In laws constantly refer to daughter as ‘baby’ rather than her name!

[Motherofpearlxoxo]

MIL and FIL constantly refer to my 8 week old daughter, their granddaughter, as ‘the baby’ when speaking to us and one another.

”you come across with the baby”
”I’ll take the baby”
”pass us the baby’
”did baby just smile”
etc etc

When ‘the baby’ was 2 weeks old MIL referred to her as ‘thingy’ and I was livid but didn’t say anything. Husband agreed that it wasn’t good but we of course just left it as it was one passing comment. He doesn’t see any issue with only ever referring to our daughter as ‘baby’ or ‘the baby’.

She gives them non stop smiles and looks at them so adoringly and they can’t be arsed to use her name. It’s the very centre of someone’s identity!! Am I over reacting by being angry about this??

DS was “the baby” for well over 12 months, then graduated to “little legs”, and has had a number of nicknames since 😂

I don't think I hardly ever called my kids by their names when they where babies it was always stinky, chunky monkey, Mr potato head, whingebag ect so the word baby is is quite pleasant really considering

My Nan refers to both my kids as “the babies”. They’re 8 and 2 so most definitely not babies but I find it endearing and not at all something to be angry about. Complete over reaction.

The youngest child in our family is 'the baby' until the next ones comes along.

When I was pregnant my husband and I always referred to our son as "the baby". When he was born we still kept saying the baby out of habit for a long time.
Our son will be 12 next week and "the baby" still occasionally slips out when we are talking about him.

well she is a baby and they're not babies for long, so let it go

I don’t think we referred to DS as anything other than the baby until he was 3. He is 5 now and I rarely call him by his name. I usually call him baby, babycakes, or one of many cute names for him. DH and I never call each other by our names either.

Mt nephew is 15 now and I still call him baby boy.

My nephew is still known as Baby Firstname and he's 18 (he doesn't like it on social media so naturally my 21 year old daughter insists on addressing him as that the whole time (I think she may have started the nickname)

Weirdly he has two younger sisters and two younger cousins - none of whom are called Baby

My youngest is 2.5,and I stilll say I'm picking up the baby and see you later etc...

Neil the baby

Are they Scouse? Calling the little/youngest ones "the baby" is common in Liverpool

Almost laughed out loud at this one! Really hope baby brain & sleep deprivation has made you over think this- otherwise you need to resolved some issues!

My 4yo is still referred to as 'the baby' by me, my husband and both our extended families 😂

8 weeks is when the buzz starts to wear off, and you're exhausted and overwhelmed, so things that wouldn't not normally upset you are hugely amplified, I hope you're taking care of you OP, it's really hard to do that in the newborn phase ❤️

Mother referred to me as her ‘baby girl’ yesterday. I’m 53. 😝

Yes They hate her name and rather than worrying about slipping up and pulling a face as they say it they just use baby to prevent the faux pas

I am guilty of this, I don’t know why but I feel stupid referring to a tiny baby by it’s name like ‘are you bringing Erin’ I just think it sounds cute saying ‘are you bringing the baby’ my whole family do it though so I think nothing of it. My niece is a few months old and my brothers youngest of 3 and we all just say ‘Tom is coming with Jack, Poppy and the baby’ I love her name but I just like referring to her as the baby. If her parents asked me not to then I wouldn’t but I would have no idea that this would annoy someone

I think it's quite natural to refer to a tiny baby as 'the baby'.

A colleague that's on maternity let me know today that she's popping in to the office next week and despite us all knowing her Son's name it feels more natural to tell the team that 'Sally's bringing the baby in on Monday morning'.

I have a friend who referred to her daughter as 'baba' when she was born, as did most of her family. She's just turned three and is still known as 'baba' which feels a bit odd!

I asked DH where “the baby” was earlier as I couldn’t see our 6 month old. I admit I’d temporarily forgotten his name, I’m very tired. But even when I remember his name he’s called that.

The regional thing is interesting. Our northern friend refers to his older brother as “our kid”.

I think you are perhaps getting the wrong end of the stick@Motherofpearlxoxo

in my family no one ever calls children by their name, unless they are in trouble! I don't think I have ever called even my brothers by name it's always some sort of endearment. and until the next baby is the family arrives, the current baby is referred to as baby or munchkin or whatever even in third person at all times. its just a way of expression affection. even our cats are always referred to as 'baby' lol

I was rather miffed when ds1's nanna referred to him as 'it', not long after he was born. She was informed that he was a he not an it. I think I'd remind them that 'the baby' has a name, dontcha know.

I was a single teen mum when I had my son. Both my DPs adored him. My DF called him 'the bairn' when asking/talking about him, and 'big lad' when seeing/speaking to him. This literally went on until DF passed away when my DS was 30. (My DF also helped pick his name and hardly ever used it!)

I'm the youngest in my family so my mom always called me the baby. I'm almost 60 and will still answer to it. This is not really worth getting upset about.

I call my toddler baby and myself and my husband call her ‘the baby’ when we speak about her. I think you’re reading too much i to it. However I’d be very annoyed about ‘thingy’.

My MIL has referred to each of my children as ‘the babe’ until the next one came along. Used to drive me INSANE!! Just use their proper name ffs!! But now she has other younger grandchildren they have subsequently been ‘the babe’ so at least she uses my children’s actual names now. I totally understand how you feel.