So, you're looking for information about becoming a dad, but you're not quite finding the answers you need?

You can find plenty online about pregnancy, birth plans, feeding, nappies, sleep and car seats. But so much of it focuses on the baby, or on what's happening during pregnancy and birth.

What about you?

What will being a dad actually feel like? What's your role during pregnancy, birth and those first few weeks? How do you support your partner? How do you build your own relationship with your baby? And how are you supposed to know whether you're doing any of it right?

These are the questions that can be harder to find answers to. So here are five things we think more dads deserve to know.

We hear a lot about the overwhelming rush of love you're supposed to feel when your baby arrives. But not every dad experiences it like that.

For some, the connection is immediate. For others, it grows over days, weeks or even months. Your relationship with your baby is built through all the ordinary things you do together: holding them, changing them, settling them, talking to them, taking them out and gradually learning exactly what they need from you.

Don't put pressure on yourself to feel a particular way at a particular moment. Bonding isn't a test you can pass or fail. It's a relationship you build.

And if a few months in the connection still feels missing, or you're struggling to feel much at all, mention it to your health visitor or GP. It's more common than you'd think, and there's no shame in it.

Honestly? You're not supposed to. Not yet.

Becoming a dad doesn't come with an instant download of parenting knowledge, and your partner won't automatically know everything either. You'll both be learning.

The best thing you can do is get involved from the beginning. Change the nappies. Learn how to settle your baby. Ask questions. Have a go, even when you're not completely sure what you're doing.

It's very easy, particularly in those early weeks, to slip into thinking one parent is the "expert" and the other is helping.

You're not helping. You're parenting.

And the more involved you are, the more confident you'll become.

This is one we hear a lot.

During pregnancy, birth and the early weeks with a baby, it can sometimes feel as though everyone knows what your partner needs from you except you.

The answer isn't to become a mind-reader. Talk before the baby arrives about what support might look like. Ask specific questions rather than relying on "Are you OK?". Take ownership of things without waiting to be asked.

But supporting your partner isn't just about the big moments. Making food, taking the baby so they can shower, managing visitors, knowing where the muslins are and noticing that the washing machine needs emptying all count.

Being a team matters more than getting everything right.

Probably in ways you expect, and quite a few you don't.

Having a baby isn't simply adding another person into your existing life. Your routines change. Your relationship changes. Your priorities may shift. Suddenly, you're responsible for somebody who needs you in a completely new way.

That transition can be brilliant, exciting, daunting and exhausting, sometimes all on the same day.

It's worth thinking about your own transition into fatherhood before the baby arrives too. What kind of dad do you want to be? What did fatherhood look like when you were growing up? What do you want to take from that, and what might you want to do differently?

You don't need to have all the answers. But having those conversations before you're functioning on three hours' sleep can make a huge difference.

And look after yourself along the way. If the low days start to outnumber the good ones, or it feels like more than tiredness, you're not alone. Dads can experience postnatal depression too, and your GP is a good place to start.

There isn't a deadline.

For some men, it starts during pregnancy. For others, it's at the birth. And for some, it happens much later.

Often, it's not one enormous moment at all. It's your baby falling asleep on your chest. The first time you manage to settle them when nobody else can. The first smile. The first laugh. The moment they reach for you.

Being a dad is something you grow into. And you don't have to work it all out by yourself.

Preparing for becoming a dad

We believe dads deserve more than a quick mention at the end of an antenatal class.

That's why we created the Dadvengers Expectant Fathers Course, built specifically for dads. It helps you prepare for the realities of becoming a dad, understand the role you can play from the very beginning and feel more confident about the journey ahead. It runs over four weeks on Zoom, in small groups of up to 12 dads, so you can join from anywhere in the UK.

We're at The Baby Show at Olympia London from 23rd to 25th October 2026. Whether you've just found out you're going to be a dad, the due date is rapidly approaching, or you simply have questions you haven't known who to ask, come and have a chat with us about becoming a dad and to find out more about the course.

Come and see us at Stand B81. We'd love to meet you