Fathers-to-be Enlist in Daddy Boot Camp

Sleep management, twins, finding “me time,” nonstop crying, daycare, money.

As Daddy Boot Camp instructors Greg Barron and Dan Shine kept a list at the front of the room on a recent Saturday morning, a dozen nervous fathers-to-be each revealed their biggest concerns about having a baby and becoming a dad.

Daddy Boot Camp is a men-only course designed to put fathers-to-be at ease, Shine said. It was founded in California in 1990 and has slowly spread throughout the country, taking root at the Princeton HealthCare System in 2007.

“A lot of guys come in here and are pretty nervous, and it’s also better as a dads-only class because it allows thems to have no reservations when it comes to asking questions," Shine said. 

“Moms have classes like Mommy and Me and HypnoBirthing, but what’s there for the dads?” Barron added.

Daddy Boot Camp teaches fathers-to-be basic parenting skills and addresses their concerns about caring for newborns. Each class is made up of about 12 fathers-to-be, two veteran dads and their babies, and two instructors.           

“It’s mostly about the veteran dads and their babies,” Shine said. “We’re just the facilitators. The best part of the course is when the guys get all of their information from the vet dads by asking questions and holding their babies.”

In addition to one-on-one time with the two dads, Saturday’s three-hour session included a lecture and tips that addressed the group’s specific concerns.

Brian Montgomery did not take Daddy Boot Camp before his 4-month-old son, Brendan, was born, but he said it contained valuable information.

“I took a couple of other prep classes, but one thing I wish I had known six months ago is what [Daddy Boot Camp] keeps reinforcing about being accommodating of your partner,” he said.

At the end of the class, fathers-to-be said they felt a bit more prepared, if not more at ease.

“Our due date is three months out, so I keep thinking that I have time,” Sascha Konrad of Plainsboro said. “I never realized how much I have to worry about.”

Greg Ricciardi of Kendall Park is expecting twin boys and said the course made him feel energized.

“I thought the program was really informative,” he said. “Taking it was my wife’s idea, but I would certainly recommend it to other fathers-to-be.”

The Princeton HealthCare System will offer Daddy Boot Camp again on Saturday, Sep. 24 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Area YMCA John K. Rafferty Branch on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. Cost is $25 per person and fathers-to-be who are interested can register here or by calling (888) 897-8979.