What is Age Play?

A Guide to Care Giver/Little D/s Dynamics 

Trigger warning/Disclaimer: This article discusses some sensitive topics such as Age Play, age regression, and sexual abuse that some readers may find triggering. We recognise that Age Play isn’t for everyone, but if you’d like to learn more or are considering experimenting with Age Play, use this guide to help you get started.

What is Age Play and why do people like it? 

Age Play is the practice of age regression and caregiving between consenting adults, often within a BDSM context. Dynamics typically consist of a dominant caregiver role (a mommy/daddy), and a submissive little role (a little girl/little boy). Age play is inherently non-sexual, but some couples do incorporate sex and kink to enhance their existing dynamic. 

Submissives may enjoy Age Play to explore their playful side or feel nurtured, whilst caregivers may enjoy the responsibility of providing care for their partner or feeling in control during scenes. For some, age regression can aid in coping with the stress of previous sexual trauma by transporting themselves back to a time when they felt safe and comfortable. The sensory aspects of age regression can also be beneficial to neurodivergent people or those struggling with anxiety to help them regulate their feelings and feel more in tune with their bodies. 

Common myths and misconceptions

Age play often gets a bad reputation thanks to the myths and misconceptions associated with it, which leads to a lot of misunderstanding from people outside of the community, so it’s important to clear up some common beliefs before we start…

First of all, the CG/L community is for consenting adults only, and age play isn’t roleplaying as actual children – instead, it’s an exploration of innocence, playfulness and power dynamics.

Some couples explore Age Play sexually, but sex isn’t the inherent foundation of this dynamic. As well as this, little space isn’t a requirement for play, and not everyone age regresses.

Your role within Age Play doesn’t have to reflect your real age or your appearance. Daddies, mommies and littles can be any age, any height and any body type – there’s no right or wrong way to look within CG/L.

Some terms you might come across…

There’s an abundance of words and phrases that you might find in online and in-person Age Play communities, which can be overwhelming for someone who’s just starting out on their journey. Below is a breakdown of a few of these terms.

Age Regression: Age regression is the process of someone consciously or unconsciously changing to a state of mind where they feel younger. This can happen as a safety mechanism or as a response to feeling comfortable and protected.

Little space: Little space occurs when an adult regresses into a childlike or baby-like state of mind. A person in little space may talk with a higher voice, use simpler language and change their behaviour to reflect the age they are playing. 

Little: The little is the age regressor within a CG/L dynamic.

Caregiver: The caregiver, or ‘big’, plays the older role within a dynamic. As the person with the most power, their responsibilities can include providing care and administering punishments or rewards for their little.

Different types of Age Play 

Caregivers and littles can play different roles depending on their gender, desires, and the type of dynamic within a CG/L or Dom/Sub relationship. Here are just a few possible roles and combinations you may come across when exploring Age Play.

Caregiver/Little: This term is often regarded as an umbrella term for all dynamics associated with Age Play, but it exists as a pairing in its own right. Caregiver/Little relationships tend to be less about sex and kink, and focused more on giving and receiving care. 

Mommy/Daddy and Little Girl/Little Boy: This couple usually consists of a dominant Mommy or Daddy, and a submissive age regressor, the Girl or Boy. The dynamic is often associated with kink and involves power play, rules and punishments.

Middles: Middles play an older age than littles and tend to be brattier – more like a teenager.

AB/DL (Adult Baby/Diaper Lovers): Adult babies are adults of any gender that regress to an infantile state. They often require more care than other CG/L roles, such as feeding, changing diapers and needing to be supervised. 

Siblings: You might see this term used when two partners are both littles and regress together, or when there are multiple littles within a group scene.

Ways you can incorporate Age Play into kink

Some couples practice Age Play as a full-time lifestyle or dynamic, and some choose to restrict it to the bedroom with individual role plays or scenes. 

For example, a teacher/student roleplay works well for an Age Play scene. The setting often simulates a lesson or detention in a classroom, and fitting punishments can include writing lines or impact play using rulers and canes.

Another role play, which is particularly popular amongst brats and switches, is playing as a prince or princess. Scenes may entail kidnapping (a good opportunity to practice rope play!), humiliating etiquette training, and playing with power exchange.

How you can start to experiment with age play 

There are plenty of things to do with or without your partner/caregiver to get into little space or to explore a CG/L dynamic. If you’d like to experiment with age play but don’t know where to start, here are a few vanilla things you can try:

• Let your creative juices flow with colouring books, paints or your favourite crafts. Focusing on an activity will help to relax your mind and stimulate your imagination.
• Pick out a film or cartoon to watch with your partner, wear pyjamas, and surround yourself with blankets and stuffed animals for a cosy night in.
• Choose an outfit that reflects your little persona to enhance little space, and change your hairstyle or wear fun accessories to match.
• Introducing routines can be helpful either if you’re interested in practicing a full time dynamic. For example, create a bedtime routine with activities such as brushing teeth, story time, and enjoying a nostalgic snack or drink.
• Reward charts work well for Littles because they utilise positive reinforcement to encourage healthy habits and good behaviour. 

If you and your partner are interested in moving onto exploring the kinky or sexual aspects of Age Play, here are some ideas on how to incorporate it into an existing Dom/Sub dynamic:

• Praise vs Degradation: To play on a sub or little’s praise kink, verbally encourage them using pet names and compliments. If they enjoy humiliation, give your sub orders and use degrading language. One of the hottest things you can do for a sub during Age Play is to combine praise with degradation (‘Beg for it like the good girl you are’ etc).
• Rewards vs Punishments: Using a combination of rewards and punishments can make play excitingly unpredictable. You can reward your little with vanilla activities, such as the ones listed earlier, or you could reward your sub with sexual pleasure or access to their favourite sex toy. For punishments, you can apply Age Play to what you know about BDSM already. For example, if your sub likes their hair pulled, pull their hair while it’s tied up or braided. If they’re into spanking, throw them onto your lap and make them count with you. If they love humiliation, force them to do chores naked. The possibilities are really endless, and there’s lots of room to experiment and learn as you go along.
• Sensory Play: To explore sensory experiences within Age Play, you and your partner could experiment with understimulation and overstimulation. Keep your sub understimulated with orgasm denial by putting them in the ‘naughty corner’ for a set time whilst they are tied up, gagged, and blindfolded. Alternatively, you could overstimulate your sub by forcing them to have multiple orgasms and remind them that you know what’s best for them.
• What to wear: Go for bondage and lingerie that suits your individual Age Play aesthetic. Most littles opt for pastel coloured collars and cuffs, patterned onesies, or pretty lingerie sets with lots of frills. If you’d like to incorporate piss play into the dynamic, you could look up adult size diapers that you could use for holding and wetting scenes.

Ready to get started with Age Play?

Age Play and CG/L require a lot of trust and communication, which is why is best to take it slow instead of jumping straight in. If you feel ready to practice Age Play or you’re considering introducing CG/L roles into an existing dynamic, take it slow and play around with different ideas and activities to find out what elements of Age Play work best for you and your partner.