New Mom Bindi Irwin Says Late Dad Steve Would Have Been a 'Perfect' Grandpa: 'The Best'

"I always joke that if he was still here we'd never see our baby because he'd take her on all kinds of adventures!" she said

Published on March 26, 2021 10:07 AM

Bindi Irwin is keeping her late father's spirit alive while parenting her new addition.

On Thursday, the Crikey! It's the Irwins star, 22, welcomed her first child with husband Chandler Powell, daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell. During her pregnancy, Bindi often spoke about how her dad Steve Irwin — who was killed during a diving expedition off the coast of Australia in September 2006 at age 44 — would have been an outstanding grandparent.

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Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in February, Bindi, her mom Terri and little brother Robert spoke about how Steve would've handled the baby, with Bindi saying he would be the "perfect" grandpa.

"He would've been a good, good grandpa. Yeah, he really would've been. I don't think we would've ever seen our daughter!" she said at the time. "He would've just whisked her away into the zoo and it would've been perfect."

Nonetheless, Bindi added that she plans to make sure her baby girl is familiar with the late Animal Planet star: "It is so nice that we'll be able to introduce her to her grandfather through all of the documentaries. It's really special."

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Bindi Irwin, Steve Irwin — Justin Kahn/WireImage

While chatting with The Bump last month about her pregnancy journey, Bindi also echoed her theory that Steve would have loved seeing her family expand.

"My dad would have been the best grandfather," she said. "I always joke that if he was still here we'd never see our baby because he'd take her on all kinds of adventures! I want to make sure our baby girl gets to know my dad and thankfully we have many documentaries and photos we can share with her. I think she'll love getting to watch footage of Dad working with all kinds of animals and learning about his legacy."

In January, Bindi and Powell recreated a sweet maternity throwback photo her parents posed for while they were expecting her little brother Robert, now 17. In the old photo, Terri stands as Steve and little Bindi smooch her bare belly.

Flash forward, and Bindi shows off her own baby bump as Powell kisses her stomach. "Recreating a very special moment. Third trimester love. ❤️," she captioned the pair of photos.

When Bindi first announced her pregnancy news on Instagram back in August, mom Terri, 56, shared that her late husband would undoubtedly be proud of Bindi becoming a mom.

"This is the best day ever! I am over the moon to announce that @BindiIrwin and @chandlerpowell9 are going to have a baby! Words cannot express the love that is filling my heart," she wrote on Twitter at the time. "While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know that he would be so proud."

Even on her wedding day, March 25, 2020, Bindi was sure to honor her late father in her ceremony. "Where we got married was such a special place to dad," Bindi previously told PEOPLE of the garden at the Australia Zoo. "It's a beautiful little area where he had filmed for many years. It felt really wonderful and just meant to be."

"We had dad's picture with his dog Sui blown up on an easel," added Bindi. "So mom and Robert were standing right next to dad as we exchanged vows. We had a candle-lighting ceremony for him, and it really felt like he was there with us. It was a lovely moment of peace and happiness."

This past September, while she was expecting her baby girl, Bindi shared a throwback of herself with her dad, marking 14 years since his tragic death. "You're always in my heart," she captioned the post, which featured a young Bindi exploring on the beach while her dad looked on.