There are 19 baby Pokémon. A baby Pokémon is the first, smallest stage of an evolution family that can't have Eggs of its own until it grows up. Pichu, Togepi and Munchlax are three of the best known.
"Baby Pokémon" is an official name. It is used in Japanese, ベイビィポケモン, and in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
What makes a Pokémon a baby
Being small and cute isn't enough. A baby Pokémon has to tick all three of these:
- It is the first stage of its evolution family.
- It is in the No Eggs Discovered group, so it can't breed.
- It evolves into a Pokémon that can breed.
That's why Eevee and Charmander aren't babies, even though they are first stages. Both can have Eggs.
All 19 baby Pokémon
| Gen | Baby | Type | Evolves into | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Pichu | Electric | Pikachu | Friendship |
| 2 | Cleffa | Fairy | Clefairy | Friendship |
| 2 | Igglybuff | Normal/Fairy | Jigglypuff | Friendship |
| 2 | Togepi | Fairy | Togetic | Friendship |
| 2 | Tyrogue | Fighting | Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan or Hitmontop | Level 20, depending on its stats |
| 2 | Smoochum | Ice/Psychic | Jynx | Level 30 |
| 2 | Elekid | Electric | Electabuzz | Level 30 |
| 2 | Magby | Fire | Magmar | Level 30 |
| 3 | Azurill | Normal/Fairy | Marill | Friendship |
| 3 | Wynaut | Psychic | Wobbuffet | Level 15 |
| 4 | Budew | Grass/Poison | Roselia | Friendship, during the day |
| 4 | Chingling | Psychic | Chimecho | Friendship, at night |
| 4 | Bonsly | Rock | Sudowoodo | Level up knowing Mimic |
| 4 | Mime Jr. | Psychic/Fairy | Mr. Mime | Level up knowing Mimic |
| 4 | Happiny | Normal | Chansey | Level up in the day, holding an Oval Stone |
| 4 | Munchlax | Normal | Snorlax | Friendship |
| 4 | Riolu | Fighting | Lucario | Friendship, during the day |
| 4 | Mantyke | Water/Flying | Mantine | Level up with a Remoraid in your party |
| 8 | Toxel | Electric/Poison | Toxtricity | Level 30 |
Tyrogue is the only baby with three choices. At level 20 it becomes Hitmonlee if its Attack is higher than its Defense, Hitmonchan if Defense is higher, and Hitmontop if the two are equal.
Babies came after their grown-ups
Most baby Pokémon were invented after the Pokémon they grow into. Pikachu was in the very first games in 1996, and Pichu only arrived in Generation 2. Munchlax came in Generation 4, three generations after Snorlax.
Three babies broke the rule and arrived in the same generation as their evolution: Togepi with Togetic, Riolu with Lucario, and Toxel with Toxtricity.
Since Generation 4, only one new baby has been added. Toxel, in Sword and Shield, is the only baby from Generation 8, and there are none from Generations 5, 6, 7 or 9.
Friendship is the big one
Nine of the 19 babies evolve through friendship. Your baby Pokémon evolves when it levels up while it likes you enough. You build friendship by walking together, battling together and keeping it healthy. It suits babies: they grow up once they feel safe with you.
The others evolve by level, or by levelling up after a special condition, like knowing the move Mimic for Bonsly and Mime Jr..
Hatching babies with incense
In many games, some babies only hatch from an Egg if one parent holds a special incense item. Without it, the Egg hatches the grown-up form instead. These are the nine that need one:
| Incense | Hatches |
|---|---|
| Sea Incense | Azurill |
| Lax Incense | Wynaut |
| Rose Incense | Budew |
| Pure Incense | Chingling |
| Rock Incense | Bonsly |
| Odd Incense | Mime Jr. |
| Luck Incense | Happiny |
| Full Incense | Munchlax |
| Wave Incense | Mantyke |
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have no incense items at all. In those games these babies hatch from Eggs every time, so you can't hatch an Egg straight into a Snorlax or a Marill there.
The Generation 2 babies, plus Riolu and Toxel, never needed incense.
How to get a baby Pokémon
You can sometimes catch babies in the wild, but the usual way is to hatch one from an Egg. Leave two Pokémon of the grown-up form together at the Day Care or Nursery (in Scarlet and Violet, have a picnic), and an Egg may appear. Walk around with the Egg in your party and it hatches into the baby. Hatching takes a while, so ride a bike or run in circles.
Babies are weak in battle, with low stats, but that's fine. Raise one, build its friendship, and it grows into the Pokémon you wanted. A baby you hatched yourself also starts with high friendship towards you, which helps the friendship evolvers along.
Baby facts for showing off
- Happiny has a base Attack and Defense of just 5, tied with Chansey for the lowest of any Pokémon. It grows into Chansey and then Blissey, which has the highest HP in the whole Pokédex, 255.
- Bonsly has a base Special Attack of 10, tied with Shuckle and Feebas for the lowest of any Pokémon.
- Wynaut was the first baby you could catch in the wild, on Mirage Island in Ruby and Sapphire.
You can see all of them together with the baby filter in the Pokédex.