Best Books for Expecting Dads: The Dad Reading Shelf

There are a hundred books for pregnant women and about four for the guy standing next to her. This shelf fixes that. A short list of books worth your time, and a warning about the ones that aren’t.

One thing we noticed: when dads ask other dads for book tips, they rarely ask about diapers. They ask about their relationship. So that section is bigger than you’d expect.

The best book for expecting dads, if you read only one

Dad Brain by Darby Saxbe (2026). A neuroscientist explains how becoming a dad physically changes your brain and your hormones, and why that matters for your baby. It’s the first book that treats fathers as more than a support act, and it’s written by a researcher, not a guy with a podcast.

Full disclosure: Darby Saxbe is one of the experts in the Ready Dad course. We’d recommend the book anyway. It’s that good.

Best pregnancy books for men

• The Expectant Father by Armin Brott. The classic month-by-month guide for dads-to-be: what’s happening to her, the baby and you. Practical, a little dated in places, still solid.
• The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin. What to actually do with your hands when labor starts. The book doulas read. Pair it with our guide to your role in the delivery room.
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. Teaches you how birth works and what your options are. Leans toward natural and home birth, so read it as one point of view, not the only one.

Best parenting books for dads: the newborn months

• Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The reference book pediatricians stand behind. Not a cover-to-cover read. Keep it on the shelf for “is this normal?” moments at 2 a.m.
• Cribsheet by Emily Oster. An economist goes through the data on the big newborn debates: sleep, feeding, screens. Calm, clear and great for couples who want to argue with facts instead of feelings.
• Home Game by Michael Lewis. The author of Moneyball on the good, the bad and the baffling parts of having kids. Not advice. Just funny, honest and a relief to read.

Best books about relationships after having a baby

The section most dads skip and most dads need. Our article on your relationship after the baby has the research. These books have the tools.

• And Baby Makes Three by John and Julie Gottman. Based on their research into why some couples drift apart after a baby and others don’t. Practical, with exercises you can actually do on a Tuesday night.
• Fair Play by Eve Rodsky. A system for splitting household and baby jobs so the mental load doesn’t land on one person. Read it before the baby arrives, while you still have opinions instead of grudges.
• How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn. Written for moms, which is exactly why you should read it. A funny, honest look at what drives her up the wall, and how couples fix it.
• You Are Your Child’s First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy. About the parent your child watches every day. Less about technique, more about who you want to be.

Popular dad books to skip

We won’t name names. But you can safely skip:

• Joke books disguised as guides. Fun as a gag gift, useless at 3 a.m.
• Old editions. Advice on sleep and car seats has changed a lot. Check the publication date. Anything older than about ten years needs a second opinion.
• Books that promise one perfect method. Especially for sleep. Babies haven’t read them.
• Anything that says your job is to “support her” and stops there. You’re a parent, not a fan in the stands.

Don’t have time to read? Fair. Pick one book from this list, and leave it on the nightstand. And while you’re still in the quiet months, write something to your kid: our free Ready Letter takes ten minutes.

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We don’t get paid for any of these picks. If that changes, we’ll say so on this page.