Gift guide

Gifts for New Dads: 20 Things That Aren't a Novelty Mug

The best gifts for new dads buy him sleep, hot coffee, two free hands or a bit of confidence. Everything here does at least one. No socks with his face on them.

Red Ready Dad gift box, opened, with the Exploding Diapers card game, a rolled-up poster, a baby bodysuit and an invitation card
Concept image. The real box may look a little different.

Our top pick

The Ready Dad Gift Set

It's ours, so yes, we're biased. We made it because most dad gifts are a joke on a mug. This one gets him ready.

One box to hand over, with his invitation to the Ready Dad video course inside: pregnancy, birth, money, gear and the first months at home, from veteran dads and US experts.

Coming soon

Also from Ready Dad

  • Exploding Diapers card game box with a deck and sample question cards

    Exploding Diapers

    A card game for the two of you. Baby facts to guess, questions to answer before the birth and newborn disasters to defuse ahead of time.

    Coming soon

  • The Pregnancy Poster

    All 40 weeks on one wall, printed. What the baby is up to, and what he should be doing about it.

    Coming soon

Tell me when they're ready. One email on launch day. You'll also join the Ready Dad waitlist. Unsubscribe anytime.

What do new dads actually want?

Sleep, mostly. After that: coffee that's still hot, something that makes the baby jobs easier, and the feeling he's ready for this. Most baby gifts are for the baby. The good dad gifts are for the guy doing the 3 a.m. shift.

Not sure what's on his list already? Our list of baby items you actually need covers the gear, and the dad's hospital bag checklist covers the big day.

Gifts for new dads that aren't for the baby

The baby gets forty onesies. He gets a congratulations text. These are for him.

Gift for a first-time dad at the hospital

Hospital rooms are built for her and the baby. He gets a chair. Help him out.

Gifts for dad to be at the baby shower

Shower gifts are usually for the nursery. Give him gear he will actually use himself.

Funny first-time dad gifts

Funny is good. Funny and useful is better.

  • Dude, You're Gonna Be a Dad! by John Pfeiffer

    Pregnancy explained in plain guy language. Reads fast, laughs often, still teaches him something.

    Find it on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

  • Home Game by Michael Lewis

    The Moneyball author on the baffling first years of having kids. Not advice. Just honest and very funny.

    Find it on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

  • Exploding Diapers card game

    Ours, so we're biased. A card game that gets you both laughing about everything that can go wrong. Coming soon.

Gifts for dad to be from wife

The best gift from her is the one that says "you are going to be good at this."

Two more that cost nothing:

  • The Ready Letter

    A letter he writes to your kid before they meet, opened years from now. Ten minutes, zero dollars, possibly tears.

    Free download : The Ready Letter

  • The Sleep Pact

    Your night shift plan on one page. Print it, sign it together, stick it on the fridge. Honestly the most romantic thing on this list.

    Free download : The Sleep Pact

First-time dad gifts for Christmas and Father's Day

Christmas during pregnancy: go for something that helps him prepare, like the books or the carrier, so it's ready before the baby is. His first Father's Day: the baby is here, so go for anything on the "not for the baby" list. Or the rarest gift of all, a full morning to sleep in.

Shopping for a book? Our best books for expecting dads has the full shelf.

Dad-to-be gifts to skip, and why

  • "World's Best Dad" anything, before day one. Let him earn it first. He'll appreciate it more.
  • Dad joke books. Funny for one evening. Then a drawer, forever.
  • Gadgets that fix a problem nobody has. If it needs an app, a charger and a manual, it's for the gadget company, not for him.

We don't earn anything from the Amazon links on this page. If that changes, we'll say so here.

The best gift is feeling ready

Ready Dad is a video course for first-time dads, launching early 2027. Join the waitlist and get every free checklist straight away.

Free download

Hospital Bag Checklist