Old Daddin' Celebrates Later-in-Life Parents With a Brand Built on Pride, Humor and Belonging

Garretson, SD

The idea began during founder Robb Long and his wife Misten's first ultrasound appointment. Misten was 36 at the time, and the couple noticed the words “geriatric pregnancy” in her medical information. Curious about the label, they asked their doctor what it meant.

The doctor explained that women who become pregnant at age 35 or older are medically categorized as being of advanced maternal age — historically referred to as a geriatric pregnancy — because certain pregnancy risks can increase with age.

Long, who was 40, immediately had a question of his own.

“If she's 36 and she's considered geriatric, I'm 40. What does that make me?”

The doctor's response would change the direction of his life.

“Sir, you're what we call an Old Dad.”

Long loved it. Right there in the ultrasound room, the idea for Old Daddin' was born.

“I remember thinking, that's exactly what I am,” Long said. “I'm an Old Dad — and I'm proud of it.”

But the idea went deeper than a funny label. As Long prepared to become a father, he realized that he didn't see himself represented in the traditional dad brands around him. There were plenty of parenting brands, but very little speaking directly to men who became fathers in their late 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond.

So he created the brand he wished already existed.

Old Daddin' began as a way for later-in-life dads to wear that identity proudly. The brand's apparel, hats and messaging combine humor with a larger sense of recognition and belonging for dads who became fathers in their late 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. It gives those dads something Long felt was missing from the parenting world: a brand that actually reflects their experience and lets them say, with pride, “Yep, that's me.”

As the Old Daddin' community grew, another need became obvious. Older moms wanted that same sense of representation.

Old Mommin' expanded the idea to women who became mothers later in life, creating a companion brand centered around the same message of pride, humor and belonging.

Together, Old Daddin' and Old Mommin' speak to parents whose stories rarely fit into one neat category. Some spent years building careers before having children. Some didn't meet the right partner until later. Some traveled difficult roads through IVF, IUI, surrogacy, adoption or foster care. Some are parenting young children during a second chapter of life after raising older kids. Others simply had an unexpected “oops” baby or discovered that life had its own timeline.

Different paths. Same feeling.

Finally, a brand for us.

That message has resonated strongly with customers. The company says some of the most common reactions it receives on social media and through customer messages are remarkably simple:

“That's me.”

“I finally found my people.”

“I'm an Old Dad too.”

“Finally, a brand for us.”

Those responses have become one of the clearest signs that the company is addressing a community that has long felt underrepresented in mainstream parenting culture.

Old Daddin' and Old Mommin' have now sold products to thousands of parents throughout the United States, including customers from Alaska to Florida, and have expanded internationally with customers in Europe and Australia.

The company's growth has been fueled by social media, advertising, customer sharing and word of mouth among parents who recognize themselves — or their spouses — in the brand's message.

And despite its growing reach, the company remains distinctly family-run. Old Daddin' products are still rooted in a small-business operation. A neighbor helps stitch patches onto hats. Family members assist with embroidery. Orders are packed and shipped from the family's operation in South Dakota.

That hands-on approach is part of what Long believes separates the brand from larger lifestyle companies trying to market to parents.

“We aren't sitting in a corporate office trying to figure out what an older dad or older mom might relate to,” Long said. “We are them. We're living it.”

Today, Long is 49 and still raising young children, giving him a firsthand connection to the customers the company serves.

The brand reflects experiences familiar to many later-in-life parents: being one of the older parents at school pickup, having gray hair while chasing young kids around a playground, having friends whose children are already graduating or heading off to college, and occasionally being mistaken for a grandparent.

That last experience inspired what would become one of Old Daddin's breakout products: the graphic T-shirt “Old Dad. Not Grandpa.” The simple, humorous statement struck a nerve with later-in-life fathers, went viral on social media and has become one of the best-selling products in the Old Daddin' line.

For many customers, the shirt captures exactly what makes the brand work: it takes an experience older dads instantly recognize, adds a little humor and turns it into something they can wear with pride.

Old Daddin' turns those experiences into something recognizable, relatable and worth wearing with pride.

As more people build families on different timelines, Long believes parenting culture needs to broaden its definition of what a new mom or dad looks like. Old Daddin' and Old Mommin' intend to be part of that change.

The company is continuing to expand its product offerings and community reach throughout 2026 while remaining focused on the idea that started everything in an ultrasound room:

You may have become a parent later.

You may have a little more gray hair.

You may be doing elementary school pickup while people your age are becoming empty nesters.

But you belong here.

And you should be proud of it.

Company announcement, published as provided by Old Daddin'. Its claims are the company’s own and have not been checked by Alamo 24 News.