🇬🇧 United Kingdom
New dad: from the first plans to the first years
Appointments, feeding, nights and paperwork. Take it one stage at a time, together.
Your timeline
Birth to two weeks
Share feeding, changing, soothing and meals. Confirm follow-up appointments and the birth-registration deadline. Never shake a baby; if overwhelmed, put them safely down and take a short break.
Leave and family paperwork
Welcoming a baby triggers two types of legal frameworks: employment rights (leave, wage replacement, protection from unfair dismissal) and civil responsibilities (legal parentage, parental responsibility, financial support). Requirements vary widely from one country to another: minimum tenure, relationship status, notification deadlines. France is used here as an example, but make sure you check the local rules where you live.
Protection against dismissal
In several countries, fathers are protected against termination around the time of birth, except in cases of gross misconduct or unavoidable redundancy. Example in France: this protection lasts for 10 weeks following the birth.
Splitting your leave
More and more countries allow you to break up your leave into chunks: South Korea (up to 3 blocks over 120 days), the UK, Japan, or France for part of the allowance. This is great for alternating care with your partner.
Equal access regardless of marital status
Across the European Union, parental rights cannot hinge on whether you are married, in a civil partnership, or cohabiting. Access for same-sex couples is advancing, though still heavily dependent on individual national laws.
Giving timely notice
To exercise your leave entitlements, you almost always have to inform your employer within a strict deadline. Example in France: one month's advance notice for paternity leave and additional birth leave (or 15 days if the additional leave lasts one month and follows immediately after paternity leave).
A set window to take your leave
Leave cannot be taken whenever you feel like it. In Saudi Arabia, it must be claimed within 7 days of birth; in South Korea, within 120 days; in the Netherlands, within 6 months; in France, within 6 months as well.
Employment tenure and relationship status
Some countries require you to have paid social contributions for a minimum duration beforehand (Iceland, Lithuania). Others still restrict paternity leave solely to married couples (Kenya, federal public service in Nigeria).
Legal parentage and parental responsibility
Paternity leave and legal parentage are distinct matters. Legal parentage is often automatic within marriage (presumption of paternity), but outside marriage it usually requires a formal acknowledgment. This legal recognition grants you shared parental responsibility. Example in France: recognition can be completed before birth at the local town hall.
The duty of child support
Everywhere, being the father (biological or legal) comes with the ongoing obligation to financially support your child, whether you are in a relationship or not, and whether you take paternity leave or not.
Real talk
Start sorting your paperwork 2 to 3 months before your due date. Ask your HR department and your social security body for an exact calculation of your benefits, avoiding any nasty surprises on your payslip during the birth month.
Health and emergency contacts
This site doesn't replace medical advice. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.