Commando Dad, Basic Training

August 1, 2013

For dads in the First Civilian Division, Sinclair here offers a thematic nuts-and-bolts parenting book for basic training. Beginning with day one, he covers the sometimes intimidating tasks of how to hold an infant, sterilize a bottle, and bathe a baby and then moves into considerations for older babies, such as "fun base camp activities," establishing a nap routine, and when to call the medic. He refers to babies as "BTs" (baby troopers) and toddlers as "MTs" (mobile troopers) and includes sidebars of "Commando Dad Top Tips" throughout. There isn't anything revelatory here, but the book is a visual delight in a corny, graphic novel way. There are lots of illustrations and bullet lists, and the text is full color within the Army fatigue palette. Sinclair is both hands-on and gung ho, and there is an unexpected charm and humor to the military theme (e.g., "Welcome to the Thunderbox: Toilet Training"). VERDICT Fun, but optional. A percentage of the book's royalties are being donated to the UK charities National Memorial Aboretum and children's hospice In Aid of Acorns.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 21, 2014
London-based father and former Royal Engineer Commando Sinclair found becoming a stay-at-home dad to be one of his most challenging assignments. His lighthearted manual advises on matters such as the use of pacifiers, how to change diapers, and what fathers should pack in their baby bag when taking Junior out of the house for an extended spell (“basic survival kit for long-term deployment”). Throughout, Sinclair emphasizes the importance of routines, and encourages fathers to ask for help. There is plenty of brass-tacks information here, such as a list of food that shouldn’t be introduced before the baby is six months old, and guidelines for a first-aid kit. However, the military lingo (home is “base camp,” the child is “baby trooper” or BT for short, the book is for dads who “are actively engaged in parenting maneuvers”) grows tiresome, and the myopic focus on dad-and-baby, to the almost wholesale omission of a coparent or marriage/domestic partnership, is odd. Still, this gift book would be a natural choice for co-ed baby showers. Illus.