The gentle guide to it all

ABDL

Adult Baby / Diaper Lover

ABDL stands for Adult Baby / Diaper Lover. It’s an umbrella term for a diverse community of consenting adults who find comfort, stress relief or intimacy in some mix of age regression, wearing diapers, and gentle caregiving. For many people it’s soothing and grounding; for some it’s sensual; for most it’s simply a soft, private part of who they are.

Adult Baby

AB

An adult baby, often shortened to “AB”, is an adult who enjoys stepping into a much younger, carefree headspace. It’s less about pretending and more about permission — permission to set down adult stress and feel small, safe and looked after for a while.

Diaper Lover

DL

A diaper lover, or “DL”, is an adult who simply enjoys wearing diapers. That’s the whole of it — no age play required. The appeal ranges from a sense of comfort and security, to the physical feeling, to arousal, and often a blend.

Adult Diapers

nappies

Adult diapers — or adult nappies, if you grew up saying it that way — are at the heart of the DL and ABDL experience. Beyond any medical use, many adults wear them for comfort, security, sensory pleasure or as part of little space.

Nappies

the British word for diapers

“Nappies” is simply the British, Irish and Australian word for diapers, and it’s used all over the ABDL community — especially outside North America. If you’ve searched for “adult nappies”, you’re in exactly the right place.

Padded

“Padded” is affectionate community shorthand for wearing a diaper. Someone might say they’re “padded”, “padded up”, or looking forward to “getting padded” tonight. It’s warm, casual language — a little in-word that signals you’re among friends.

Crinkle

crinkly · padded

“Crinkle” is affectionate ABDL slang for the sound and feel of wearing a diaper — that soft crinkly rustle. Being “crinkly” or “padded” simply means wearing one, and for many people the sensation itself is a big part of the comfort.

Pacifier

paci · dummy · soother

A pacifier — affectionately a “paci” (or “dummy” / “soother” depending where you’re from) — is one of the most beloved comfort items in the little community. For many, it’s an instant cue into little space and a genuinely calming, self-soothing object.

Onesie

footed pajamas · sleeper

A onesie — a snug, all-in-one outfit (sometimes footed, like a sleeper) — is a favourite piece of comfort wear in the little and ABDL community. Soft, cosy and enveloping, it’s a gentle cue into little space and a discreet everyday comfort for many people.

Stuffie

plushie · stuffed animal

“Stuffie” is the affectionate little-community word for a plushie or stuffed animal. For many littles it’s a cherished comfort object — something to hold, talk to and feel safe with — and it can be a powerful, gentle cue into little space.

Little Space

littlespace · being a little · little headspace

Little space is the name for the headspace a “little” slips into when they let go of adult worries and feel young again. It can be giggly and playful, quiet and sleepy, or anywhere in between — and it’s often described as one of the most relaxing, safe feelings there is.

Caregiver

CG · Mommy · Daddy

A caregiver, often shortened to “CG”, is the nurturing partner in a caregiver/little dynamic. They might go by Mommy, Daddy, Auntie, Papa or any name that fits — and their role is to offer structure, patience and gentle care to their little.

Age Regression

agere

Age regression — sometimes shortened to “agere” — is the act of mentally returning to a younger age. It can be voluntary and soothing, or an involuntary response to stress. In the ABDL and littles community it’s usually intentional: a chosen, comforting escape from adult pressure.

Switch

A switch is someone who doesn’t sit neatly in one role. They might feel little one day and want to be cared for, and step into a caregiver headspace another day. It’s a flexible, fluid way of being — and a very common one.

Age Play

Age play is consensual role-play between adults that centres on a difference in age — for example a caregiver and a little. It’s a deliberate, agreed-upon dynamic, and like all role-play it lives and dies by consent and communication.

CGL

Caregiver/Little · DDLG · MDLB

CGL stands for Caregiver/Little — a consensual dynamic where one partner takes a nurturing, guiding role and the other settles into a younger, cared-for headspace. It’s the umbrella that acronyms like DDLG (Daddy Dom/Little Girl) and MDLB (Mommy Dom/Little Boy) all live under.

Headspace

Little space · Sub space

Headspace is the mental state you shift into during regression or a role — the best-known being “little space,” the soft, younger, unpressured frame of mind many people find deeply calming. It’s less something you do and more something you allow.

DDLG

Daddy Dom / Little Girl · DDlg

DDLG stands for Daddy Dom / Little Girl — one of the best-known caregiver/little (CGL) dynamics. One partner takes a loving, guiding “Daddy” role and the other settles into a younger, cared-for headspace. Despite the name, it’s about care and dynamic, not family, and it’s strictly between consenting adults.

Middle

Middle space · Middlespace

A middle is someone whose regressed headspace lands at an older child or tween age — think roughly 4–12 rather than baby or toddler. “Middle space” is a real, distinct identity that sits between little space and adulthood, with its own vibe and interests.

Mommy Dom

MDLB · MDLG · Mommy

A Mommy Dom is a caregiver who takes a warm, maternal, guiding role for their “little.” It’s the Mommy side of the caregiver/little (CGL) world — the counterpart to a Daddy Dom — and the acronyms MDLB (Mommy Dom/Little Boy) and MDLG describe the pairings. It’s about care and dynamic, strictly between consenting adults.

Little Age

regression age · headspace age

Your “little age” is the age (or range) your headspace naturally settles into when you slip into little space — anywhere from baby to older child. It isn’t something you have to decide on purpose; for most people it’s something they simply notice.

Adult Breastfeeding

ABF

Adult breastfeeding, or “ABF”, is exactly what it sounds like: breastfeeding between consenting adults. For the people who love it, it’s one of the most tender, bonding forms of closeness there is — soothing, intimate and deeply connecting.

Adult Nursing Relationship

ANR

An Adult Nursing Relationship, or “ANR”, is a relationship in which two adults share regular breastfeeding as a source of closeness, comfort and intimacy. It’s less about a single act and more about an ongoing, nurturing bond between a nursing partner and a nursling.

Dry Nursing & Wet Nursing

In the world of adult nursing, “dry nursing” means nursing without lactation, while “wet nursing” involves milk. Both are common, both create closeness, and neither is more “real” than the other.

Wet Nursing

nursing with milk

Wet nursing means nursing with actual milk, usually within an adult nursing relationship (ANR). It’s the counterpart to dry nursing (nursing for comfort without milk), and it often involves inducing lactation — which is possible without pregnancy.

Inducing Lactation

induced lactation · adult lactation

Inducing lactation means encouraging the body to produce milk without having been pregnant — something many people pursue for an adult nursing relationship (ANR). It’s real, it’s achievable with patience, and it’s driven mostly by regular nipple stimulation and consistency.

Consent & Aftercare

Everything healthy in this world rests on two things: consent and aftercare. Get these right and the rest is joy; skip them and nothing else matters. They’re the reason Snuggl leads with safety rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Aftercare

Aftercare is the warm, deliberate care partners give one another once play or an intense session winds down — cuddles, kind words, a drink of water, quiet rest. It’s how you land softly and stay connected, and it’s considered essential, not optional.

Munch

A munch is a casual, public, social get-together for people in the kink and ABDL communities — usually over coffee or a meal, in ordinary clothes, with no play involved. It’s the low-pressure way to meet people face-to-face and make friends.