"Oh dear, what did I just stumble on"

This page is for parents who might have found this site in their child's browsing history or accidentally left open on a shared computer. Or worse, you actually found diapers or other paraphernalia in your child's possession.

What's going on here?

If you found a site like this in your child's browsing history then chances are they have some level of paraphilic interest in diapers or being treated like a little kid again. The medical community's term for this is paraphilic infantilism. Commonly, there is overlap between several desires:

• An "adult baby" or "teen baby" wants to be treated like a little kid. This is a non-sexual urge which can include traditionally childish or babyish things like pacifiers; clothing such as onesies, shortalls or footed pajamas; and foods or smells that are associated with babyhood or early childhood
• A "diaper lover" is someone who likes diapers. For some people this can be sexual, for others it's just about comfort or convenience. For many people it's both and can vary from day to day.
• A "little" is like an adult/teen baby but tends to be wish for things past an infant age range. Littles typically role play between 3 and 9 years old.
• A "middle" is similar but prefers to role play as an older child (10 and up)
• Some cross dressing or other gender related role play can be involved

People who fall under this umbrella are commonly referred to "adult babies/diaper lovers" (AB/DL). We may write "TB/DL" to distinguish teenagers in this community.

Why is my kid doing this? Is it safe?

For most of us, we do this as an outlet, stress reliever or for therapeutic reasons. Diapers and footie pajamas feel extremely cuddly and comfy and make the wearer feel safe and warm. The same can be true of pacifiers, stuffed animals, etc.

The only real health issues to be aware of are diaper rash and urinary tract infections (especially for girls). Proper hygiene and staying hydrated can mitigate these issues. Those with sensitive skin can stave off diaper rash using the same products babies use, such as Desitin or A+D ointment.

Is my child going to be a pedophile?

NO! This paraphilia involves desiring to be treated in these ways yourself. Even though the paraphernalia used is associated with young children, it should be emphasized that we are interested in the paraphernalia, not the ones using/wearing it.

Paraphilic infantilism is rooted in a deep longing for the carefree innocence that comes with being a child. Together with this must come a respect for actual children and childhood. Pedophilia seeks to corrupt and destroy this innocence, and as such, we believe it to be fundamentally incompatible with infantilism.

How did my child become like this?

Everybody seems to have a different origin story. For some of us, it was hard to be the oldest sibling and watch our younger brothers and sisters be coddled and taken care of while we were starved of attention. Others among us endured emotional, physical or sexual abuse that forced us to grow up before we were ready, and this is a deep subconscious desire to live the safe, innocent childhood we did not have. Still more simply saw a friend or family member wearing diapers and wished we could be in their shoes for some reason (this is often called a "trigger event"). There are also individuals who grew up wetting the bed and using incontinence products well past the normal toddler age.

There are many ways that a person can acquire this condition; most are entirely based on random luck. Going off of that...

Have I failed as a parent? How do I handle this?

Most likely if you are reading this page, then no. This can happen for reasons completely out of your control.

The best things you can do as a parent are educate yourself, reaffirm to your kid that you love them unconditionally, help set healthy boundaries, and respect their privacy. This is a deep, secret aspect of your child's emotional and sexual self.

Can I make this go away?

You can try, but you probably won't succeed.

Therapy might be helpful in addressing past traumas and finding self-acceptance and validation, but therapy should not be used to try to "correct" paraphilic behavior. This behavior is normally healthy as long as it does not impact your child's normal educational and social engagement.

How do I view this in the context of my religion/faith?

I can only write about this from a Christian perspective - people of other faiths are more than welcome to make a thread with their thoughts, and it will be integrated (with credit) into this article.

Christianity

For most people, 1 Corinthians 13:11 probably comes to mind:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. (NIV)

Taking this verse literally, it might seem straightforward that the right thing to do would be to force your child to move on from infantilism - after all, these are the "ways of childhood." But this warrants a deeper look. Childishness in this context primarily centers around short-term thinking and reward seeking, and selfish, simplistic behavior.

The best way to live out this verse is not to blatantly reject all things related to childhood, but to enjoy them in moderation and use them only to a healthy degree. Being a TBDL should balance out with the many other aspect of your teen's life. If your son or daughter is demonstrating self-control and taking care of themselves, this is far more indicative of maturity and responsibilty than the kind of underwear they choose to wear.

Why should I allow my child to participate here?

Let's be real for a moment: infantilism is a paraphilia and/or sexual fetish. This means several things:

1. Seeking assistance online can be far more comfortable than asking in person, especially for a teenager who is just coming to terms with their body and sexuality.
2. Online communities, by their anonymous nature, mean that people from many walks of life can weigh in and offer advice
3. On the flip side, online anonymity can also be an enabler of predatory behavior.

In light of this, NUK The World's staff have structured our community and rules in a way that we believe will maximize the ability of teens to reach out for support without judgment, while keeping predatory behavior at bay. We have the following specific measures in place:

1. We have a separate set of rules for adult participating in our community. In this document, we define appropriate and inappropriate behaviors for adults in a community specifically made to serve teens. This is a novel approach that we haven't seen done anywhere else, and we believe it's an excellent "first line of defense" in that it sets clear boundaries for all adults.
2. We strictly forbid explicit content and act quickly to remove posts violating this rule.
3. We require everyone to truthfully state their real-life age.
4. We do not allow users to post their precise location or arrange meet-ups.
5. Our real-time chat has measures in place to keep track of who joins. Users banned from this forum are also banned from our Discord server and vice versa, and prevented from rejoining.
6. Members of our staff and adult volunteers have received anti-abuse training and know how to spot predatory behavior.

There are very few safe communities for TB/DLs on the Internet. Many of the ones that used to exist are either abandoned/inactive, do not have trained moderators, or have converted to being 18+ only. We believe strongly that teens should have a safe and nonjudgmental place to talk about infantilism - such a space can be transformative for their self-esteem and confidence.

If you are concerned about your child's safety here, please reach out to us. The safety of our users is our number one priority, and we will take all complaints and concerns seriously.