Adult baby
Definition
An Adult Baby (also known as AB) is an adult who enjoys behaving like a baby or toddler. This can range from wearing diapers and baby clothes to using a pacifier, bottle, or crib. It is not about actually being a child, but about experiencing a playful, carefree, or dependent role within a safe and voluntary context.
Explanation Adult Baby
Within the world of BDSM and kink, there are countless subcultures that are not always immediately understood – or worse, immediately condemned. One of these is the world of the AB or ABDL experience.
And that’s a shame, because if you look beyond the initial discomfort or confusion, you’ll discover a layered, emotionally profound form of regression, surrender, and security. AB stands for Adult Baby: an adult who finds it pleasant or necessary to temporarily surrender to the role of a baby or small child. This can be expressed in clothing (such as rompers or onesies), behavior (crawling, babbling, holding stuffed animals), or in care rituals, such as being fed with a bottle or rocked to sleep. For some, this also includes wearing diapers, with or without using them. In those cases, we often refer to ABDL – the combination of Adult Baby and Diaper Lover.
Misunderstanding
The main misunderstanding surrounding this form of expression is that it is automatically sexual. Of course, there are people who get aroused by this dynamic – as is also the case with bondage, spanking, or role-playing. But for a large group of ABDLs, it has nothing to do with sexual arousal. It is more about restoring a sense of security, about comfort, about regressing to a time when you were cared for, when you didn’t have to do anything, didn’t have to prove anything, and were just allowed to be. In a society where adults are constantly under pressure, always have to be “on,” it is not surprising that some seek comfort in innocence, simplicity, and dependence.
In BDSM relationships, you sometimes see this dynamic mixed with D/s: the Dominant takes on the role of Caregiver, Mommy, or Daddy, and takes care of the inner child. But ABDL can also play a role in non-dominant relationships, as a separate regressive experience without hierarchy. It is then purely about the safe environment, caring and being cared for, and the opportunity to escape adult expectations for a while.
What is normal?
For outsiders, it can feel uncomfortable. An adult with a pacifier or a diaper simply breaks the image of what is ‘normal’. But that is precisely why it is important to look at this with an open mind. Most ABDLs are healthy, independent adults with jobs, relationships, and responsibilities. Their experience is often carefully defined, based on mutual consent, and far from childish. It is an adult choice to be allowed to feel like a child temporarily.
And whether that stems from trauma, a desire for security, a playful side, or simply a deep inner need, it deserves the same space, nuance, and respect as any other kink. In the words of many within this community: “Don’t yuck someone’s yum.” In other words, you don’t have to understand it to respect it.
Related terms Adult Baby
AB
ABDL
Ageplay
Baby play
Diaper play
Infantilism
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