Teen father balances childcare with school and work

At 17, Antti Viitaluoma cares for his baby son while studying and working at a hair salon, Yle reports. He was 16 when Lionel was born.

Viitaluoma changes the baby’s nappy, feeds him and gets him dressed before preparing for his own school day. He is studying to become a hairdresser and has recently started work at a salon. His partner, Jasmin Hakala, is training to become a practical nurse, but her studies are currently on hold.

Life now follows the baby’s needs, Viitaluoma says. He has had to give up some spontaneous outings with friends, but says he enjoys spending time with his son and does not miss going out with friends very much.

When Viitaluoma announced on TikTok that he had become a father, some people responded negatively. He says people sometimes stare at him and the baby in the street, but he no longer worries about what others think. “It doesn’t depend on age,” he says of being a good father.

Sanna Nieminen, a development manager at THL, Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare, says young fathers can be open to growing alongside their children. Her experience includes working in child health clinics. Young fathers, she says, may be receptive to the major change in their lives and can grow into happy fathers.

Becoming a father at 16

Viitaluoma and Hakala met on Snapchat. Their relationship developed quickly, and Hakala moved into Viitaluoma’s childhood home while he was still in lower secondary school. She is a couple of years older than him.

A few months later, they moved from Isokyrö to Seinäjoki. One evening, they took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. Viitaluoma recalls feeling shocked and confused, but also slightly happy. He called his mother a couple of hours later to tell her. Ending the pregnancy was never a real option for the couple.

The birth was difficult. Viitaluoma and Hakala’s mother supported Hakala through it. Lionel was born in winter 2026, and seven months later Viitaluoma says the baby is healthy and things are almost all well.

A new sense of responsibility

Viitaluoma says he has grown more mature in the past six months. Before leaving the house, he first checks that the baby has a clean nappy, warm clothes and food. “You can’t be carefree any more,” he says. “You have to focus on the baby and what matters most for him.”

Viitaluoma’s mother, Heli, describes him as lively but caring from a young age. She says staff at the maternity hospital were impressed by how confidently he handled the baby, including wrapping him in a blanket.

Joonas Kekkonen, a development and training manager at the organisation Miessakit, which works with fathers of different ages, says younger fathers may have fewer established habits and assumptions shaping their choices. Nieminen says young fathers can learn early to take responsibility for their families and other people.