7 Weird Ways Narcissists Behave Around Babies

Watch closely. When a narcissist leans toward a baby, their awe seems too polished, too loud, and too staged. The smile is overstretched, the tone too sugary, and the timing too calculated. It’s not a wave of affection flowing naturally; it’s performance. They do this because society demands it. Everyone knows the appropriate response when you see a baby, so the narcissist mimics it to avoid being exposed as cold. But there is no warmth behind it. Babies feel energy more than words, so you will often see the child stiffen, glance away, or even fuss in their arms because they sense the hollowness.

I’m talking about my own experience. People tell me, “You would never settle in your father’s arms; he would physically harm you.” I know the reason why: I felt the energy he hid from the people around him. What looks like tenderness to the crowd unsettles the baby. That disconnect is powerful proof. The infant does not understand language, but they know when love is absent, and the narcissist’s fake cooing, meant to convince everyone else of their sweetness, becomes unsettling theater that betrays the emptiness inside.

Number Three: Overhandling

When a caring person holds a baby, you can see the instinct to cradle, protect, and steady the little body. With a narcissist, that instinct is missing. They grip too tightly, move too abruptly, or bounce the baby around like a showpiece. It’s never about the baby’s comfort; it’s about their ego. Always holding the child proves something: that they are trusted, that they are good with kids, that they deserve admiration. They insist on keeping the baby in their arms longer than necessary, not for the child’s sake but for the attention it brings them. To them, the baby is an accessory, held like an expensive bag—a proof of status. Babies feel this; they often wriggle, stiffen, or cry because, even before they have words, they can tell when they are being cherished and when they are being possessed. That small unease is truth breaking through the performance. What looks like nurturing is actually dominance, and what looks like affection is really control.