Do I Look Like a Daddy to You?: A Survival Guide for First-Time Fathers Paperback – June 5, 2001

I bought several (o.k. three) books for my husband supposedly geared towards guys written by guys. My husband loved this book and even passed it on to another expectant father-something that is highly unusual if you know my husband. He said that it seemed real and seemed to speak to him more than the other books. So, through him, I highly recommend this book!

I'm sorry, but what this guy is selling is just one blinding flash of the obvious after another. As a first-time expectant father, I thought I'd get some useful information from this book, especially since my wife's cousin (also new parents) recommended it to me. Quinton Skinner comes across as a very immature, self-centered man whose answer to everything is to stick his head in the sand like an ostrich. As was the case with another reviewer, I only made it halfway through the book before his whining drivel got the best of me. Avoid this book at all costs if you want to learn anything about being a real dad who participates in- and helps with his wife's pregnancy and labor and in raising a happy and healthy child.

Bought this for my husband when we found out we were expecting our first child! He said he liked that it wasn't such a serious book.

There are a limited number of books available for first-time fathers; this is one of my top two (out of the five I read while preparing). The other is "The Expectant Father", which takes the fairly opposite approach of referentia full of authoritative advice.Skinner doesn't come across as someone pushing an agenda or trying to tell you what to do -- both problems I found with the other books available to would-be dads. It's a clear, honest walkthrough of his experience, making note of the advice received and his own lessons learned along the way.By the time you get to your fourth "how to be a dad" book, his levity is very refreshing.

This book should probably be subtitled "Arrested Adolesence Contemplates Impending Fatherhood". The book is really a memoir of two years of Skinner's life (9 months prior to and one year after the birth of his daughter) that also contains useful parenting tips. If you're like me then you'll gloss over parts in which he assumes that the reader is as flippant and irreverant as he is. Useful information that he presents includes:What to pack for your stay at the hospitalRecipes for your solid-food eating infantMedicines to have on hand for JuniorDaycare selection criteriaYes, yes, yes, other books contain this as well, but wouldn't it be irresponsible for Skinner to leave this out?Here are the drawbacks that come to mind:Trite humorNo recommendations for other booksI was happy to read that Skinner at least raises the possibility of a husband not being present with his wife during the delivery. The presence of the husband during delivery is not a rule, but a choice to be made by the couple. Contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote, Skinner's absence was not the result of a last-minute decision. Skinner and his wife decided it well in advance of the birth. Skinner's description does give much food for thought (some of it not very complimentary), but it's clear that he and his wife made the correct decision for themselves.To sum up, I found this book to be a good read. It's not without its flaws, and most certainly is not the only book a father-to-be should read, but the information is sound and the writing solid.

I thought this was a great pre-father book. It probably shouldn't be the only one you read, but it may be the most important.Many of the critics of this book don't seem to understand the point. This book is especially for someone nervous, even scared, about becoming a father. It doesn't cover how to change a diaper, bathe a baby, or get them to sleep through the night. The book discusses, and tells the story of, preparing emotionally for fatherhood. If you want to and expect to become a Dad, but don't know if you are ready or able, then this is the book for you. It addresses the emotional rollercoaster that is expecting and actually becoming a father.Other books will tell you how to care for the baby, but they are all instruction manuals. Very useful, but not getting to the heart of the experience. "Do I Look Like a Daddy to You" addresses the emotional experience, fears, and joys. No other book does that.I was excited about having a baby, and wasn't really worried about the responsibility, or I didn't think so. But this book still made me much more comfortable with upcoming fatherhood.If you are a little or a lot worried about fatherhood, read this book. If not, you'll still enjoy it, provided you're not expecting an instruction manual. Highly recommended.

Negative about every aspect of pregnancy and birth. For instance, he calls the hospital room "the worst hotel you've ever stayed at." For me the hospital was the best hotel I've ever stayed at. Who cares if the bed was uncomfortable, they were helping to take care of my wife and new child. Tongue in cheek chapter titles like "So you've ruined your life" and "I have no friends." I realize now after having my child the reason this book was making me feel so daunted every time I read it during pregnancy- it makes everything seem like a crisis rather than a joy. I'm probably more cynical than most people but this book treats childbirth like an act of sarcasm. I know this is his "sense of humor" and it might sound humorless of me but I find it too bad when something so meaningful as becoming a father should be dripping in irony.

I bought this book for my husband (who doesn't like to read)and he loves it! I also thought it was great for me to get the "daddy's perspective" so I have been reading it too. It is a very candid look at the things men go through from when they find out they are going to be fathers for the first time, the pregnancy, the birth process and actually caring for a child. It is honest, funny and touching. I would recommend it highly for anyone who is going through the process for the first time!