the most generic frat bro dude, you're not going to gain much from this.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went through this book right after our firstborn arrived and found the latter half to be helpful. Granted that was the part that discussed where I was at in the pregnancy. I appreciate that the writing in this book wasn’t overly directed to more traditional masculinity but instead catered to an audience that was presumed to have more healthy outlook on gender identity.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the same time as I read “The Expectant Father” and thought they made a great tandem. This one is more about your role as father and partner to Mom, being supportive and staying in check when things get stressful. Not so much the nuts and bolts and data. I definitely was a better partner to my wife during her pregnancy because of this book.

[Benjamin Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good effort from a seemingly non-Christian perspective. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to people in my social circle, but overall I did find the book very informative, enjoyable, candid, and at times humorous. From someone who is about to be a Dad, I appreciate that there are "regular guys" out there who would endeavor to create a work such as this.