Internet Outraged by 'Daddy-Proof' Baby Outfit: 'Out of Touch'

Baby shower gifts are an exciting part of expecting a new arrival. From toys and clothes to parenting gadgets—you can hope to receive a lot of the things you and your little one will need.

But the gift one parent-to-be received at their baby shower has sparked outrage online.

In a viral Reddit post with over 36,000 upvotes, user mwahaha321 shared a picture of a baby vest with the caption: "This 'gift' my husband received at our baby shower."

The yellow baby romper is complete with arrows pointing to the head, arms, and snap button fastenings at the bottom. With a central print that reads: "Daddy-proof shirt."

The instruction-heavy clothing has outraged internet users, with one commenter writing: "The 'husbands are idiots' trope is gross," while another user said: "Why can't it just say 'idiot-proof shirt'; still make the joke, but without implying that dads are less parent than moms."

Hands-on Father

The poster mwahaha321 told Newsweek: "Honestly I didn't know being a "dumb dad" was even a joke. Growing up my dad did everything- cooking, cleaning, shopping, you name it."

While a lot has been said about the gender pay gap, the gender parenting gap is also a serious consideration in the lives of many women.

Research shared by the Pew Research Center says that when it comes to childcare, full-time working moms spend an average of 1.4 hours per day performing activities to care for their children, which compares to one hour per day for full-time working dads.

But a recent study by the Making Care Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, found that since the pandemic fathers in the U.S. reported being closer to their children.

In a survey of 1,297 parents, including 534 fathers, 57 percent of fathers said they were appreciating their children more than before the pandemic, and 51 percent reported doing more activities with their children.

"I have been given a similar gift myself at our wedding shower with a kitchen apron that was embroidered 'when I said 'I do', I didn't mean the dishes!' I was mortified that people still think this way even as a gag gift," said mwahaha321: "Fortunately my husband grabbed the apron from me and started modelling it, making everyone laugh at him instead of me. I'm not sure why these gifts exist."

Reddit users shared how they felt moms and dads were seen and treated differently in the comments. One user wrote: "I tell my wife the comments I hear from her friends, 'Oh, he's such a hands on dad,' or 'OMG he changes diapers too?' It is more of a reflection on their husbands than me."

Another commenter said: "Fathers are really treated differently for some reason. They're my children also, me spending time with them isn't some weird miracle or me doing a favor for my wife."

The subject of equal parenting was the main focus of the 2018 book Dad's Don't Babysit: Towards Equal Parenting, by David Freed and James Millar.

Equal Parenting

In the book, the authors discuss the idea of men being secondary carers: "There is an expectation that Dad is 'doing Mum a favor' by looking after his own child because he can't be the fully responsible parent. This remarkably stubborn perception throws up all sorts of barriers for both parents being able to make a full a free choice about how to organize their parental lives."

Another commenter on the viral post wrote: "I find this not only hurtful but seriously out of touch with reality," and another user said: "As a stay-at-home dad this just makes me sad."

Poster mwahaha321 explained: "After reading everyone's comments in the past 24 hours, I know dads do not get the credit they deserve. I loved reading the stories from all the dads out there proving how times changed.

"My husband and I raise our daughter together sharing jobs when needed. I was thrilled seeing how many dads are actively involved raising their babies. It's awesome."

UPDATE 04/05/22 at 3:54 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a new image and comments from the Reddit user mwahaha321.