David L. Hill - Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro

Also available from the
American Academy of Pediatrics

Common Conditions

ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Allergies and Asthma: What Every Parent Needs to Know

My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries

Waking Up Dry: A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting

Developmental, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Information

CyberSafe: Protecting and Empowering Kids in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming, and Social Media

Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to Holistic Care for a Healthy Mind and Body

The Wonder Years: Helping Your Baby and Young Child Successfully Negotiate the Major Developmental Milestones

Immunization Information

Immunizations & Infectious Diseases: An Informed Parents Guide

Newborns, Infants, and Toddlers

Baby & Child Health: The Essential Guide From Birth to 11 Years

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5

Guide to Toilet Training

Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality

Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers

New Mothers Guide to Breastfeeding

Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool

Your Babys First Year

Nutrition and Fitness

Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed With Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup

Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know

A Parents Guide to Childhood Obesity: A Road Map to Health

Sports Success Rx! Your Childs Prescription for the Best Experience

School-aged Children and Adolescents

Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings

Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12

Caring for Your Teenager

Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond

For more information, please visit the official AAP Web site for parents,
www.HealthyChildren.org/bookstore.

This book is also available in Spanish.

American Academy of Pediatrics Department of Marketing and Publications Staff

Director, Department of Marketing and Publications
Maureen DeRosa, MPA

Director, Division of Product Development
Mark Grimes

Manager, Consumer Publishing
Carolyn Kolbaba

Coordinator, Division of Product Development
Holly Kaminski

Director, Division of Publishing and Production Services
Sandi King, MS

Editorial Specialist
Jason Crase

Print Production Specialist
Shannan Martin

Manager, Art Direction and Production
Linda Diamond

Director, Division of Marketing and Sales
Kevin Tuley

Manager, Consumer Marketing and Sales
Kathleen Juhl

Manager, Consumer Product Marketing
Maryjo Reynolds

Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics

141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019

847/434-4000

Fax: 847/434-8000

www.aap.org

Cover design by R. Scott Rattray

Book design by Linda Diamond

Illustrations by Anthony Alex LeTourneau

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011940120

ISBN: 978-1-58110-650-3

The recommendations in this publication do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate.

Statements and opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Products and Web sites are mentioned for informational purposes only. Inclusion in this publication does not imply endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American Academy of Pediatrics is not responsible for the content of the resources mentioned in this publication. Web site addresses are as current as possible but may change at any time.

Copyright 2012 David L. Hill, MD, FAAP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

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what people are saying

Youd expect a book on parenting from someone with Dr Hills credentials to be highly informative and well written. What might surprise you is that its also really quite funny, as well as chock-full of practical do this; dont do that advice guys especially will appreciate. Becoming a new father can be terrifying, but Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro will make the journey seem not only manageable but actually kind of fun. I predict this book will become as essential to new dads as What to Expect When Youre Expecting is to new moms (and a lot more fun to read). And when it does, I hope David will cut me in on the royalties. A man can dream, cant he? I wish Id read this book before my children were bornand more importantly, so do my wife and kids.

Dan Tynan
Contributing editor, Family Circle; author; journalist; and father of 2

Dad to Dad is the best book Ive ever read on having and raising healthy children. Armed with abundant humor and warmth, Dr David L. Hill is the perfect pediatrician to guide nervous first-time parents through a variety of dilemmas, real and imagined. The best part? His writing style is never stodgy or technical but rather completely approachable and understandable. Every parent should own this book. Its like having a doctor in the house!

Celia Rivenbark
Best-selling author of Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank

Anyone can be a father, but to be a good father requires more than intuition and good intentions. It requires an expert guide for the well-trodden road aheadand there are few better than Dr Hill, an expert in his field and a down-to-earth dad. He shows new fathers everything from the lay of the land to the details theyll need to thrive.

Dr David Eagleman
Neuroscientist, Baylor College of Medicine, and best-selling author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

We live in a mom-eat-mom parenting world, so where do dads fit in? Dr Hill provides a fresh, candid, and expert voice to being not only a very present father but one who is ecstatic and ready for the challenge of raising children. From sex after childbirth to starting baby food, and from bed-wetting to attending PTA meetings, Dr Hill lends a helpful, clear, and hilarious voice for fathers. Let Dad to Dad accompany you on your journey through fatherhood. Its a perfect gift for any new dad.

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP
Mother, pediatrician, and @SeattleMamaDoc blogger for Seattle Childrens Hospital

To Abby, Sellers, and Julian;
I give all 3 of you permission to laugh hysterically
if you ever hear your dad referred to as a
parenting expert.

Given the subject of this book, I obviously have to start by thanking my dad, but even that task is not simple. John R. Hill III, MD, FAAP, is the man Ive called Dad since he married my mother and adopted me. He inspired me to read Tolkien, practice typing on an old Olympus, enter the citywide high school poetry contest, attend medical school, and become not just a pediatrician, but a good one. I strive daily to be the best father I can be in an attempt to live up to his example. He also taught me to knot a bow tie, a skill I use almost every day.