Anonymous wrote:I'm always their mom so they're always going to be my babies

This

About 1 year. Not judging anyone who still calls their older kid a baby, though.

The big switch was potty training when DD was so proud when I called her a big kid for going potty. My potty training book said to make sure you make this change also from calling them a baby or a big boy or a girl to help solidify the process. I still sometimes call her my baby though!

When speaking to other people about a child, probably 2 years. I consider both infants and young toddlers “babies”. As a term of endearment I don’t think it matters.

Anonymous wrote:When they start to object to it. “I not baby! I big girl!”

+1. I still call DC2 “ Baby Larlo”, because it also helps remind DC1 that he’s too little to always understand the rules.

Never.


Maybe 2? I didn’t think of it, or look sideways at anyone calling a toddler a baby.

Anonymous wrote:I think people are talking about two different things here. Term of endearment vs stage of life. I still call my 11 yo “Baby” as a term of endearment, but stopped referring to her as a baby for most purposes when she became a toddler around 12 months. I wouldn’t tell someone that I “need to get home to my baby,” for example, after that point.

Yup. My daughter is 2 and I don't call her a baby anymore. Until recently, her bedtime song called her "my baby" and she interrupted me and said, "No, I'm a toddler." But I'll use Baby as a term of endearment for sure

I think people are talking about two different things here. Term of endearment vs stage of life. I still call my 11 yo “Baby” as a term of endearment, but stopped referring to her as a baby for most purposes when she became a toddler around 12 months. I wouldn’t tell someone that I “need to get home to my baby,” for example, after that point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha! My 31 year old is still my baby.

My mom calls me “baby” and I’m 35. If it makes her happy, I’m fine with it. She’s a wonderful woman I would do anything for.

I'm 41 and my mom still refers to me her baby.

I called my 9YO "my baby" this morning when she climbed in my bed to give me a good morning hug.

I still call my 3 yr old baby as a term of endearment (and when she’s struggling with something she’ll say “Can I be a baby for a bit? I don’t feel like a big girl right now.”)

But I stopped telling people I had a baby around 18 months. By then she was super mobile and while not talking a ton, enough to feel like a toddler.

Some people are weird about describing a 3 yr old as a toddler, I’ve noticed. I don’t really care either way, but some people flip out if you say toddler instead of, I guess, pre-schooler. Tho that’s weird to me because plenty of 3 yr olds are not in PK yet.

My SIL still calls her 5 yr old a toddler

My nearly 5 year old does not want to be referred to as a big girl or big sister (which she is). So i still call her my baby and snuggle with her. She is independent and clever and brave but has a little fear of growing up and being replaced by her baby sister (now 15 months) so I keep reminding her that shes my baby always as well as a lot of other endearments. All kids are different.

Honestly, when the next one is born.

And your youngest is just... always the baby

Oldest is 22. We still call her "baby". Middle one is 18. He is our "baby". Youngest is 15 and he is our littlest "baby". The eldest kid is a mother hen to her younger siblings and they are her "babies". DH and I call each other "baby". Everyone is a baby in our household.

In what context? I often greet my 10 year old in the morning with, "Hi, baby!"