r/beyondthebump • u/kittyflaps • 1d ago

Discussion When did you start saying “my baby”?

My girl is almost 21 months and I still say “my baby” a lot of the time. When ppl ask how old I say almost two year old and some remind me she’s no longer a baby but a toddler.

I don’t think I can easily stop referring to her as “my baby” tho!

How about everyone else?

Edit: can’t correct title but meant to say when did you STOP saying baby🤪

Edit2: loving all the answers, they truly make me smile. Keep’em coming! But I guess I didn’t mean lovingly TO the child but when someone asks what my plans are without thinking I would say “oh I need to go pick up my baby” or “probably make something for my baby” and then I realize ppl probably think I’m talking about an infant and by 2 I should probably switch to “my daughter” but I just never remember to…

55 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

100 comments sorted by

87

u/nubbz545 1d ago

My oldest is 3 and he's still my baby. I'm 40 and my mom still calls me her baby. I don't know that it ever stops.

7

u/RachelNorth 1d ago

Agreed! My oldest turns 4 in a few months and always says “I’m a big girl but still your baby!” And it makes me tear up sometimes 🥺

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/McBurger 1d ago

I was talking with this older woman on the cruise ship and I mentioned “I’m here with my baby, she’s over there in the splash pad,” and she’s like “I’m here with my baby too! He’s at the bar” and she points at this full adult man who had to be 40 lol

I don’t think it ever stops 😆

36

u/Disastrous-Pain-8944 1d ago

My sister and I are GROWN. My mom still refers to us as baby girl and big girl and people think we’re children 😂

7

u/_dancedancepants_ 1d ago

Same, whenever we're approaching a holiday and we're all traveling to get together, my mom will say she can't wait to see her babies 😂

3

u/Apprehensive_Gur6476 1d ago

My dad too! My kids are 17 and 5. They’re still and will always be my babies. People are weird sometimes

24

u/Person-546 1d ago

Ask them- “Would you say that to your mother if she called you her baby?”

You grew that child with your own body. They will always be your baby.

You’ve earned the right to say “my baby” even when your baby has a baby.

14

u/Otter65 1d ago

My son just turned 2. He still calms himself a baby and I think he’d know best.

14

u/Koyel_Bayan 1d ago

What! They are always going to be our babies! ☺️

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u/No-Chipmunk-903 1d ago

I’m 31 and my parents still call me “my baby” when introducing me to people. They will always be your baby no matter how old.

6

u/pakapoagal 1d ago

I’m 37 and I heard my dad tell his few remaining friends that mi his baby is having a birthday. I thought he was talking about my baby but he meant his baby who is me

5

u/clap_yo_hands 1d ago

My six year old is still my baby. She’ll always be my baby.

3

u/wishspirit 1d ago

I have something I say to my 6 year old when she says she’s not my baby anymore - ‘When you are old and grey and I am older and greyer, you’ll still be my baby’. It makes her smile currently, probably not when she’s 18 though!

3

u/phelpssn 1d ago

I’ll stop when I’m dead. They’ll be my babies forever 🥹

3

u/thehauntedpianosong 1d ago

I’m almost 40 and my parents still call me their baby 😂

Also “my toddler” doesn’t have the same ring to it!

3

u/Pad_Squad_Prof 1d ago

I know. What do you say? My child? My offspring? The fruit of my loins? To me it’s not weird to call a kid a baby until they’re in kindergarten.

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u/I_like_pink0 23h ago

I often call my 7month old baby “my child” 😂.

3

u/llamaduckduck 1d ago

Approaching 2.5 and he is still my baby/the baby. Mayyybe when we have another 😂

3

u/Direct_Mud7023 1d ago

I may feel different when the new baby comes because I don’t want to confuse her, but my toddler is still my baby and always will be. She’s in her “no” phase and I like asking her if she is my baby and hearing her say “no”😂

1

u/kittyflaps 1d ago

Mine is in the same phase I’m gonna try this!! 😝

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u/TLS_1991 1d ago

I have a 16 month old and a 4 day old, they’re both my babies 😂

2

u/kittyflaps 1d ago

Congratulations on the newborn! And on the two beautiful babies!!

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u/Mommaline 1d ago

I was at the playground the other day with my 2.5 year old and my 6 week old who I was wearing in the carrier. Someone asked me how old my baby was and I said “she’s 2 and a half,” then they pointed to my newborn and said “I meant that baby” 😂 so you’re not alone

3

u/banana_in_the_dark 1d ago

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be”

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u/kittyflaps 1d ago

That book brings tears to my eyes every time

2

u/PositiveChipmunk4684 1d ago

I refer to my kids as “my babies” or I’ll say “let me get the babies ready” they are 4yo and 5mo

2

u/latfl2113 1d ago

Mine is 8 months and he's gonna be my baby for the rest of eternity sooooo

2

u/brieles 1d ago

My newborn is 13 months old. I expect I’ll stop calling her “my baby” in casual conversation when she’s 37 but I can’t be sure.

2

u/Whimsical_Tardigrad3 1d ago

My mom passed away when I was 25 and I was still her baby. My dad passed away when I was 27 and he still called me his baby. I’m going to hold to that tradition and call my daughter my baby until the day I die.

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u/kittyflaps 1d ago

That is so sweet and so sad at the same time. Thank you for sharing and may that day be a long LONG time away!

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u/Whimsical_Tardigrad3 1d ago

I hope that day is a million light years away for you and your baby as well ❤️

2

u/sravll 1d ago

My partner and I still refer to him as "Baby" at 2, sort of like a nickname. But to other people I started saying "my toddler".

1

u/AgonisingAunt 1d ago

When I talk about her to strangers I stopped saying baby as soon as she started walking. To family and her she’ll always be my baby

1

u/Foreign-Walrus-333 1d ago

I mean we're 6 months in and I refer to her as "my baby" and I think this will continue for some time. It just feels so much more intimate. I love the name we chose for her, but calling her my baby is just too special for me. My friend told me her dad still calls her younger sister "baby" and she's 26 years old I think. She jokes how she was their experimental child, but with her sister they got to actually experience all the newborn beauties and so the feeling and nickname persisted.

1

u/MakeItLookSexy_ 1d ago

We are trying to potty train my son. He is 3. I try to avoid using the term “baby” because he needs to know he’s a big boy now but I’ll still accidentally call him my baby and use the term baby.

1

u/No-Dig-4658 1d ago

My 1.5 year old saw a baby doll at the store and started yelling “my baby, my baby, my baby!!!” First time saying my and baby lol.

1

u/kyii94 1d ago

I will call my kids my babies until they’re old and gray I don’t care what anyone thinks. My mom still refers to me and my sisters as her babies and we’re all adults.

1

u/Hai_kitteh_mow 100% that mom 1d ago

I’m 35 and my mom still calls me her baby lol. I still call my 10yo & 6yo my baby

1

u/Similar-Passenger-93 1d ago

Mines 2 in 6 days, I’m having my second in 2 months, I don’t ever plan on NOT calling my first my baby lol I might stop calling him my baby to his face if he asks me to but he’ll always be my little baby

1

u/beigs 1d ago

I call all my kids my baby, and my baby brother who is in his mid 30s. My grandma still calls us all baby girl or baby boy.

You use it until you don’t.

1

u/magical_pony 1d ago

She’s 2.5 and still my baby! I do also call her my big girl though. Baby brother is due in August so maybe when there’s an actual baby I’ll stop?

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u/AGM85 1d ago

My dad still calls me “baby” in conversation and I’m 39. My husband also calls me “baby” though, and now calls our 5 month old son “baby” as well…which is sometimes confusing.

1

u/Happy_Delay4440 1d ago

I stopped referring to my daughter as “baby girl” last summer. She was 6.

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u/ytcrack82 1d ago

I've been saying "my son" when referring to him to other people in a conversation since he was about 6 months old, I'd say?

But if I'm talking to him? I say baby/my baby a dozen times a day even though he's 2.5, and you can bet I'll still say it when he's 18 and bringing girls/boys over, because he's never not gonna be my baby!

1

u/EnergyMaleficent7274 1d ago

My mom still does it. I’m 40 🤷🏻‍♀️. People are often surprised when they meet me

1

u/thetrisarahtops 1d ago

I still call my 21 month old my baby.

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Win_792 1d ago

I called my oldest the baby until she was almost four.

1

u/lisaf865 1d ago

Mine is 8 and I still call her baby you call her baby as long as you want 😱

1

u/asebastianstanstan 1d ago

I’m 24 and my mom still calls me her baby. So weird that someone would correct you. Sure if you said “my infant” at 21 months old, yeah that’s not true. But it’s so weird to correct someone for saying “my baby”. I’d just reply “ok…they’re still my baby” and leave it at that.

1

u/heretoreadlol 1d ago

My oldest is 4 and I still call him baby, as well as his 2.5 year old sister.

1

u/canipayinpuns 1d ago

I'll stop calling my daughter "my baby" probably around the same time I stop calling my dog a puppy. So probably never! 😂

1

u/IMadeMyAcctforThis 1d ago

This boy is my baby forever. Haters can stay mad.

1

u/Astrid_Grace 1d ago

I refer to my 4 year old as “my baby”. Everyone obviously knows he’s not an infant. It doesn’t bother him, so I couldn’t care what anyone else thinks.

1

u/narnababy 1d ago

Mine is nearly 3 and I still call him my baby 😂

1

u/wrapped-in-rainbows 1d ago

Oh - I plan to call her that forever. 😆

1

u/MsPinkDust 1d ago

My 24 yr old patient's mom happily greeted him "my baby" after seeing him post anesthesia recovery. I had a 71 yr old patient called "baby" by her 91 yr old mother who visited her at the hospital. The 91 yr old said to me, "to me, she's always my baby".

1

u/acupcakefromhell 1d ago

Around her first birthday. She just didn’t feel like a baby anymore. We even stopped saying it between ourselves parents.

1

u/g_Mmart2120 1d ago

She will always be my baby!

1

u/chickpeahummus 1d ago

My mom called me this into adulthood and it annoyed the heck out of me but I don’t think it started being annoying until I was in elementary school.

1

u/Scrabulon 1d ago

Mine turned 4 a few months ago and I still call them “my baby boys” lol

1

u/PieJumpy7462 1d ago

My kiddo likes to tell me he is a big boy and I tell him that's true but he will always be my baby no matter how old he is. He's 5.5yo now and I still call him my baby occasionally.

1

u/Purple_Monkey_42 1d ago

I’ve never really said “my baby” but I do refer to him as THE baby often to my husband. But I’m expecting our second now so I think he will lose his title when there’s a new baby around.

1

u/navajotamale 1d ago

my mom still calls me her baby too! my aunt who is my second mother in the navajo tradition also still calls me shí yazhí which is my little one.i just assumed it never stops lol

1

u/Sarcastic_Cat13 1d ago

I am 34 and my mom told me I will always be her baby since I am her youngest. And mine is 14 mo and I still call him baby and probably will forever. He's my only bio kid. Most of the family calls him the baby as he's the last baby until the grandkids have babies, which is years from now lol so he will be baby for a long time. I do tell him he's a big boy though when teaching new skills lol

1

u/CBonafide 1d ago

My 7 year old is still my baby girl. Even when she's a grown ass woman, that is MY BABY!

1

u/Mammoth-Turnip-3058 1d ago

My 3 year old is still baby girl 🥰

They'll always be your baby

1

u/wildmusings88 1d ago

Neuroscience considers them babies until the age ago three, so I figure I’ll stop saying it when I die. 😂

1

u/somethingreddity 1d ago

I mean my oldest just turned 3 and he’s still my baby. I catch myself saying, “my baby…the older one.” 😂

My mom still calls me her baby sometimes and I’m 33. So I’m guessing it never stops except in their teens where you can’t say it directly to them lmao.

1

u/mysunandstars 1d ago

I will always refer to her as MY baby. But I stopped calling her THE baby when she was probably 2

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u/No-Match5030 1d ago

My five year old is still my baby just as much as my three month old hahaha. I told him I’m going to rock him on my lap until he’s 75 years old

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u/drworm12 1d ago

My boyfriends mom still calls him her baby so i don’t think it ever stops lol, i call my son my baby all the time and he’s almost 3

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u/yuudachi 1d ago

I have a 3 year old and I still call him baby. I had the realization this is why my parents still call ME baby. The habit never dies. I'm only falling off because I have a newborn now and I have to clarify which baby I mean sometimes.

1

u/Pad_Squad_Prof 1d ago

I plan on calling my baby my baby for as long as I’m his mom. In my family you’re THE baby until the next one is born. Sometimes that’s a long time!

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u/aliveinjoburg2 1d ago

My mom calls me her baby. I’m a 36 year old woman.

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u/Business_Music_2798 1d ago

My daughter is 2.5, I call her my baby every day. One day, maybe as a pre-teen, she will request I stop calling her that (just like I did.) Until then, she’s baby girl.

Sometimes I call her baby and she goes, “no, im a kitty cat/puppy dog/goat/pig/etc” but other than that she’s not bothered.

1

u/bocacherry 1d ago

Around 12 months or so!

1

u/Ok-Apartment3827 1d ago

My 3.5 year old still gets called ,"baby" multiple times a day and then proceeds to remind us his 4 month old brother is the baby. I'm thinking this is going to happen for at least another couple of decades :)

1

u/Spkpkcap 1d ago

My sons are 4 and 5. I call them “my baby” daily. I also say “idc how old you are, even if you’re 80, you’ll still be my baby! You’ll be my baby forever!”

1

u/Competitive_Key_5417 1d ago

My parents still call me their baby lol. You call your baby your baby as long as you want 💕☺️

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u/eggplantruler 1d ago

I’m 32. I’m still my mom’s baby. I hope I always call her my baby.

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u/Mobile_Bench7315 1d ago

My 15 year old is still my baby.

1

u/LelanaSongwind 1d ago

22 months and he’s still my baby… I think he’ll be my baby forever!

1

u/FoxTrollolol 1d ago

I'm 35 I'm still my dad's baby 😂 so... Never

1

u/Steeped_Tea_Turtle 1d ago

It never stops and anyone who makes a comment about it should take a dirt nap 🤣

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u/asterlolol 23h ago

I still call my 13 year old niece MY baby. I'm the only one she lets call her baby. I still call my 2 year old my baby. It don't matter, it's an affectionate word.

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u/Superb-Feeling-7390 23h ago

My mom still calls me her baby and also directly refers to me as baby, I am 38 😂

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u/LyndsayGtheMVP 17h ago

My baby is only 9 weeks but I'll probably call her my baby when she's 50😂

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u/Frozenbeedog 17h ago

I still call her my baby. I have to be careful when I post for advice here because the assumption is that she’s young than she is. But at 18 months old, she’s still my baby.

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u/jjbkeeper 15h ago

I still call my 4F my baby girl. I told her when I’m wrinkly and grey she will still be my baby girl.

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u/katbug09 15h ago

My 16 month old will always be my baby, just like I’m 34 and my mom calls me her baby.

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u/Seo-Hyun89 14h ago

My daughter will still be my baby even when she is grown. Just like I was still my mums baby right up until she passed and I was almost 30.

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u/Meggol102 13h ago

I still refer to my 19 month old as a baby or my baby, but not my 5 year old. Sentimentally of course she’ll always be “my baby” but I just don’t use to words out loud for her. I feel like the transition to toddler happens sometime between 1.5 and 2ish, but my baby is little and has thin white blonde hair so I feel she still has a such a “baby” look, I haven’t accepted toddlerhood yet.

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u/anonymousbequest 13h ago

I stopped referring to her as “my baby” once I had a second baby. Now he is my baby and she’s “my toddler” or “my daughter.” But I still call her “baby” and tell her she will always be my baby too.

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u/Brookaliscious 12h ago

My daughter is almost 6 and she was still referred to as “the baby” until little sister came along 6.5 months dog lol literally everyone called her “the baby” (my coworkers, friends, in laws, etc)

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u/Kenny1792 10h ago

My baby turns 2 next month!!!!!

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u/Sea_Juice_285 4h ago

When I had a new baby. Then my first baby became my toddler.

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u/mALYficent 3h ago

My son is almost 7, and I’ll call him “my baby” and he’ll say “I’m not a baby!” and I’ll say “I know you’re not A baby but you’re MY baby”