50 Precious Photos Of Dads’ Funniest And Most Heartwarming Parenting Moments (New Pics)

After 2 years and 34 days of treatment, he’s finally done! It’s been a long journey for all of us, lots of ups and downs. I’m so proud of him, it’s been so hard for him but he has been a warrior. Half of his life has been a fight with cancer. It’s over!!!!

A kind daddit member suggested I share the story of our son, Hugh, here. We lost our son a little over 4 weeks ago on 5/30/2025. He was almost 18-months old and our first / only child. Hugh suddenly and unexpectedly stopped breathing in his sleep. No known conditions or diseases. We are still waiting on the medical examiners results, but have been warned by our pediatrician that the likely result will be "unexplained".

Hugh was the best boy - he was an easy baby and toddler that slept well (11 hours a night no problem), ate well and always had a smile on his face. He was our miracle baby. My wife and I tried since 2021 to get pregnant with multiple miscarriages before turning to IVF. However, the IVF retrievals did not go well - we did not get that many eggs from each retrieval (and even fewer that turned into embryos). Hugh was our 3rd retrieval where we only got one egg, but our doctor suggested lets just do a fresh transfer (no freezing, no testing) and see what happens. And from this one in a small chance, we became pregnant with Hugh and were the happiest / luckiest parents in the world.

My wife and I both work, and life was busy with a toddler between work during the week and keeping the little one entertained on the weekends. We would read Hugh so many books (in the morning, before bed after bath). He and I would go to the grocery store on weekends where I would buy him a balloon. Hugh and I would typically do bath time, and he loved getting his nose "booped" by his tub toys. You would say "boop" and he would bring his face forward and want you to touch his nose with his rubber tiger. We were fortunate to be able to take Hugh to a lot of places in his 18-months - France, Maine, Florida and Colorado. Hugh had a passport and global entry. I would trade anything in the world to have more time with Hugh - to give him a hug, hear his giggle, feel his hands on my back when playing hide-and-seek.

We had a full-time nanny, Joanna, who could come to the house Monday - Friday - they were best friends (her words) and thick as thieves. They would go on walks in the neighborhood, go to the public library for story time, read books, see his friends, go to the play gym and go to playgrounds / parks with friends. Joanna did an amazing job exposing Hugh activities (art, paint, sand, etc.), teaching him in a patient manner and instilling a sense of confidence. We are incredibly lucky to have her.

Since Hugh's passing, it's been a roller coaster of grief - intense sadness (loss of Hugh and also loss of Hugh's future), guilt (not being able to protect your child), anger at the universe, bitterness at why our child and numbness. The pain is immense - physically, psychologically and emotionally. Waking up every day is a nightmare because the only respite is during sleep but you wake up to this new reality. The part that makes me most upset / sad is that Hugh didn't deserve this - if the universe was angry, why not punish me? Hugh was an innocent 18-month old toddler that we described as "joy personified."

Two things keep us going. First, we want to keep Hugh's memory alive by sharing his memory with as many people as possible. We talk about him openly with everyone, and asked that everyone continue to share their memories of Hugh with us. He will always be our oldest child and firstborn, and when people ask how many kids we have, we'll always include him in the count. To anyone who is interested seeing more photos of Hugh and reading about him, we created a website: www.hughnie.com

Second, we are expecting a daughter in Oct 2025. She was conceived naturally and we are very grateful to have her in our lives. While she will open some wounds as we transition back into taking care of a baby, she will also be incredibly healing for us. Our baby girl will know who her older brother is. While we have not settled on a name yet, we know at least some part of her name will incorporate Hugh's middle name, Maxwell, in honor of her older brother.

We are in contact with the Sudden Unexplained Death in Children (SUDC) collaborative at NYU and are volunteering to help with their research and mission. We will do whatever is possible in our power by participating in their research and providing information so hopefully they are one step closer to finding out what causes SUDC. Our dream is that one day no parent has to go through what we are currently going through.

My wife and I are also going through grief counseling (both together and individually). We are also checking in regularly on Joanna, inviting her over for meals and to hang out, and making sure she goes to grief counseling as well. Joanna spent as much waking time with Hugh as we did over the past year, and I am worried she doesn't get the same support as we do for being parents. We also kept Joanna until our new baby is born so she didn't have to worry about job security for something that was not her fault.

I would give anything to have our "Huggie bear" back, including my life. For now, we will have to settle on this not being goodbye forever, just goodbye for now. We buried Hugh in a cemetery where we also bought the plot next to him so that my wife and I will be buried next to him eventually.

I hope no one here ever has to go through the experience of childloss. It's not something a dad should ever have to go through. Thank you all for reading my long missive.

My 6 y/o’s kindergarten teacher sent me this email. I’m considering getting it framed. As someone who hated gym class… I find it very relatable.
We did briefly review “choice words”.

Since my son was born in 2021, I’ve tried to keep my love of the outdoors alive by bringing him along for the ride—even if it means going solo. My wife gets a weekend to herself, my kid gets some adventure, and I get a few precious hours of sanity and bonding.

This weekend we camped together for the first time—just the two of us in the Pine Creek Gorge in PA. I was nervous about how it would go, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve done as a dad.
Highlights:

He was scared the first night, worried I’d leave or animals would get in. By night two, he was asleep by 9 after making spooky stories and playing in the creek.
He hiked, biked, helped with meals, and asked big questions about the stars.
I learned to let go of perfect plans and just be present.

Couple notes for the Dads here—if you’re on the fence about taking your kids on a trip like this, do it. Take the leap, and get out with them early and often. It can be intimidating, and solo trips are never easy—but what it’s done for both of us has been invaluable.

You don’t have to give up your passions when you become a parent. They may not look the same as they did before, and that’s okay. Slower mornings, shorter hikes, more snacks, more stops—but also more laughter, more wonder, and honestly, more joy. You get to experience the things you love again—this time through their eyes.

I’m incredibly lucky to be able to do these things with my son, and I encourage every dad to find their own version of adventure—big or small—and make those memories now. The logistics can be hard, the planning is nonstop, and the patience gets tested. But the reward? It's massive. It’s knowing you’re giving them the space to grow, to get curious, to gain confidence—and in the process, you’ll find a different kind of fulfillment you didn’t know you needed.

Lead by example. They’re watching!

I'm 30m and a twin brother, he has never been comfortable around kids and babies but he's taking it in his stride and I'm proud of him for it

Just thought I'd share the photos as they are just too funny

After a 16 hour birthing process that culminated in an emergency c-section I'm happy to say mom and baby are safe, healthy, and snoozing! Man, what a night. I spent all the months leading up thinking of all these things and crossing items off the to do list and stressing and as soon as I saw her all that stress melted. She's perfect!

My kids and one of their friends ambushed me with this subpoena when they got home. They're asserting that my arbitrary candy decisions are unfair. I think I might be in real trouble.

Sometimes I worry that I'm not doing a good job as a dad but then I walk into my son's [8] room to kiss him one last time before going to bed myself and I see that he's snuck a book into his bed so he can do more reading and fell asleep while doing so.

This isn't the first time this has happened When I've asked him about it, he's sheepishly told me something like, "I just love reading so much, I can't stop and it relaxes me"

Sometimes this kid is off the walls, which is fine, he's a happy little boy with alot of energy. It's nice to see he can bring his energy level down.

My son loves this book because he thinks its funny that I start crying like a baby the entire time I read it.

Its even harder when you learn the author wrote this book because his wife had stillborn babies and he would sing the words of the book to them.

Holy c**p its a hard read!

This is my first post here. These last few days have been the most emotionally confused I've been in my life. My boy is perfect and he is so beautiful. But he was brought into this world due to a full placental abruption, he wasn't getting oxygen for 10 minutes after coming out. I was in the room alone with doctors while my wife was recovering from the crash c-section.

I had to wait and stare in a room for what felt like forever until they finally said he was getting color in his body then I was able stand next to him for just like 30 seconds until they had to just keep working. We were transported to a hospital much more equipped for all of this, where we are now and have been for the past 3 days.

He has been getting cooled on a pad and is getting brought back up to temp in a few hours. Sometimes this all doesn't feel real. We were 2 days from induction and went into L&D for what had just been feeling like contractions, and it all fell apart. What could possibly ever explain this?

Some hours have been better than others, I know fucked up things just happen but it's unreal. We had just gone to an NST three days earlier. We had at minimum two appointments a week for a BPP and NST. He was doing so good. I feel empty just typing this.

He is still here, and I am so grateful. But he is getting brought back up to temp in less than 3 hours and while there have been massive and major improvements, every doctor has been worried about his brain activity.

I would give it all and more so this boy can make it. He is perfect. My baby boy is a fighter and we're giving all we've got.

Please if you have any success stories , kind words, good vibes or prayers to send his way. We need every ounce we can get. We won't lose hope. I know he deserves so much more than what he's got to experience.

My son’s legs have been sore due to track practice and rock climbing so I told him to work them out more to help recovery.

I said “you can take a walk around the block or a jog around the smaller block. I’ll go with you, but you decide.”

He opted for the shorter jog and as we started running he holds my hand. I asked him what he’s doing but he just said he wanted to hold my hand. Thought it was the sweetest thing. So we held hands for the first 5 minutes. Then we he let go I made a game out of trying to get his hand back.

It’s little moments like this, my 10year old has such a big heart and I know he won’t want to hold my hand forever so I just embraced it. 

It was by emergency c section My fourth child , first one to have stay in for oxygen and tube fed which beats scary , but the care has been amazing , was just recommended this sub and it’s heart warming . Night three in hospital and couldn’t be prouder . My partners on her second blood transfusion- she’s a hero.

We will know more in the next 48 hours but for right now I’m completely freaking out. I’m at home now with our 3 year old trying to help him cope. He doesn’t understand where mamma is and why he can’t go see her. My mind is spinning and there’s nothing I can do. To all of you dads out there. Hold them close tonight just because you can.

Before your kids are mobile, please take the time to anchor your furniture (to the studs, not using drywall anchors). This is one aspect of childproofing that is often overlooked.

Advertising an increase of 6 diapers when in fact they removed 2.
I can’t wait till they’re potty trained!

The cuts were a bit sloppy, but not bad for a beginner. I told him that he can get some PPE for his fourth birthday.

Men, as a dad to a 4 year old princess obsessed girl, the Disneyland & Princess scene literally melted my daughter's brain and she cannot get over it. I am on the 12th rewind of the scene as I am typing this and she is still going bonkers hanging on every line. This is my life now, good night and farewell 🫡

(This was the last photo of us together a couple days before she passed away)

I have just finished responding to all the comments on a post I made about 6 months ago here when my daughter (9 months) passed away. I have been to therapy to work through issues of suicidal ideation (everyday I still have this void) and blame. We are under contract for a house that we will be moving to soon which is near where our daughter is buried (She was airlifted to KCMO for higher level care, we lived in Wichita at the time).

Something that’s been really bothering me is that I don’t know when or if I can be a dad again.

My wife and I have been doing better, however, this Father’s Day was really tough on me. I also have PTSD surrounding the “incident” (CPR on the kitchen floor, skin turning gray, etc.) but feel conflicted in a way about moving out of the apartment because this was where all the joyful memories of our daughter happened. I walk by the living room where we had her play mat, but now it’s just covered with moving boxes. I walk by where her crib once was. I walk by our guest bedroom that we kept dark and remember all the days I rocked and sang her to sleep. In a way, I don’t want us to move, but I also do. Sorry for the long rant of thoughts.

Thank you Dads

First picture was about 3+ years ago and the second today. First hike in the pack with the new baby after many many miles in it with the oldest. Oldest can walk a mile or so now (maybe more but he is sooooo slow). Not an ad but the pack has held up well over the years.