7 Weird Ways Narcissists Behave Around Babies -

Nothing reveals a narcissist’s true nature more quickly than the presence of a baby. A baby strips away their mask because innocence cannot be manipulated, and pure need cannot be ignored. Narcissists do not long for the responsibility of raising a child; they long for the novelty, the entertainment, and the feeling of holding something that makes them look good for a moment. Like a puppy, they can play with it, show it off, and then hand it back when the effort becomes too much. But a baby is not part-time love, is it? A baby requires endless patience, attention, and care.

You would think innocence would melt them, but it does the opposite. A baby’s cry unsettles them, while a baby’s smile makes them jealous. What should awaken love instead awakens contempt. Their expressions of awe are exaggerated, and their feelings betray the act. They lift the baby onto their lap for show, but the performance collapses within minutes. The child becomes an inconvenience, and the baby is passed back. Even their body language gives them away; instead of tenderness, there is stiffness, clumsy movements, or a grip that is too tight. When the baby cries, they do not soothe; they shame instead. They sneer at dirty diapers, roll their eyes at late-night cries, and act as though sacrifice is beneath them. What should evoke compassion instead reveals cruelty because sacrifice is the one thing a narcissist cannot make.

Number One: They Mock Cries

The sound of a baby crying can move most people to respond with care; it stirs a protective instinct. But for a narcissist, that sound ignites something extreme. To them, a baby’s cry is unbearable. Why? Because it represents something they cannot stand: raw need and vulnerability. Need is the very thing they despise because it reminds them of their own buried helplessness. Instead of leaning into comfort, they twist in contempt. They roll their eyes, make irritated faces, or snap at the parents as if the baby is at fault for existing. Many go further, mocking the baby’s cries, exaggerating the sounds, and cruelly mimicking them, or even telling someone to “shut that thing up.” The baby’s vulnerability, which should invite gentleness, only exposes the narcissist’s own lack of empathy.

What is really happening here is projection. The cry echoes their oppressed memories of times they themselves were helpless, needy, or ignored. Since they cannot face that pain, they do not want to; they attack it when they hear it outside themselves. That’s why a baby’s cry feels like poison to them. It mirrors the humanity they swore to erase from their own identity.