Like in the BDSM lifestyle, there are a lot of different labels and terminology when it comes to the world of age players, littles, adult babies, and diaper lovers. Like most people, one person usually doesn’t just fit one definition and there tends to be a blending of labels, which is totally cool because I fully believe that you should call yourself whatever you feel fits you best. But for those who new to the little dynamic or those who are wanting to learn more about the dynamic, having labels and definitions can help people understand things better. So, I’ve put together this list defining some of the most common terms that are used when talking about the little lifestyle. Something to keep in mind while reading this is that not all littles are females or in the submissive role.
Adult Baby
-Most adult babies fall anywhere along the lines between the ages of newborns to a year old. Not all adult babies are diaper lovers, but a majority of them are. People who are adult babies enjoy being treated like a baby which includes having the caregiver change their diapers, wearing baby clothes, drinking out of baby bottles, sleeping in a crib, eating out of a high chair, and other normal activities that babies enjoy.
Diaper Lovers
-This term normally goes hand in hand with adult babies, but as stated above, not all diaper lovers are adult babies. There are some older littles who still enjoy wearing diapers and there are also people who are not littles or are into age play who enjoy wearing diapers as a sexual fetish.
Age Players
-This one is a little tricky. People who roleplay as a different age are considered age players. Age play roles can be sexual or nonsexual in nature. Most people assume that age play only includes younger roles, but this does include any age from infant to elderly. Role playing younger is the most common form of age playing. Not all adult babies and littles are age players. Age player tends to be an umbrella term for all adult babies/littles/middles even though most involved in the dynamic feel that being an adult baby/little/middle is a part of who they are and not a role that they play.
A quote from the book Age Play: From Diapers to Diplomas by Paul Rulof says a little more about this: “People who are more towards the literal interpretation end of the spectrum feel they have a facet of their personality that is still a child. Alternately, the literal aspect would be more along the lines of believing that you are deep down inside still a child. When these people age play, they do not consider it play or acting, but rather releasing and focusing on that fact of their personalities for awhile.
Babygirl
-A babygirl is someone who relates to anything girly. It’s all about how you feel more than having to do with a specific age. There are also some people who consider the age range to be anywhere from toddler to kindergarten years. Babygirl can also be used as a term of endearment by people who are not in the little dynamic. There are also those out there who consider themselves to be babygirls but they are not littles.
Littles
-Those who fall into this category tends to fall between the age range of kindergartners to pre-teen. This is also used to describe those who do regress but don’t have a specific age range. Something else to remember about this term, there are people who consider themselves littles, but they do not regress.
Middles
– The age range of middles tends to be between the ages of twelve to seventeen. Unlike younger littles, middles tend to have more awareness of the world around them, a grasp of sexuality, seek more independence, and question authority. Lolitas and Nymphets are a subcategory of middles that has to do with those who relate to the title character in the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
While exploring the little dynamic, make sure to not get yourself hung up on labels and definitions. What’s important is doing what feels right and makes you and your partner happy. Remember, labels are for soup cans, not for people.
Resources:
Ageplay on Wikipedia Paraphilic Infantilism on Wikipedia What is a “Middle”? – Mystical Middles – FetLife What is a Little? What is a Baby Girl? – BabyGirl Lifestyle – FetLife