TikTok creator and "First Time Dad" A.J. Allen is using his platform to provide practical advice for dads by a dad.
With over 75,000 followers and more than 1.2 million likes on his videos, Allen told Scripps News that he hopes to establish a community where new fathers can share tips and guidance on dealing with the obstacles they face every day.
"It's funny because you have to take a test to get your driver's license, you have to take tests to do just about anything, but they'll just give anyone a baby," he said. "It's a wild ride and you just have to embrace making mistakes, it's okay to make mistakes, just part of the process. But as long as you're actively trying — trying to do your best, to be the most involved you can be."
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Allen added that a video he made about holding a baby "surprised" him because of the amount of feedback he got from others who had the same questions or concerns he had as a new father.
"I was scared to hold my baby," he admitted. "I'd never held a toddler or baby, in general, before I had my daughter. And I made a video about different ways you can hold a baby and it blew up. The feedback I received from it was crazy."
But it's not just successes that Allen shares with the world. He also proudly admits some of his mess-ups so that other dads can learn from his experiences — one of those being diaper supply.
"I just messed up bad," he begins in one video. "First Time Dad failed, bro. We let our diaper count get down to like, we had one on her and one left. We should never had let it get this low, but we did."
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Allen told Scripps News that he hasn't been making TikTok videos for very long, but thinks his account "blew up" the way it did after he realized there weren't many other dads on the platform making the same type of content. He hopes it can persuade more new fathers to do the same.
"I definitely encourage more people to share their experience as long as they're comfortable doing so because it's only going to help," Allen said.