An indispensable survival manual for guys entering the trenches of fatherhood, Be Prepared is loaded with one-of-a-kind insights, MacGyver-esque tips and tricks, and no-nonsense advice for mastering the first year as a dad.
Finally, a book that teaches men all the things they really need to know about fatherhood…including how to:
- Change a baby at a packed sports stadium
- Create a decoy drawer full of old wallets, remote controls, and cell phones to throw baby off the scent of your real gear
- Stay awake (or at least upright) at work
- Babyproof a hotel room in four minutes flat
- Construct an emergency diaper out of a towel, a sock, and duct tape
Packed with helpful diagrams and detailed instructions, and delivered with a wry sense of humor, Be Prepared is the ultimate guide for sleep-deprived, applesauce-covered fathers everywhere.
Reviews
“Be Prepared is the first advice book I've read that feels like it's actually written for guys. It's useful, candid, effective, and funny.” — Daddytypes.com
“With a combination of smart writing and clever illustrations, Greenberg and Hayden provide new dads with an entertaining and informative cheat sheet.” — Publisher's Weekly
"If you’re a new dad, keep a copy of Be Prepared by your bedside.
It’s funny, informative, and — let’s be honest — it’s not like
you’re going to be sleeping anyway.” — Paul Reiser
New York Times bestselling author of Babyhood
“Wonderful ideas and great illustrations… a very cool book.” (ABC)
"War and Peace may be thicker, the bible may have sold more copies, but if you’re trying to keep a baby quiet on an airplane, only Be Prepared can help you… This book may save your life.” — Richard Belzer
“Filled with inventive solutions and excellent advice for raising a baby from birth to age one, Be Prepared is a must-have for new dads everywhere." – Sarah Baum, MD Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
“Be Prepared includes humorous but helpful tips such as how to change a baby at a sports stadium and babyproof a hotel room in four minutes.” — The Miami Herald
“Combining humor and helpful advice with rich illustrations, Be Prepared offers welcome relief for the anxious dad.”— Bookpage
“Bound in a spill-proof cover, this handbook delivers invaluable information on everything from keeping baby entertained on a plane to constructing an emergency diaper from a towel, a sock and duct tape.” — The Boston Herald
“Parenting is hard, and reading many of the jargon-filled parenting books out there can make it even harder, but with a combination of smart writing and clever illustrations, husband-and-wife team Greenberg (The Pop-up Book of Phobias; etc.) and illustrator Hayden make both seem fun, if not easy. As the subtitle suggests, the book is filled with advice that will appeal to the solution-centered male perspective, from step-by-step swaddling instructions to a guide for identifying six distinct infant crying patterns. (A hunger cry, for example, is "a pattern of low-pitched, rhythmic moans, growing more and more insistent,” whereas a boredom pattern is “a low-volume whimper which stops and starts irregularly.”) Not only is Greenberg and Hayden's information useful, but it's also been vetted by “several distinguished fellows” at the American Academy of Pediatrics. Along with the conventional chapters on baby-proofing your house and taking a baby's temperature are more obscure—and amusing—topics, such as how to videotape your baby and how to conduct a “Mirror Puppet Sing Along” to sooth a crying baby while driving (the technique requires two mirrors, a hand-puppet and an indifference to looking silly). Hayden's drawings strike just the right balance between textbook-boring and tongue-in-cheek funny, depicting everything from a sketch of a bottle of teething gel to a drawing of an exhausted father snoozing in a business meeting. Greenberg and Hayden have succeeded in providing new dads (and many moms, for that matter) with an entertaining and informative cheat sheet." Publishers Weekly