Daddies and Diapers are building a new community for young fathers
Opening up about their role as parents and spreading a message of positivity, these four friends are winning fans across social media
Becoming a father at the age of 27 wasn’t easy for Kamal Duran. His wife went through a traumatic birth and he knew he had to step up for his family, but that came with a lot of pressure.
“I barely slept for weeks, and questioned whether I was doing enough. At the same time, I felt invisible, like no one saw how much I was struggling, and I didn’t know who I could turn to for support.”
He was not alone. A 2020 study by the Journal of Affective Disorders found that 8.75% of dads suffer from postpartum depression. It was only when Duran, now 29, opened up to three of his friends during a hiking trip to Snowdon that he realised other men felt the same way.
“When we spoke to each other about our experiences as fathers, we realised we need someone to voice what we’re going through,” he says. “It was a lightbulb moment. We knew people would resonate with us if we created a community.”
That epiphany marked the beginning of Daddies and Diapers, a TikTok and Instagram page run by Duran, AbuBakar Maxamud, Ilyas Mohamed and AbdulRahman Mohamed. The four London-based friends want to use their platform to represent the reality of fatherhood for young men, share advice and build a supportive digital community.
The name of the project was inspired by the amount of nappies they’ve changed as young fathers. “When our kids grow up, we’re going to have to rebrand,” jokes Duran.
Despite starting a few months ago, their candid video discussions and comedy skits about the highs and lows of fatherhood have already proved popular with viewers. The group has already attracted more than 40,000 likes on TikTok and some of their videos have gained more than 250,000 views.
“We’ve had so many comments from people saying they want to see more,” says Maxamud, aged 28, recalling praise they received on a TikTok live hosted by the mothers’ group Entry Level Mums.
Although Daddies and Diapers was made for fathers, its audience split on TikTok is 64% female to 36% male. While Duran did not expect that, he is proud that the group has such broad appeal and sees reaching out to mothers as crucial to their mission.
“Commonly, parenting can be segregated. It’s mothers on this side, fathers on that side,” he says. “We need to bridge the gap and make a space where everyone can help and understand each other.”
Their growing popularity also proves that men are actively looking for and engaging in frank discussions about fatherhood. Research carried out by The Family Hubs Network in 2024 found that many young fathers feel they need more support.
“As fathers, we don’t communicate,” says Maxamud. “That’s our problem. There’s no safe space to come and talk.”
He also notes that emotional vulnerability is often viewed as a weakness for men and he and his friends want to break down such ideas.
“Our fathers are usually our providers. But at the same time they can seem to lack emotional availability,” says Maxamud. “We come from a perspective where we want to provide and also be there for our children.”
While the aim of Daddies and Diapers is to provide a resource for all fathers, an undercurrent of faith runs through its content. The group’s videos and conversations often deal with the challenges of balancing religious responsibilities and really being there for their children.
“I think our parents try to show their emotions through faith a lot of times, but some kids may need that to be separate,” Duran says. “They may have shown love in one way, but now we know that there are so many other ways of showing love to your kids.”
As for the future, the dads are excited to see where the project takes them. While they are clearly enjoying their popularity on social media, one of their biggest goals is to build a community that brings young fathers together face to face.
“We’d love to do more events, educational courses and workshops,” says Maxamud. “We really want to get people to talk and get to know each other.”
