12 Significant Poems about Babies

Poems about babies focus on what it’s like to have a newborn child, be pregnant, become a mother or father, and watch a child grow up. Many of these poems celebrate parenthood and its most beautiful moments.

While most poems about babies are positive, some depict parents’ struggles to become pregnant, the loss of a child, and other far darker but related topics. The dark and light poems are two sides of the same coin, reminding readers of the joys of parenthood and the events that every parent fears the most.

Whether you’re a parent or not, these poems about babies are incredibly relatable and should inspire readers to consider their views on parenthood.

Poems about Babies Visual Representation

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Nationality: English

Topics:

Babies

Childhood

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Baby Song

by Thom Gunn

‘Baby Song’ by Thom Gunn depicts the experiences, emotions, and thoughts of a baby who has been born recently.

Thomas Gunn's 'Baby Song' takes the unusual step of adopting the baby's perspective, allowing the reader to view the world through the eyes of a newborn. Curiously, given how much the moment of birth is celebrated by adults, the baby appears to long for the stability and comfort of their mother's womb, finding the outside world to be a strange and unsettling place by comparison.

From the private ease of Mother's womb

I fall into the lighted room.

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Hush little baby, don’t say a word

by Mother Goose

Mother Goose’s ‘Hush little baby, don’t say a word’ is a popular nursery rhyme about a crying child and how parents comfort the child.

'Hush little baby, don't say a word' is a gentle yet moving declaration of the lengths a parent would go to in order to make their baby happy. The absurdity of the father's claims only serve to reinforce the strength of the bond between them and their baby. The poem also reminds the reader that babies require everything, no matter how large or trivial, to be done for them as they are unable to do things for themselves yet.

Hush little baby, don't say a word,

Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won't sing,

Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

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The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument

by Anne Stevenson

Stevenson’s ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’ marvels at the precise design of a baby’s body, exploring the mind and body dualism.

The poem begins with the speaker wondering, 'The spirit is too blunt an instrument / to have made this baby,' marveling at the tiny, intricately constructed body of a newborn, portraying it as nothing short of magical. Newborn babies are often associated with miracles; however, rather than viewing this miracle through a traditional religious or spiritual lens, the poem presents a different perspective; it admires nature's scientific and precise craftsmanship. Thus, while detailing the intricately created body parts of the baby, it wonders at the predictability and consistency of nature's marvel.

The spirit is too blunt an instrument

to have made this baby.

Nothing so unskilful as human passions

could have managed the intricate

PDF Guide

Nationality: American

Themes: Aging, Birth, Identity, Relationships

Emotions: Dishonesty, Sadness

Topics:

Babies

Adulthood, Childhood, Growing Up, Life Lessons, Life Struggles

Form: Free Verse

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Babies

by Alice Fulton

‘Babies’ by Alice Fulton describes the different ways that children and adults understand the world. The latter’s perspective is informed by years of conflict, lies that can’t be apologized for, and the realization that some parts of one’s life are so important that you only get one shot at them.

The poem uses the contrast between the innocence of newborn babies and the loss of innocence that occurs with age to emphasise how life cannot be redone or corrected once certain decisions have been made. The mother's words of comfort lull the baby into a false sense that everything will always be ok when, in fact, it may not be.

born gorgeous with nerves, with brains

the pink of silver polish or

jellyfish wafting ornately

through the body below.

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Nationality: Scottish

Themes: Death, Dreams, Journey

Emotions: Confusion, Depression, Guilt, Missing Someone, Stress

Topics:

Babies

Adversity, Daily Life, Daughters, Demons, Family, Heartbreak, Life Lessons, Loss, Making Decisions, Mental Illness, Mistakes, Motherhood, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons, Solitude, Struggling, Suffering

Form: Free Verse

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The Underground Baby Case

by Jackie Kay

‘The Underground Baby Case’ by Jackie Kay conveys the feelings and choices of a woman who lost her own child and stole someone else’s.

The poem emphasises how much the longing for a child can influence a person and make them do things that they rationally know are wrong. It also reminds the reader that babies are incredibly vulnerable and have little influence over the course of their own lives. The abduction of the child is a dramatic way of illustrating this point, but babies are always powerless to dictate who looks after them, whether it is their biological parent or somebody else.

There was a couple of things

I wanted to remember

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Loving Someone You Can't Have

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Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward

by Anne Sexton

‘Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward’ showcases the heartbreaking moment a mother is separated from her child as she is too unwell.

The poem does a fine job of establishing the sense of intimacy between a mother and her child. Their connection is depicted as unique and extremely precious. This makes the pain of their imminent separation all the worse. Much of the poem is addressed to the child directly, as though the narrator was savoring the little time they had together.

Child, the current of your breath is six days long.

You lie, a small knuckle on my white bed;

lie, fisted like a snail, so small and strong

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A Father in Time of War

by Stephen Spender

‘A Father in Time of War’ by Stephen Spender is a lyric poem reflecting on Spender’s introduction to fatherhood in the midst of war. Spender primarily relies on visual imagery to tell of hopeful and hopeless circumstances coexisting as he lives through World War II.

The poem begins and ends with Spender's baby. The poet's baby and his optimistic perspective remains a hopeful beacon between which hopeless circumstances of war are sandwiched.

On a winter night I took her to the hospital.

Lying in bed, she clasped my hand

In her two hands. I watched the smile

Float on her pain-torn happy face –

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Equilibrium

by Theresa Lola

Theresa Lola’s ‘Equilibrium’ is a phenomenal portrayal of decline in the face of what ought to be a family celebration.

Though the poem centers on the birth of a baby, it mostly focuses on the older figure, the grandfather. His presence draws us in as the family prepares to welcome a new life, adding layers of reflection about what it means to be young and old. The poem uses the baby’s birth to show change and the movement of time across generations.

My new-born brother wailed into existence
and my grandfather's eyes became two stopwatches

counting down his own exit. After the naming ceremony
my grandfather was quiet as a cut open for autopsy.

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Vain and Careless

by Robert Graves

‘Vain and Careless’ exposes the superficiality and consequences of thoughtless actions, exploring the incompatibility of hearts in relationships.

The poem perceives babies as vulnerable and innocent beings. The act of the lady giving her child away to a beggar highlights the fragility and dependence of infants. The poem underscores the importance of considering the well-being and responsibilities associated with caring for a baby. It suggests that the actions taken toward babies have lasting consequences and require thoughtful consideration.

Lady, lovely lady,

Careless and gay!

Once when a beggar called

She gave her child away.

#10

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A Child Asleep

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem celebrates the ethereal beauty of a sleeping child and his profound connection to the divine.

This poem explores the topic of babies with a sense of wonder and enchantment. It depicts the beauty and purity of a sleeping baby, emphasizing their innate innocence and spiritual connection. Through vivid imagery and contemplative language, the poem captures the awe-inspiring presence of a baby, inviting readers to reflect on the profound mysteries and potentials embodied within these tiny beings. It celebrates the divine essence and transformative power of babies in the tapestry of life.

How he sleepeth! having drunken

Weary childhood's mandragore,

From his pretty eyes have sunken

Pleasures, to make room for more---

#11

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After The War

by Liz Lochhead

‘After the War’ is a poem that takes a nostalgic look at the hard times that the poet remembers from her childhood following World War Two.

Some of the poet's memories are from when she was little more than a baby. She claims to remember events from when she was only about a year old, although there is some doubt cast on this claim.

After the war

was the dull country I was born in.

The night of Stafford Cripps's budget

My dad inhaled the blue haze of one last Capstan

#12

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Void in Law

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

‘Void in Law’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning depicts the scuffle many Victorian women endured after getting married. The woman has been left alone with no real resources by a husband who prefers to spend time with his mistress.

Sleep, little babe, on my knee,

Sleep, for the midnight is chill,

And the moon has died out in the tree,

And the great human world goeth ill.

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12 Significant Poems about Babies

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12 Significant Poems about Babies

by Thom Gunn

by Mother Goose

by Anne Stevenson

by Alice Fulton

by Jackie Kay

by Anne Sexton

by Stephen Spender

by Theresa Lola

by Robert Graves

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

by Liz Lochhead

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