After nine months of waiting, your new bundle of joy has finally arrived. But what do you do now?

For new mums, there’s plenty of help and guidance available, but for many new dads, the path is far less clear.

And that’s where books like The New Dad’s Survival Guide come in. It’s written by father-of-one Rob Kemp, who says the book arms dads with skills and know-how, but tries hard not to preach.

He says: “As a father, the best advice I can give to new dads is to get ‘stuck in’ as soon as you possibly can.

“Never ever underestimate your influence upon your child and your role as a father – especially in the first year of their life.”

But before dads unleash their impressive father power on little junior, Kemp, 44, advises them to get to grips with the basics of baby care, giving advice on everything from how to pick a baby up, to what to expect on their first night at home and how to burp and bath baby – and, of course, change a nappy.

He takes new dads through each month of their baby’s first year, asking questions such as ‘where can I get good baby gear to fit my budget?’, and ‘when will we get a decent night’s sleep?’.

While he’d obviously had the experience of being a new dad himself, Kemp chatted to dads at dads’ clubs and a children’s centre to reaquaint himself with the territory, and says: “One of the biggest differences between when my son was born and now is that dads are encouraged to get more hands-on now.

“As well as society evolving, I think it goes hand-in-hand with what’s been happening to the economy over recent years – men are staying at home more and sometimes their partner is taking on the role of the breadwinner, so they find they need to help out more and can’t necessarily afford childcare.

“It’s certainly a lot more socially acceptable for dads to be strapping a baby in a papoose and wandering round to a coffee shop with them during their paternity leave.”

One of the results of there being less stigma associated with dads caring for their babies these days is that companies are more tolerant and liberal-minded about dads taking time off work to look after their new families, says Kemp.

Shared parental leave comes into force in the UK next year, and Kemp says the key to a successful family life is sharing as much of the household responsibilities, including the childcare, as possible.

“I think dads should be encouraged to get involved and play a part, and I think most dads want to, but they don’t necessarily know how.

“So much of the literature, and the social and health care aspects of childcare are focused on mums, but from the earliest opportunity, there needs to be encouragement to get men involved – it’s key to the development of their child, and the sanity of their partner.”

The New Dad’s Survival Guide by Rob Kemp (Vermilion, £10.99)