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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:
Mamoun · 22/01/2023 21:35

YABU
Big times

Calphurnia88 · 22/01/2023 21:35

I can sort of understand up until 12 months.

Sort of? They literally are babies up to 12 months.

Largethighsbadeyes · 22/01/2023 21:36

I tell my 12 year old that they are my baby. So what?

ItsNotReallyChaos · 22/01/2023 21:36

I'd never say it outside the family I don't think but DD will always be 'my baby' even when she's taller than me and most likely has a better job than me.

But on a simpler level 1 year olds are very much still babies. This is something that surprised me but DD was definitely still a baby until she was toddling around confidently at around 18m.

Boringcookingquestion · 22/01/2023 21:37

My oldest baby is two. He’ll always be my baby. My mum still refers to me as her baby and I’m in my 30s… It’s just a way of expressing maternal love.

ThreeblackCats · 22/01/2023 21:37

My baby is 31. She will be 32 in October. She’s my baby! So here op , have a biscuit 🍪
Shes my baby! Being aged 100 will still make her my baby. 6 months is still so young. Shut up unless you know what you’re on about, and you clearly haven’t got a clue.

BumpyaDaisyevna · 22/01/2023 21:37

I think when you hear someone described as a baby you think of the physical form of a baby.

When a mother calls someone her baby she means a particular category of person - one that she has grown inside her, given birth to, fed and nurtured. That person is always your baby and that relationship is unique.

BumpyaDaisyevna · 22/01/2023 21:38

My babies are 13 and 11.

e323 · 22/01/2023 21:38

YABU

My babies will always be my babies to me❤️

If you have no children you probably don't understand sorry 😕

AliasGrape · 22/01/2023 21:39

My 2.5 year old is not a baby anymore, she tells me this multiple times a day whenever I try to do ANYTHING that might be interpreted as not respecting her status as a ‘big girl’ (such as asking her to hold my hand, giving her any food in a cut up form instead of clothes, suggesting she put her shoes on etc etc).

She’s still my baby though.

I wouldn’t say I had to pick ‘my baby’ up from the childminder or take my baby to the doctor or whatever anymore though - not sure I ever did to be fair, think I always used daughter.

AliasGrape · 22/01/2023 21:39

giving her food cut up instead of whole that should have said. Giving her food instead of clothes would be weird.

Mummyof287 · 22/01/2023 21:40

I do find it abit cringey when people call their teenagers or adult children their 'babies' (and I'm a very 'precious'/ 'clingy'/ 'gushing' sort of parent too) but really don't get what you mean about not calling an ACTUAL baby, or a toddler a baby :-/

LittleMissPeggySue · 22/01/2023 21:40

My DS is 15. Still my baby, always will be.

JanesLittleGirl · 22/01/2023 21:40

Well over half of my family still refer to me as my username and I'm 38 years old.

ChrisPPancake · 22/01/2023 21:41

I'm 46. DM still refers to me as her baby! YABU op.

Lannielou · 22/01/2023 21:42

My big kids will always be my babies

been and done it. · 22/01/2023 21:43

My babies are late 30s and 40s...hangs head in shame.

namechangeforthisbleep · 22/01/2023 21:43

Skinnermarink · 22/01/2023 20:53

No you’re right, my 16 month old is getting ready to make his own way in the world soon. I’ll miss him but we can keep in touch. He’s not a baby anymore and it’s time for him to fend for himself 🤣

Sorry OP but you sound nuts.

😂😂

wheresmymojo · 22/01/2023 21:43

My baby is nearly two. And is not even human.

Rockingcloggs · 22/01/2023 21:45

My son is my baby. He's 11.

Although when I pick him up from school we both say 'hello bambino' to each other aka Friday Night Dinner!

ladymaiasura · 22/01/2023 21:46

I have kids and I can see where you’re coming from, OP. (Although 6-12 months is definitely still a baby!!) I probably stopped calling mine babies by about 18 months. Definitely by 2. Apart from anything else, they didn’t like it. “I’m not a baby, I’m a big girl/boy!!” They will always be my babies in the sense that I will always take care of them and want to protect them (appreciate I won’t always be able to as they grow up) but I call them my son and daughter or my kids. Or just use their names. They are 8 and 5 now. I’d never say I was picking my babies up from school. That’s just odd.

Christinatherabbit · 22/01/2023 21:46

Makes you cringe? Why though? It's quite normal for most parents to still look at their children of any age as their babies but to cringe at someone who refes to their nursery age child as a baby is really odd.

Sallyh87 · 22/01/2023 21:47

i will be embarrassing my baby by calling her that when she is 40 I am sure.

Why does it bother you OP? Maybe I am annoying 😂

Indecisivebynature · 22/01/2023 21:47

My children are 4,6 and 7 and nine still call them my babies 😀 and I’ve told them they will always be my babies even when they’re all grown up and have babies of their own 😀

MsSquiz · 22/01/2023 21:47

I call DD2 "the baby" and DD1 "the toddler" when talking to people.

My DM died when I was 30 and she was still calling me "her baby" as I washed her hair when she became too unwell to manage it herself.

As long as it's not offensive, how other people refer to their children isn't any of your business