When did you stop calling your dc "the baby"

[ilovemygirl]

My dd is 2.5. She is our only so I'm guessing that may be part of it but dh and I still refer to her as the baby all the time. Instead of her name we say the baby is doing this or that. We just can't get out of the habit of it. When we talk to her we use her name though.
I'm just curious if anyone else does this? When did your baby stop being THE baby?

[MariaMadly]

We still call our adult kids our babies . . .

[Alyantavid]

We still call our 3.5 year old the baby. He's the last, he's the youngest of our extended family and he's 3.5, still pretty young to me.

[laohaire]

My DD (an only, of course) is 4.5 and I have been actively working on not calling her Baby for years. It still slips out, though - but I've improved! I don't think I'm actually babifying her so much as just in the habit of calling her a loving nickname. I mean, I don't actually treat her like a baby, I don't believe she is a baby. I just love her : and this name is a loving name.

Obviously if she had a younger sibling, this would not have continued.

I do recall Dirty Dancing's main character, at 16 years old was called Baby. I used to wonder how she got that name, but now I know

[lonegirl]

I don't refer to him as the baby or a baby....but I affectionately call him "baby" (ie him "momma?" me "yes, baby?") When hubby hears me he's like "he's not a baby anymore" I know that but he is my baby

[ellemenope]

Everytime I picked up DD I would say "oh, my baby" in a real lovey voice. It was just habit. Now DD is 18 months and when I pick her up she says " oh, Mama baby". So cute. She is proud.

(Also, naked is synonymous with baby in her world. So when she asks to be a baby, she is asking to be naked.)

My little sister is still reffered to as the baby and she is 17. So, if he/she is the youngest they are always the baby.

[mumm]

When the next baby comes along.

So my twins (the last) will always be the babies, even when they are 16 years old.

[MJB]

We still call my 4yo "the baby." I assume we'll stop sometime between now and this summer, when we have an actual baby.

[matey]

Since getting pregnant, "the baby" is now the actual baby. But before that, I said "the baby..." all the time.

[clicksab]

Now that we're having another baby, we're actually relieved that we're having a boy so we can continue to call DD Baby Girl. Now, what will happen when she's like 7 and we have a girl, I don't know....
But I like calling her baby girl

[sunnmama]

My 3 yo is our last baby, and we often refer to him as "the baby". As in, "I'm going to put the baby to bed."

Our 9 yo is still called "baby" as a term of affection, or "baby girl". I think by age 5, we stopped calling her "the baby", even though she was still an only at that age.

[swisscanmom]

I still call my kids babies, and I tell them they will be my babies all their lives, lol...

[ilovemygirl]

Oh thank goodness! I know everyone thinks of their babies as babies forever but wasn't sure if they said it out loud all the time. Thanks ladies ... you are the best

[chfriend]

My mother is a mom to 6, born in rapid succession. She says we're all her babies and always will be.

Mine are 9 and 5. They are always my babies.

[AmyKT]

Originally Posted by lonegirl

I don't refer to him as the baby or a baby....but I affectionately call him "baby" (ie him "momma?" me "yes, baby?") When hubby hears me he's like "he's not a baby anymore" I know that but he is my baby

This is pretty much me, though I'm trying to do that less and less because we are having another baby soon, and I'm trying to help her understand that. So now, the baby is "the baby" and she is "sweetie" [nickname] or "my big girl", which she loves.

Once the second child is born, I'm sure they'll both be my babies.

[Drummer's Wife]

Our youngest will be 3 next month and he is still The Baby.

[*bejeweled*]

I still call 7 y.o. DD "my baby". I think she secretly likes it. She'll always be my baby.

[kirstenb]

DS1 was the baby until the new baby came along. I still call him my baby sometimes though, when I am talking to him. He always makes sure to correct me since he is a "big boy!".

[chel]

dd1 was "the baby" for 9.5yrs until another baby came along. dd2 will be "the baby" for the rest of her life!

[elmh23]

Ds will be 3 on the 26th and we occasionally still call him the baby. He yells back that he's a "big boy." We're due with baby number 3 six days after he turns three so I'm pretty sure we'll stop calling him baby boy around that time (we're having another boy.) I still call our only daughter (age 5) baby girl every now and then.

ETA: We call the one I'm due with "new baby" for now.