As every parent knows, having a child changes everything — no matter how old a person is when they begin that journey. Deciding when to start a family is a deeply personal choice and one that is shaped by a variety of factors, especially financial realities.
Over time, the average age for people to have their first child has been steadily increasing and is now over 26 for women and nearing 30 for men. Of course, there are always people who, due to choice or circumstance, end up being anything but average when it comes to their age when they have their first child.
And when it comes to avoiding being average, we all know that celebrities fit that bill. Celebrity pregnancies and babies are always big gossip news. We live for a first celebrity baby photo, not going to lie!
We sometimes focus on the celebrity moms who welcomed babies later in life, like Naomi Campbell, Janet Jackson, and Hoda Kotb (these gorgeous ladies were all over 50 when they had their first child). But it turns out that there are actually a surprising number of celebrities who were young parents.
From some teenage pregnancies that were shocking at the time to Kylie Jenner's secret pregnancy with Stormi, these are the celebs who were under the average age when they became parents for the first time.
Jamie Lynn Spears
Sofia Vergara
Modern Family star Sofia Vergara was still a teenager and living in her native Colombia when she gave birth to her son, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara. She was 19 years old and married to her childhood sweetheart at the time but the two divorced soon after, and Sofia and Manolo eventually immigrated to the United States.
LeBron James
LeBron James did everything young! Not only did he get drafted into the NBA while still a teenager, but he also started his family when he was only 19 with the birth of his son Bronny, who is now 17. He and wife Savannah were high school sweethearts who now have three kids together.
Niki Taylor
Iconic 90s supermodel Niki Taylor had a fairly wild year when she was 19. Not only did she elope to Las Vegas with a man she'd known for less than a year, she also gave birth to twins. The marriage didn't last, but Niki found love again later on (with husband Burney Lamar) and went on to have two more children, so she currently has kids ranging in age from 10 to 28.
Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles is so much more than just Beyoncé's kid sister. She's a talented singer and songwriter in her own right, and many fans may not realize that she was actually married when she was 17 and became a mother at age 18. Her son, Daniel, is now a teenager himself.
David Beckham
Hot English soccer dad David Beckham shares four children (three sons and a daughter) with his wife of almost 23 years, Victoria Beckham. The couple married in 1999 and their then-4 month-old-son served as ring bearer. Son Brooklyn was born when David was 23 and Victoria was 24.
Britney Spears
Although she wasn't quite as young as her sister was when she became a mother, Britney Spears was also a younger-than-average mom. She once said of having her first child at 23, "I had my babies very young. I really am a baby mamma!!!"
