Congratulations! You’re going to be a father. There is no feeling more exciting yet terrifying at the same time. If the thought of having a child within the next nine months doesn’t scare you in the least, then you’re likely going to be unexpectedly thrown in the deep end and expected to tread water. If having a baby does make you feel a little anxious then you’re in good company. After all, having a child isn’t only about the mother up until the baby arrives… or up until the baby is potty trained, literate, and sleeping through the night. 

Here are 5 great resources that every new father should have. Think of them like a lifesaving buoy. You’ll still be in the ocean, but at least you’ll be able to stay afloat.  

1)  BabyCenter App

2)  What To Expect When She’s Expecting – An Honest Guide to Supporting the Expectant Mom in Your Life by Amy Perry

3)  Be Prepared – A Practical Handbook For New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden

            This book is full of practical advice for new dads once the baby is born. It takes you from the first week, through to the end of the first year, giving tips and instructions in quarterly blocks. Written in a humorous manner with illustrations, this book is packed with a lot of hands-on baby-handling advice. For a book with focus on baby, although a bit out-dated in areas such as technology or brands, this is still the go-to practical handbook for new dads that doesn’t fall into the category of how to become a stay-at-home dad. 

4)  Wonderweeks App

This app is based off the book by the same title, written by by Frans Plooij, Hetty van de Rijt, et al.. I would recommend the book but getting full functionality within the app makes the information tailored to when you will need it (you put in your baby’s birth date). The idea is that babies go through many “leaps” or “growth spurts” during the first year of their lives and during these periods they can be more difficult. This app will let you know when you can expect these “leaps” to occur and what each leap means for their development. Crazily accurate at times, it can ultimately help you to plan your own time to know when you may be needed more, or when you should avoid planning big trips with the baby.

5)  Sprout App

This app is a tool that helps the main caretakers in a new baby’s life. It works well for mothers because she can track the baby’s feed times if she’s breastfeeding (and tired and possibly suffering from post-pregnancy short term memory loss). If she isn’t breastfeeding, whoever is feeding the baby can track formula feeds, sleep, poos, weight, immunisations and other important information too. As a father it’s likely that you will be splitting some of the jobs with the baby’s mom and this app allows you both (and others if you have a night nurse for example) to see the baby’s information and add to it so that everyone is on the same page. With this app, there’s no need to wake up your sleeping wife to ask what time the baby started his nap!