Commando Dad: Basic Training: How to be an Elite Dad or Carer. From Birth to Three Years

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If you decide to embark on the mini-beast hunt, print off the handy help sheets below as well as the ‘Mission Accomplished’ one to go with your troopers photos and drawings! It's corny (refers to kids as troops, random military terms) and I have some philosophical qualms with it (too reward heavy, too praise focused - maybe it's just an American way). With social distancing and lockdowns, we find ourselves in uncharted waters both as parents and people.

But the author should not forget that with good storytelling and examples, the reader will remember much more. The funny thing is, my friend and I know each other from the Royal Marines, where we both served as young Commandos. I guess that's when the idea was born," says Sinclair of his sensible and accessible new guide to parenthood, Commando Dad. When we were expecting I got given a more "fluffy" book with all of the above, got about halfway through it and binned it.By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. At first, I really enjoyed the completely inappropriate use of military terms for baby stuff (toddler = baby trooper). It is particularly refreshing that Sinclair approaches all aspects of parenting as a joint venture between two parents, with the emphasis on shared responsibility and mutual support. He has survived winters in Arctic Norway, cleared minefields in Iraq and tracked drug traffickers in the jungles of Belize. In haste my granddad jumped in to what he thought was shallow water but it actually came over his head.

All of the material is visually accessible and the “Commando Dad Top Tips” are great for quick reference. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian Gathering the troops … Neil Sinclair with his children Samuel, 10, Jude, nine, and Liberty, five.The family later came back to Blighty and Sinclair became primary carer for the couple's two children, followed by a third (born during a specially planned trip to New York so that she, like her siblings, could have dual nationality).