Praise for
Armin A. Brott
Brott writes honestly and earnestly. His wry sense of humor will be a relief to hassled parents.
Time magazine
Also by Armin Brott in the New Father series
The Expectant Father
For fathers soon expecting the ultimate gifta new member of the family The Expectant Father is his best friend. CNN Interactive
One would be hard put to find a question about having a baby thats not dealt with here, all from the fathers perspective. Library Journal
a terrific gift, offering insight into pregnancy and the first few weeks of parenthood. BabyCenter.com
The New Father: A Dads Guide to the First Year
This book would make a great gift for any new dad. Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D., columnist, Parents magazine
Read a book? Who has time? But youd be wise to find some so you can take advantage of a fabulous resource The New Father . Sesame Street Parents
Fathering Your School-Age Child: A Dads Guide to the Wonder Years, 3 to 9
Brott drolly delivers readable, practical guidance on fathering. Library Journal
This, thankfully, is not another one of those goofy, dumbed-down books. In fact, this is as informative as any traditional parenting book out there (including those aimed at the moms), and in some ways even better. Busy dads will be grateful for Brotts accessible tone and quick-and-painless format Newsday
The Military Father: A Hands-on Guide for Deployed Dads
As an Army brat I know firsthand that its not only our military men and women who serve the countrytheir spouses and children serve proudly as well. Armin Brott has contributed his own brand of service with this wonderful book. Linda Powell, daughter of General Colin Powell, US Army Ret., former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
A much-needed salute to the importance of these unique dads a field manual for their most important front of allthe home front. Roland C. Warren, President, the National Fatherhood Initiative
The Single Father: A Dads Guide to Parenting without a Partner
Brott offers the tools to help men become and remain actively involved parents. Fresno Bee
Armin Brott steers divorced, separated, gay, widowed and never-married fathers through every aspect of fathering without a partner. New Orleans Times-Picayune
Father for Life: A Journey of Joy, Challenge, and Change
An essential guide for every dad. MSN.com
All titles available as e-books
ABOUT THE NEW FATHER: A DADS GUIDE TO THE TODDLER YEARS, 1236 MONTHS
Learn how to make a positive impact in these milestone years of your child's development, when he or she goes from crawling to walking, and from knowing just a few words to speaking in complete sentences. Armin Brott guides you through this crucial phase of fatherhood three months at a time, in the third volume of the New Father series trusted by millions of dads nationwide. Each chapter covers:
Your childs physical, intellectual, verbal, and emotional/social development
What youre experiencing as a father
Age-appropriate activities you and your child can enjoy together
Family matters, including your relationship with your partner, sibling relationships, and more
This new edition of The New Father: A Dads Guide to the Toddler Years has been thoroughly updated to cover the issues dads face today, from balancing work and family to managing kids screen time. Dads will rely on this friendly yet authoritative bookand moms will find it helpful, too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A nationally recognized parenting expert, Armin A. Brott is the author of more than twenty books, including The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be and The New Father: A Dads Guide to the First Year. He has also written on parenting for the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek, among many other publication. He writes the nationally syndicated column Ask Mr. Dad and hosts Positive Parenting, a syndicated weekly talk show. Brott lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay area. To learn more, visit his website, mrdad.com .
Other e-books in the New Father series by Armin A. Brott
The Expectant Father
The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be
FOURTH EDITION
The New Father
A Dads Guide to the First Year
THIRD EDITION
Fathering Your School-Age Child
A Dads Guide to the Wonder Years, 3 to 9
The Military Father
A Hands-on Guide for Deployed Dads
The Single Father
A Dads Guide to Parenting Without a Partner
Father for Life
A Journey of Joy, Challenge, and Change
Also available in hardcover and paperback
Tell the truth, Ezra. Does it look like hes being a more effective parent than me?
To my sweet Shaundra, who makes me happy and grateful every day
Contents
I was just telling them that there used to be a show called Father Knows Best.
Introduction
What image comes to mind when you hear the word toddler ? Probably that of a child, small, but not nearly as helpless as an infant, walking, falling, walking again. A child brimming with confidence and eager to learn.
Much of the same could be said about the fathers of toddlers as well. Youve learned a huge amount over the year or so since your child was born, and youre really getting the hang of this parenting thing. But as confident as you are, something happens every day to remind you that theres still plenty more to learn.
Over the next two years, your child will go from crawling to standing to walking to running, and from one- and two-syllable words to telling you that you dont know anything about anything. Psychologist Lawrence Kutner likens toddlerhood to a musical fugue in which the themes of intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development intertwine.
But the focus of this book isnt really on that. Sure, well spend some time discussing your childs growth and identifying developmental milestones. If you want an exhaustive study of child development, though, you need look no further than your local library or bookstore.
This completely updated edition of The New Father: A Dads Guide to the Toddler Years, 1236 Months is primarily about you and your musical fugue, about how fathers develop and grow over time. And thats something you cant find anywhere else.
When writing this book, I talked extensively with dozens of leading experts and studied the research and writings of many more. I also drew from my own experiences as the father of three, as well as from the interviews Ive done with hundreds of fathers about their experiences and feelings. Its my hope that giving you access to all this wisdom and experience will leave you far better prepared to meet the challenges of beingand stayingan active, involved father.
The big question, of course, is, why bother to be involved? Three simple reasons: its good for your kids, its good for you, and its good for your relationship with your partner. Well talk about all of this in detail throughout the book, but let me give you a small taste now.
The benefits for your child . The evidence is quite robust that kids who have contact with a father have an advantage over kids without that kind of contact, says Norma Radin, who conducted research on fathers for more than twenty years. And these benefits are evident very early in life. In one study, Radin found that children who were raised by actively involved fathers scored higher on verbal ability tests than children raised in more traditional families by less-involved fathers. In another study, toddlers whose fathers took a special interest in childcare were consistently rated two to six months ahead of schedule on tests of development, problem-solving skills, and even social skills. And theres also a strong connection between kids math skills and the amount of contact they have with their fathers.