"Having a baby and welcoming yourself into—or continuing in—your parenthood era can be an exciting time. The group family photo in the hospital is a go-to sentimental moment you may want to capture, but what if we told you there’s another moment you don’t want to forget? The “hot dad walk” trend on TikTok is a viral sentiment that highlights dads walking out of the hospital. It has been circulating since 2022 and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
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So, what is the hot dad walk? This walk isn’t new, but it did grab the attention of TikTok viewers when moms started to record their partners in slow motion walking out of the hospital with their newborn in tow. The key to capturing this walk perfectly is to make sure that Dad is in front, walking close enough to be in the frame, and visibly carrying the newborn car seat at his side. Bonus if you pair it with The Summer I Turned Pretty, season two’s viral quote, “This is 100 percent your look, Connie Baby.” Here’s everything to know about the trend, plus moments to capture in the hospital beyond the hot dad walk.
Hot dad walk songs and captions
If you’d rather use a song than a TV quote, the popular hot-dad-walk hospital songs on TikTok are from the late ’90s and early 2000s, including:
- Pony by ginuwine
- Family Affair by Mary J. Blige
- Lollipop by Lil Wayne featuring Static
Not to mention, if you do a hospital dad walk search, you’ll find plenty of videos with the text overlay and cute captions, like taylorrandsoph’s that says, “POV: your husband finally gets to do the hot dad walk out of the hospital.” TikTok user Romeloandskylair posted a hot dad walk with, “It’s true… there is nothing hotter than the dad walk out of the hospital.” And BrooklynFrankin‘s short and sweet hospital dad walk post, “waited 9 months for this 😍” has hundreds of thousands of views.
Why is the ‘hospital dad walk’ hot?
Maybe it’s the millennial dad phenomenon where dads of today are way more involved than previous generations. As moms, we don’t want the standard to get any lower. It’s important to take note of this and highlight that being a dad is hot. Getting in on the fun and showcasing an exit out of the hospital is like debuting a dad’s entrance into fatherhood. Comments like “I can’t wait to film this with my husband” and “he has been waiting for this moment” are examples of confidence boosters in becoming a dad.
If you’re anticipating joining in on the hot dad walk one day, there are a few things you may want to be aware of so your moment doesn’t go into the dad walk out of the hospital gone wrong category. Your partner should know the route out of the hospital, and he should be walking at the same pace as you so he doesn’t miss his mark.
Other photos or videos you may want to catch at the hospital
If you’re not hiring a professional photographer during your birth, let your partner or nurse know what moments are important to you during your stay so they can assist you in getting those moments on camera. As this trend continues, we’re curious to see what other spins on hospital moments will spark up the hot dad talk because involved dads are here to stay. Here are other photos or videos you may want to catch at the hospital in addition to the hot dad walk:
- You and your partner holding your newborn right after birth
- Skin-to-skin: it’s just as important for dads as it is for moms
- Your newborn in the bassinet with the name, weight, length, and time of birth displayed
- Family or siblings meeting your newborn
- A photo with your medical team
- The details, i.e., your baby’s profile or a close-up of your baby’s hands and feet
Patty Schepel, Editorial Intern
As the editorial intern, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.