‘Latte Dads' are the latest Swedish parenting phenomenon — and American moms are extremely jealous: ‘Ridiculously hot'
Swedish dads are taking paternity leave — and turning up the heat.
Meet the Nordic nation's so-called 'latte dads' — stroller-pushing, baby-wearing hunks who spend their days on generous paid time off benefits sipping coffee in cafes, chatting about diaper rash, and somehow looking like H&M models while doing it.
'One of the things that stood out to me was all these mostly ridiculously hot guys that are just better with babies than any woman I've ever met,' Chana Svensson, who moved from Florida to Sweden while pregnant, told TODAY in a recent interview.
'It's something in the water here.'
In America, new mamas are lucky to get two weeks before heading back to the office with a breast pump in one hand and a spreadsheet in the other — never mind the papas.
In Sweden? Dads like Chana's firefighter husband Johan are off the clock — and on baby duty.
'It's something special, being home with him by yourself from the beginning, for sure,' Johan told the outlet.
Though he added, 'A lot of grey hairs were born for me during that time.'
Thanks to the country's cushy policy — 480 days of paid leave per child — Swedish couples can tag-team childcare well into toddlerhood.
The government foots up to 80% of your salary, and parents can use the days any time before the child turns 12.
Back in the US, that sounds like a fantasy to exhausted moms like Erin Erenberg, co-founder of the Chamber of Mothers.
'We are really, truly at the bottom of the heap when it comes to paid family medical leave,' she told TODAY.
'Every other country in the world has it, except for micro islands.'
Erenberg watched a satirical 'latte dad' TikTok video by Baby Björn and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'I was jealous!' she admitted.
In the comments section of the viral clip, one user wrote, 'Positive masculinity is so attractive.' Another gushed, 'Beautiful! That's the type of masculinity we want to see.'
Others, however, were calling Captain Obvious. 'Not men being celebrated for taking care of their own children,' one wrote as someone else replied, 'love how they praise men for *normal parenting.*'
New Swedish dads who take paternity leave are also far less likely to booze themselves into the hospital, according to a 2023 Stockholm University study.
'We found that after the [fathers' paternal leave policy in Sweden] was implemented, there was a 34% decrease in [alcohol-related] hospitalizations among fathers in the two years after birth,' wrote lead author Helena Honkaniemi.
'Fathers who spend more time at home may also be encouraged to practice greater behavioral self-regulation around their children,' the report noted, as previously reported by The Post.
Since Sweden introduced paid parental leave in 1974, the number of days claimed by fathers has jumped from just 1% to 30%.
When dads were granted 30 days of leave in 1995, participation shot up to 75% — along with noticeable mental health benefits.
Today, Swedish parents get a whopping 480 days of job-protected leave to split, most of it paid at about 80% of their salaries.
Overall, who knew equal parenting, great cheekbones, and government support could be so… sexy?
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