Adult Baby or Little?

[Michiko]

I have seen the two been used interchangeably in reccent years.

However,I remember 15 years ago adult baby and littles were two different things.

I remember adult babies predominantly being part of the Abdl community and littles being a different catagory of bdsm being a more softer and kinder side of dom and submissive roles cutesy babygirl with protector caregiver type doms, which sometimes involved some age play.

We are of course living in an age where things are always evolving and changing.

I first encountered abdl many years ago and never related to it and soon learnt about littles and middles which I relate to more so.

It is not that I believe things should be "segregated" but more so me questioning if I ever was a little in the first place as I dont wear diapers like littles do now.

 

Hope this makes sense?,this was by no means to offend or upset or trigger anyone. I would just like your thoughts on it all and if anyone else remembers ddlg and abdl being two seperate things?

[LittlePupRune]

Soo, I would say you’re not wrong in some aspects. There is a difference between abdl and cg/l however there can be overlap as well. I am a little, but I don’t like diapers. Some littles like them, some don’t. It’s just based on preference. There can be a lot of overlap between cg/l, age play, and abdl but you only use the terms you’re comfortable with. Being a little varies from little to little and it’s not dependent on one specific “kink”. Just because there’s a prevalence of one thing in the community you see doesn’t mean it’s a requirement. Ex: I’m a quiet independent little. Don’t see much if those around me but that doesn’t make me not a little.

[jaredstone363]

I agree with littlepuprune, I think there is a lot of overlap now between all the different areas of ddlg or bdsm. Plus everyone will have varying opinions on what characteristic belongs where. For example, I don't feel someone has to be into ABDL to be a little. This lifestyle will continue to evolve and change, find what aspects fit you and don't worry about if they fall into any category

[Prin. Chris]

There is definitely more overlap then there used to be. The way that I look at it is that ABDL is a subtype of Little. All ABDLs are Little, but not all Littles are ABDL. There are definitely Littles who play older ages and don't have anything to do with diapers. Then again, there are also ABDLs who also play slightly older in the elementary school ages. It depends on what you're interested in and what language makes sense to you.    

[Guest QueenJellybean]

there's a lot of overlap, as was stated above. 

largely, the terms are whatever the person who identifies with the term prefers to use. 

here are a resource that we have on the Forum here that might help, but i think it's largely individual preference: 

 

https://www.ddlgforum.com/topic/11032-types-of-littles/

[LittleTeacup]

I would like to point out that while some littles like diapers, many do not and it's not a requirement to being a little. I'm a very happily potty trained little girl for example.

 

In my opinion, ABDL and CG/L have overlap like a Venn Diagram. Some ABDL people aren't little at all except for the fact they like to wear diapers. They might identify with their adult age rather than a younger one. And some littles have no interest in diapers. They feel like a potty trained child. Then there are the people who are both little and like diapers.

 

Also, some people like to use the diapers (pee or poo in them) and others just like the feeling of wearing them but still use the toilet. It can be a kink, a comfort, or even a medical necessity for those with incontinence.

[RavenclawPrincess]

I’d like to add the people are multi-faceted and don’t always fit under one label. Many people in the kink community identify with multiple “identities”. For some, that means that there is a separate headspace for each label they identify with, and for others that means their identity is a mixture of bits and pieces associated with different labels, all meshed together to create one identity. A lot of the time you’ll see “little” being used as a general term to indicate what side of the D/s line we fall on because that’s more quick and efficient, and getting more into discussing specifics happens via more in depth conversation rather than getting into all that in a quick introduction.

 

At the end of the day, labels really don’t matter. The important thing is to know and accept yourself regardless of anything else. We are all different and that means that we can utilize labels (or not utilize labels) how we see fit on an individual basis.

Edited March 15, 2020 by RavenclawPrincess

[chateautal]

These are overlapping, but not synonymous terms. Probably most ABDLs, who are not pure fetishistic diaper loves (i.e. and are not adult babies) fall into the category of little. But not all littles are into ABDL. At the end of the day, these should be treated as descriptive labels, rather than prescriptive categories, where you have to conform to be allowed into the community! As has often been said in these forums, there's no true way.  I am glad that ABDL is way more acceptable in the wider kink community than it used to be, though!

 

I think it also shouldn't be viewed as a set-in-stone preference. I have played in the past with submissive littles who had no prior (adult) experience with diapers, but who still had a very rewarding experience in the D/s context of that particular play of 'forced regression'. This is very differently from diapering a little who is also a ABDL - as there, although of course there is shyness, the experience of wearing diapers is not that foreign to them (and they'd wear on their own from time to time, too).

[princessfreckles]

While they fall into different categories, they can definitely overlap. ABDLs can be littles, but they aren't always. Sometimes littles wear diapers, but it's not a requirement. Sometimes a middle like myself (older little, more independent, older hobbies more closely linked to a teenager) can have some tendencies of a little younger than the age that makes them a middle. The major thing I think that people fail to realize is that wearing a diaper isn't a requirement to be considered a little. For me diapers are a hard limit, however I'm definitely a little (I'm using the umbrella term little that encompasses all little ages, not based on my little age little).

 

The main thing to remember that instead of getting hung up on labels and what you should or shouldn't do to be considered a little is to find the things that you enjoy. That could be crafts, collecting stuffies, watching certain movies and shows, coloring, the list of little activities is only limited by your imagination. Sure the label may help you when describing your little self to some one, but you're definitely not limited by it. 

[Vampiress]

ABDL isn't always exactly CG/l for the reasons posted above but I have another example that changes that dynamic a little. If you ever watch the couple Sammich and Lollipops on Youtube both the Dom and the little/baby in that relationship wear diapers, so diapers aren't even specific to littles or babies only. Apparently there are Doms out there who like to wear them, too!