Baby fadda
Also spelled: baby fada, baby-father, baby faada
Meaning
The father of a woman's child or children, particularly one she is no longer with romantically. It marks the shared-parent bond rather than a present relationship, distinct from 'husband' or 'boyfriend'.
Examples
-
“Mi baby fadda nah pay no maintenance fi di pickney dem.”
My baby father isn't paying any maintenance for the children.
'pickney dem' pluralises 'pickney' with 'dem'.
-
“She and har baby fadda still cool wid each other.”
She and her baby father are still on good terms with each other.
'cool wid' means on friendly terms.
-
“Di baby fadda come check di baby every weekend.”
The baby father comes to see the baby every weekend.
'check' here means to visit.
Origin
A calque from English 'baby's father', common throughout the Caribbean, with the possessive 's' omitted following Patois grammatical patterns.
How it's used
Used in everyday conversation about family arrangements. Neutral in most contexts but can imply an absent or non-committal father depending on tone.