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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

"My baby"

392 replies

tocas · 22/01/2023 20:41

Genuinely not sure if I ABU or not. It makes me cringe when people call their children over the age of about 6 months "my baby". In my eyes they just don't necessarily seem like babies any more. I can sort of understand up until 12 months but definitely not after. I've come across people calling their child of nearly two year old "my baby".
Aibu?

OP posts:
mawik · 22/01/2023 21:07

My baby is 23, and about to make me a Nana, but she will always be my baby xx

PortiasBiscuit · 22/01/2023 21:07

My Baby is 17yo and off to uni this year… aargh!

primeoflife · 22/01/2023 21:08

tocas · 22/01/2023 20:45

Would you say to others in everyday conversation though? For example "I've got to go and pick my baby up from nursery"

Lol of course! If I had been at work and my 8 month old was in nursery I would say I'm picking my baby up as they were a baby!

Namechangedforthisonetoday · 22/01/2023 21:08

Zola1 · 22/01/2023 20:44

Round here (area wise), the youngest child in a family is 'the baby'. So we will say, will you put the baby's bath on, will you watch the baby a minute.. she's 2.5.

Same here. It’s a lovely term of endearment.

wendywoopywoo222 · 22/01/2023 21:09

My mum always introduces me as her baby as I'm her youngest child. I'm 57.

YourGazeHitsTheSideOfMyFace · 22/01/2023 21:09

My mum calls me her baby girl. I am 51.

Busybutbored · 22/01/2023 21:09

I do it, mine is 18m. I probably always will Blush he is my baby! I can see why others might cringe. I actually get called the "baby" alot as I'm the baby in the family. You would hate us 😂

SpinningFloppa · 22/01/2023 21:10

I call my 5 year old a baby, she's the baby of the family

HereComesMaleficent · 22/01/2023 21:10

Anything up to toddler is baby, then it turns to my toddler/my son and then you guessed it my child/my son after the toddler stages have passed.

I do however personally still call my only child my son age 8 "my baby" as a form of endearment between just me and him. 🤷🏻‍♀️

MaryBoggintonTrotterSmyke · 22/01/2023 21:11

@dinozzo I'm so sorry for your loss Flowers

Op I still refer to my dd as the baby even though she's 2.5 - force of habit I suppose. She will always be my baby anyway!

Bbq1 · 22/01/2023 21:12

tocas · 22/01/2023 20:45

Would you say to others in everyday conversation though? For example "I've got to go and pick my baby up from nursery"

It's not a name, it's a term of endearment but yes, people sometimes say '"I'm going to pick the baby up"'. Totally normal way of speaking.

BabyOnBoard90 · 22/01/2023 21:12

You sound like a psychopath

LoveBluey · 22/01/2023 21:12

I pretty much said baby until mine started walking when I changed to toddler. They walked at 18 months. Wouldn't have called a 14 month non walker a toddler as well they weren't toddling so baby seemed the best term.

To be honest in most instances it doesn't really matter. I did overhear a man in the pharmacy asking for paracetamol for the baby. The pharmacist asked a few times how old the baby was and he eventually said 3 years! I think that's pushing it and when asking for medication I'd be specific as it makes a big difference if you have a 2 week old or a 2 year old.

Swiftswatch · 22/01/2023 21:13

A 6 month old doesn’t seem like a baby anymore??
What the fuck have I just read 😂

MargaretThursday · 22/01/2023 21:13

I call my 15yo "my baby" just to see the face he pulls. 🤣

WaddleAway · 22/01/2023 21:13

tocas · 22/01/2023 20:45

Would you say to others in everyday conversation though? For example "I've got to go and pick my baby up from nursery"

What else would someone say if they were picking their 14 month old (for example) from nursery?

JJRC9252 · 22/01/2023 21:14

I don't understand why you feel it's cringe? What part of calling your baby "my baby" after the age of 6 months cringes you!?
I have a 4 year old and I still to this day and forever will call her my baby and the same will always go for my 12 month boy.

Namechangeforthis6 · 22/01/2023 21:15

🙄

ShirleyPhallus · 22/01/2023 21:15

What’s infinitely worse is people who just say “baby”. As in “if you just pop baby down over there…” or “how is baby feeling today?”

Hellybelly84 · 22/01/2023 21:16

I call mine ‘my babies’ and they are primary age kids. Its just a term of endearment and I often say it to embarass my kids 😀

HideTheCroissants · 22/01/2023 21:16

My baby girl is 24! My baby boy is 19! I am not sorry.

Hellybelly84 · 22/01/2023 21:16

MargaretThursday · 22/01/2023 21:13

I call my 15yo "my baby" just to see the face he pulls. 🤣

Same 😂

Verbena17 · 22/01/2023 21:18

I call my DD ‘baby girl’ and she’s 21.

Swiftswatch · 22/01/2023 21:18

tocas · 22/01/2023 20:42

So as not to drip feed I have not got any children hence why I think I may be BU.

You don’t say!

StrandedStarfish · 22/01/2023 21:19

I call our 24 year old daughter BB, which is short for Baby.