Recently, an expectant father approached me at the New Parent Expo (an exciting event drawing a few thousand new and expectant parents in the NY Metro area), and pulled me aside. He said quite frankly, “listen, I want to get prepared to be a dad, what is the SHORT LIST of resources that I NEED?” Well, my answer was to pick up one new book on fatherhood, watch Dr. Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, as well as enrolling in a New Dad Boot Camp workshop.
What is New Dad Boot Camp & Why is it so important for expectant dads?
This question was hard for me to answer until I finally had the opportunity to participate in our first workshop last weekend in Brooklyn at Tribeca Parenting. An invigorating experience – a frank conversation about the anxiety of becoming a new father, how to juggle work-life, how to be a good partner, managing relatives, and more. What struck me as the most intriguing part of this workshop taught by veteran dads for new and expectant dads was the practical part of the workshop.
Having two babies involved in the workshop provided true hands-on experience for these expectant dads to get their “hands dirty” by changing a diaper on a child (not a doll), feeding a couple of bottles and burping the baby, watching the veteran dads attempt to soothe their baby, and watching the little ones nap in their arms. this takes hands-on to a whole new level. A far cry from the birthing class that I took when I was an expectant dad in a cramped room with 40 other parents, being lectured to by a parenting expert, and learning to swaddle and hold a baby by using a doll.
New Dads Boot Camp was a candid conversation where no topic was off limits. It was not a lecture! It was a relaxed roundtable conversation where dads opened up about being vulnerable, making mistakes, soliciting advice…all in the name of being a good dad.
We can go on and on about the positive experience & benefits of New Dads Boot Camp for all expectant fathers in New York City. Instead, we will leave you with the testimonials in the video above created by Tim Mulvaney, a valued NYC Dads Group member & one of our local New Dad Boot Camp instructors. Plus, check out below, a small round-up of media attention from some of our favorite local media outlets.
Our request: Please share this with at least one new expectant family in New York City. We have two more workshops at Tribeca Parenting this month (Nov 5 on UES / Nov 12 in Tribeca) & two more classes just added in January. Dads Don’t always ask for directions or like to read the manual – so please share with them this new and exciting resource! thanks
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