The term “little” is like the term “BDSM”. It’s a chocolate box with a variety of flavours inside.

Although age play is not necessarily BDSM as such (though it might involve discipline), it does share something in common. In anything where we take on roles, we are effectively exploring. We try things on to see how we fit. We take our mind to new places to see how comfortable we are there.

By exploring, we sometimes discover our own inner nature. Things which were role play sometimes become lifestyle. Through acts of transforming, or shifting reality, we sometimes change what used to be “escapism” into “reality”, and what used to be “reality” into “life chores”. In some cases, for littles, that might mean that from journeying from the adult world into the little world, it becomes more about journeying from the little world into the adult world. The place of residence changes.

In our introduction to age play we mentioned in passing that we were generalising and that there is a wide variety of littles. This article looks at just a few of them.

TYPES OF LITTLES

Adult Babies

Adult babies are the youngest of the littles. Usually there’s no speech, and play might include being fed milk, diapering, baby powder and simple baby toys. It requires a strong mental energy to be in this space, because adult consciousness needs to be pushed far from the mind. Daddies also require a lot of independent mental energy in order to control the space almost in an absolute way, providing appropriate social cues while there is often very little social response coming from babies.

What makes this joyful, is the blissfulness and the simplicity of love, where no one needs any words. Adult babies can drop all the adult social energy, and love, cry and laugh. It’s a very innocent and totally passive space.

Toddlers/Babyboys/Babygirls

Many in the community call their sweetheart “babygirl” or (less commonly) “babyboy” without it implying this type of little. i’m using it here to mean littles in the toddler age group.

This is an age that is slightly older than infant, where we started to learn to recognise and use basic language. As toddlers understand a little language, play can now include words. To call your little “babyboy” (or “littlesweettie” or “littlecuttiepie” if that sounds better for you) is sweet and another way of sustaining the littlespace.

In this age, a little is learning language, and it is a fun age to play with. There are lots of games to play, like looking at a banana and teaching them to articulate ba—na—na, or teaching them to associate banana with apple. Toddlers are imaginative, so activities like colouring and stories work well. They tend to show joy for simple things like star stickers for good behavior and treats. At this age they can also be stubborn and sometimes demanding.

Communication (usually during aftercare) is important. Starting a relationship with a toddler means feeling out what works and doesn’t work in terms of sustaining littlespace, as well as working with the toddler’s personality. It can be bumpy for Daddy, but littles can also find themselves switching back and forth a lot in the early days as both parties discover what works and what doesn’t work. The more communication happens before and after littlespace, the less bumpy the journey is and the faster it will settle into a happy rhythm.

Littles

Littles as a specific term is often used to describe a kid who has a degree of control over language and understands simple logic. For instance, if i behave, i get a lollipop. If i behave and don’t get a lollipop that’s not fair, and i can make a fuss about it.

Generally, what makes littles differ from adult babies and toddlers is the concept of reasoning and rationalising things (usually in a childish way). How play goes from here is entirely individual. It might involve diaper play or dressing up. It might incorporate discipline such as spanking and start to cross the boundaries into Dominance/submission and BDSM practices.

Some littles find a form of healing process for the young trauma experiences, some enjoy it purely because it makes them feel good for its intimacy and bonding.

Middles/Lolitas/Schoolboys

There are a wide variety of personalities under this group. Although it is age play, it is stretching the definition of “littles” somewhat. Middles are often highly sexualised, possibly even to the point of being pushy about it. They can also be brats or rebellious. Quite often relationships with Middles crosses over into some kind of BDSM dynamic. The line can be subtle as it is very easy to slip over to Domination and submission from Daddy and schoolboys.

FINDING THE INNER LITTLE

There’s no formula involved in age play, no right or wrong way to do it. There are many elements and they’re there to be mixed, matched, discovered and experimented with. It’s much more mental than physical, which means that as you let your mind explore what’s inside, you will find something entirely unique to you.

Personalities, roles or personas, are also not fixed, and they could be progressive. For instance, you might start as a baby, and slowly learn simple words, and start to love chocolate. Littles are active learners, and they will learn Daddy’s preferences along the way. It is possible, and it is, i think, a very beautiful mental journey.