There’s no perfect age at which to have a baby. Some people are busting to become parents as soon as they hit 20, while others are still daunted by the mere thought of it when they’re pushing 30. Others end up with their first children while they’re incredibly young at just 16 or 17.
Celebrities, in particular, tend to wait until their 30s or later to have children, seeing as they work hard for their huge careers and don’t want to split their focus until they’ve achieved their goals. That said, some stars don’t wait to become parents. The following 15 celebs weren’t exactly kids themselves when they first got pregnant, but they were still pretty young by modern standards.
Each of the following women has a different story, filled with either joy and blessings, tragedy or total surprises. At the time they fell pregnant, some as young as 16, they were in the middle of stellar careers, suffering marriage breakdowns and juggling a million other things while having their first baby. These ladies prove that even with countless obstacles in your way, you can still be a great mom.
Read on to find out how old (or should we say, young) these stars were when they gave birth, and how they handled the pressure.
15 Hilary Duff Was Only 24 When She Welcomed Son Luca, And Has Been Killing It As A Single Mom Ever Since
Since she doesn’t look a whole lot different from her Lizzie McGuire days (although she’s lost the crimped hair and butterfly clips), Hilary Duff always strikes us as somebody who’s full of youth, no matter how old she gets. When she became a mama at the age of 24, we could hardly believe it. It is relatively young, but when you look at all the other stars who have had kids at an even younger age, we guess there’s nothing really shocking about it … it’s just because she’s still Lizzie to us!
Hilary has opened up about wanting to give Luca Cruz Comrie, born in 2012, a sibling or two. “I want to have more kids and I’m looking forward to doing that, but I’m not in any rush.” The actress is a great mom to Luca, so we can’t wait to see her do it all again in the future.
14 Kate Hudson Didn't Realize She Was A Young Mom Until She Was In Her 20s With A Five-Year-Old
Getting hitched at the age of 20 would seem like a dauntingly big step to a lot of people, but Kate Hudson felt ready to make the move with Chris Robinson in 2000. Only four years later, the couple welcomed their son Ryder Robinson, making Kate a young mom at the age of 24. This meant that Kate had to take a step back from her fast-paced career in Hollywood and make her son her priority.
Even though having a child drastically changes your life, it didn’t really sink in for Kate until she was in her later 20s. “As I started getting older,” she told People, “as [Ryder] started getting older and I was 28, 29, I was like, ‘Wow. I’m a young mom.’ It started hitting me.”
13 22 Seemed Like A Good Time To Grow The Family For Reese Witherspoon
Most 22-year-olds couldn’t even fathom having the responsibility of a child, especially when they have gigantic careers to think about. But having babies just seemed like the next logical step for Reese Witherspoon, who was married to Ryan Phillippe at that age and welcomed her daughter soon after. Because Reese had Ava Elizabeth Phillippe when she was so young, the two look more like a couple of friends than mother and daughter today. Actually, the resemblance is so striking that perhaps we should change “friends” to “twins”.
In an interview with Elle, Reese spoke out about how tough it was to be a mom at that age. “It was so hard ... living [away from my family]. I really didn't have any friends. And I had a baby,” she said. “No one else who was 22 had a baby.”
12 Tammy Hembrow Had Two Kids And A Swelling Career At The Age Of 22
Fitness icon Tammy Hembrow has made quite a name for herself on social media, with over 70,000 subscribers on YouTube and 4.2 million followers on Instagram, all tuning in to view her inspirational pictures and videos. She really put herself on the map for chronicling the ins and outs of her fit pregnancy, demonstrating how she stayed as healthy as possible while carrying the baby and then how she bounced back to shape after giving birth.
Born in 1994, Tammy posted her first ultrasound picture in 2014, making her just 20 years old when she first fell pregnant. By the age of 22, she was a mother of two, having documented both pregnancies. Being a young mom has got to be tough as it is, but when you add the pressure of keeping a rock-hard body throughout and directly after the pregnancy, the pressure is really on!
11 Sofia Vergara Is Just Getting To Know The Spotlight, And Her Son Is All Grown Up
At only 19, Sofia Vergara wasn’t famous like she is today when she gave birth to her son. Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara was a welcomed bundle of joy for Sofia and her partner Joe Gonzalez, but when the couple split only a year after he was born, the Colombian actress became a single mom.
Though she isn’t with Manolo’s father, Sofia still gets a lot of help from him when it comes to parenting their son. And now that he’s all grown up, we can see that they did a good job of raising him! Manolo graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 2015 and is now working towards a career in film like his mother. He’s even produced his very own YouTube series called My Life with Toty. Sofia must be very proud!
10 Britney Spears Wasn't A Teen When She Became A Mom, But She Nearly Was
Her little sister Jamie Lynn may have well and truly been just a kid when she became a mom, but Britney was a little older at 23. That doesn’t mean she wasn’t a young mom, though. Particularly for a superstar in the middle of one of the biggest careers in the pop industry, that’s still pretty early!
Brit couldn’t wait to have kids of her own, owing mainly to her having worked since the age of 16. “I've had a career since I was 16, have traveled around the world and back and even kissed Madonna! The only thing I haven't done so far is experience the closest thing to God and that's having a baby. I can't wait!” she wrote on her website. After having her two boys, she managed to find her way as one of the biggest stars in the world, and an awesome mother.
9 Keisha Castle-Hughes Has Time To Star On Game Of Thrones Now, Since Her Daughter Is Nearly Old Enough To Look After Herself
When she guest-starred on Game of Thrones as Obara Sand, Keisha Castle-Hughes came across as a total boss. Now, that might just come down to the character, but we get the feeling that she’s a strong, mature woman in real life too, and that’s because she first became a mom at the young age of 17. When you find yourself in that position, you’re probably forced to grow up pretty quickly!
“Yes, I was scared when I found out I was pregnant,” she revealed. “But if I got pregnant when I was 27, I would have been scared too because it is a huge step.” The actress also had experience playing one of the most famous teen mothers in history when she starred in The Nativity Story as Mary.
8 Bronx Came Into Ashlee Simpson's Life When She Was Just 23
In 2008, Ashlee Simpson gave birth to her first baby, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, while in a long-term relationship with her partner Pete Wentz. At the time she was just 23, and was constantly followed by the paparazzi, but was over the moon about becoming a mom. “This is definitely the happiest moment in my life,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada.
A few years later in 2015, the singer gave birth to her second child, Jagger Snow Ross, with partner Evan Ross. She occasionally posts snaps of her little darlings on Instagram, but mainly keeps them out of the spotlight. And as a mom of two, she’s never been happier: “But your priorities in life shift. Your priority becomes your children, and that's something for every woman that becomes a mother,” she told TODAY. “It's all a change for the better. Life is so good with the kids.”
7 Adele Had The Biggest Career In The World, But Put It On Hold To Have Angelo At 24
Adele is so adamant about protecting her family from the media storm that follows her everywhere she goes, that you might not have even realized that she was a mom! But when she was 24, in between her world-stopping albums, she took a break to focus on her personal life and welcomed her son with boyfriend Simon Konecki. In 2012, Angelo James Konecki came into the world and totally changed Adele’s perspective on life.
She has since told People that she wants to be a mom to three sons by the time she turns 30, and admits she “better start getting on with it!” Since Adele has recently wrapped up a world tour and has revealed that she’ll be taking a good rest from life in the spotlight, more babies might be on the way sooner than we think!
6 Britney's Kids Make More Headlines, But Jamie Lynn Had Her Daughter First When She Was Just 16
16 might have been a normal age to become a parent in the past, but in modern western society, it’s pretty darn young. With the help of shows like 16 and Pregnant, we can see that it’s not a thing of the past completely, and many girls still get pregnant at this age. Jamie Lynn Spears was one of these girls, having given birth to her daughter, Maddie Briann Aldridge, when she was just 16.
To make Jamie Lynn’s life even tougher, the paparazzi became obsessed with her when she announced her pregnancy. But even though she’s had to deal with raising a baby at a young age, relentless media interest and a split from her daughter’s father, Casey Aldridge, she’s managed to keep it all under control. She relocated to Nashville to focus on her country music career and has her 10-year-old daughter by her side.
5 The Beckhams Started Early On Their Clan, Now One Of The Most Famous In Hollywood
Victoria “Posh” Beckham was part of the biggest girl group of the age when she fell in love with soccer star David Beckham. The two welcomed their first son, Brooklyn Joseph Beckham, in 1999 when Victoria was just 24. They married later that year and are still going strong to this day, preparing to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2019. 24 is a little older than 18 or 20, but it’s still young by today’s standards—many people haven’t even finished or are just finishing college by that time, are just getting settled into their work lives, or are still figuring themselves out!
Since having Brooklyn, the Beckhams have added to their clan three times. Now they are also parents to Romeo James, Cruz David and Harper Seven, the adorable and talented brood putting their family on the map in Hollywood.
4 Anna Nicole Smith's Life Ended In Tragedy, But Son Daniel Made Her Happy Until The End
The late model and actress Anna Nicole Smith was yet to become a star when she had her first child, Daniel Wayne Smith, at 18 years old. She was married to his father at the time, Billy Wayne Smith, but their marriage soon broke down and Anna remarried in 1994. While raising her son, Anna gained fame as a model and TV personality, and sadly, became addicted to prescription drugs.
Anna’s second baby came along in 2006. Dannielynn Birkhead injected a new dose of happiness into Anna’s life, but devastatingly, her son Daniel lost his life from a drug overdose while visiting her in hospital. Parents will often tell you that their worst nightmare is losing a child, and the tragedy scarred Anna so much that she too passed away of a drug overdose, just six months later.
3 Solange Knowles Had Her Son When She Was Just 18 After A Dream Wedding At 17
By some standards, Solange Knowles really was just a kid when she became a mom for the first time. She was only 18 when she welcomed her son Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr in 2004, and still too young to rent a hotel room in Vegas or sip a cocktail at a bar.
Motherhood at that age comes with enormous responsibilities and sacrifices since you’re not living the lifestyle enjoyed by the majority of people your age. Solange is lucky that she had a super supportive famous family to lend her a hand, and looking back, wouldn’t trade being a young mom for the world. “A lot of people have doubts,” she said, “but when you have a child I think it takes a really non-emotional person not to have a blast, no matter what age”
2 There Were No More Clubs Once Snooki Had Lorenzo At 24
If you watched Jersey Shore when it first aired, cast-member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was probably the last person you thought would become a young mom. She had a big heart, loved caring for others and always talked about how important family was to her, but she was also dedicated to her lifestyle of drinking and partying.
That all changed by the time she turned 24 when she had her first baby, Lorenzo. Many questioned Snooki’s ability to be a good mother, but she is living proof that people change and sometimes, just need a little time to find themselves. Today, Snooki has taken control of her health by monitoring her eating and her drinking and spends much more time putting her two kids to bed than she does lining up outside clubs.
1 Single Mom Brandy Gave Birth On Camera But Keeps Her Daughter Out Of The Spotlight
Brandy Norwood saw a lot of success in the RnB world around the turn of the millennium, but soon shifted her focus when she became a mom at the age of 23. In 2002, the singer was in a relationship with Robert Smith and gave birth to Sy’rai Iman Smith after putting her career on hold for a moment. Since becoming a mother and documenting her journey on her own reality TV show, Brandi has tried to give her daughter a normal life and keep her out of the gossip magazines.
Brandy’s relationship with Robert crumbled not long after Sy’rai was born, and so the star has taken on the role of single mom. Though it’s one tough job, she believes that she’s got it down, and even told People that she would love to share her advice and tips with other single moms out there, to help inspire them.
