Development First

Take the leap from terrified newbie to confident dad in your first year of fatherhood – even if diapers seem unsolvable and swaddles make you sweat! You're not alone. Fatherhood is like assembling an Ikea cupboard with no instructions – simple in theory, confusing in practice. You don’t need to be an expert to conquer fatherhood. All you need are the right tools and a touch of humor. What if there was a guide just for you – a first-time dad – with practical advice, ingenious baby hacks, and entertaining anecdotes? Well, that guide exists!

Superheroes don’t have babies; real and imperfect non-superhumans do. When we come to terms with this, the result is a happier and less traumatizing start to motherhood. Becky Vieira, the mom behind the popular Instagram account @WittyOtter, provides actionable advice for new parents on what to expect after pregnancy and how to successfully navigate the frustrations and challenges that come with having a baby.

It’s not like she’s the only woman to ever have a baby. At 35. On her own. But Anne Lamott makes it all fresh in her now-classic account of how she and her son and numerous friends and neighbors and some strangers survived and thrived in that all-important first year. From finding out her baby is a boy (and getting used to the idea) to finding out her best friend and greatest supporter, Pam, will die of cancer (and not getting used to that idea), with a generous amount of wit and faith (but little piousness), Lamott narrates the great and small events making up a woman’s life.

Everyone knows how babies are made, but scientists are only just beginning to understand the making of a mother. Mom Genes reveals the hard science behind our tenderest maternal impulses, tackling questions such as why mothers are destined to mimic their own moms (or not), how maternal aggression makes females the world’s most formidable creatures, and how a crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic can make or break a mom.

A practicing neurosurgeon and award-winning author shares his roadmap to finding hope and even happiness when the worst happens—by placing trust in God—in this powerful memoir of personal tragedy, grief, and recovery.

On Instagram, the private work of mothering has been turned into a public performance that’s generating billions of dollars, and the message is simple: that we’re all just a couple of clicks away from a better, more beautiful experience of motherhood. Momfluenced examines the performance of motherhood—producers of it and consumers of it—through the multilayered phenomenon of the mommy influencer.

Whether you are embarking on the journey of pregnancy, or you have already found yourself pregnant, then this is the book for you! Congratulations! Parenthood is one of the most exciting phases of life you will encounter. But there are also so many things to be aware of.

If you've listened to his books The War of Art and Turning Pro, you know that for 30 years Steven Pressfield (Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign etc.) wrote spec novel after spec novel before any publisher took him seriously. How did he finally break through? Ignoring just about every rule of commercial book publishing, Pressfield's "first" novel not only became a major best seller (over 250,000 copies sold), it was adapted into a feature film directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Charlize Theron.

When we’re writing a book, we need inspiration, and we need the “how-to” pieces that we were never taught in school. Start Writing Your Book Today provides both. Over the last 10 years as a writing coach, Morgan has developed a blend of mindset and mechanics to help authors through feeling stuck and into power writing through their books. In this book, Morgan shares her methods with you, so that you can step up and become the writer you know you’re meant to be.

The pregnancy’s over and the baby’s here…what’s a dad supposed to do? Put your other new dad books away - We’re Parents! is going to help you be the best dad (and partner) you can be. Wondering how to burp your newborn? Not sure how to get them to try solids? Desperate to get them to sleep? Adrian Kulp (a four-time dad himself) offers fast, fun, and easy-to-digest advice that other new dad books don’t, making it simple for you to step up and do your part as a brand-new dad.

The first three months of a newborn baby’s life offer new parents a unique opportunity to lay a solid and loving foundation that will last a lifetime. It is also when parents - whether first-time or not - need unfailing support to help them deal with the countless decisions they face every day.

Are you finding it hard to tell whether you’re excited or just scared pants-less? Of course you’re excited, but still, what the heck are you supposed to do now? Relax, and take a deep breath - all dads have been in your same shoes once before. Finding out that you’re going to be a dad is one of the most rewarding moments in life, but yes, it certainly comes with a lot of questions and concerns.

"Girl Dad: Navigating Fatherhood with Daughters" is an indispensable guide for any father who wants to form a strong, healthy, and meaningful relationship with his daughter. This book is more than a guide—it's a celebration of the unique and special bond between a father and his daughter, and it offers real-life tools to make that bond even stronger.

As Dr. JoAnne Pedro-Carroll explains with clarity and compassion in this powerful book, parents can positively alter the immediate and long-term effects of divorce on their children. The key is proven, emotionally intelligent parenting strategies that promote children's emotional health, resilience, and ability to lead satisfying lives. Over the past three decades, Pedro-Carroll has worked with families in transition, conducted research, and developed and directed award- winning, court-endorsed programs that have helped thousands of families navigate divorce and its aftermath.

Picking up where From Dude to Dad left off, author and founder of the popular Diaper Dude parenting brand Chris Pegula dives into the first two years of parenting and furthers his deeply held belief that you don't have to lose yourself when you become a father. Once again written in Pegula's everyman voice and filled with humorous takes on fatherhood from the front lines, the book is an easy-to-understand resource for new dads, combining hard-won lessons learned, pitfalls to avoid, and practical advice from a dude who hasn't lost his identity (or his sanity).

It seems like every time a new mother turns on her computer, radio, or television she is greeted with news of yet another scientific study about infancy. Ignoring good information isn't the right course, but just how does one tell the difference between solid studies, preliminary results, and snake oil? In this friendly guide through the science of infancy, Science of Mom blogger and PhD scientist Alice Callahan explains how nonscientist mothers can learn the difference between hype and evidence.

Halloween with Junie B. has got to be a scream! Get ready for a "Halloweenie" adventure with the world's funniest first grader!

But the world has not stood still—in fact, it is changing faster than ever. And while the classic struggles between parents and teenagers still remain, societal changes have brought about many new ones that parents of earlier generations never dreamed of. Today's parents must deal with such "new problems" as their children experimenting with the latest recreational drugs; increased sexual activity at a younger age; the Internet; and above all, a world that seems far less safe than ten years ago.

Must moms choose between being a "good mom" and achieving the goals they want for themselves? How do you cut through all the chaos, identify what is important, and learn to let go of things that aren't serving you well? In Moms Eat First: 5 Principles to Prioritize Yourself and Create the Change You Crave, author Kathy Sullivan explores five key principles to create and sustain change and shares potential solutions to overcoming barriers.

Tired of struggling with your little one at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Enter responsive feeding! Recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Academy of American Pediatrics, this revolutionary approach takes the worry out of mealtimes. Feeding therapist and speech-language pathologist Melanie Potock gives parents the tools - and the confidence - to read baby’s communication cues and follow baby’s lead.