Is it just because DF was developed on the fringe that it gets away with having infants and children that people use atom smashers on and have core game mechanics where monsters come snatch them?
Or is it something about the implementation that makes it drama-less to everyone?
As far as I’m aware anything that can happen to a Dwarf can happen to an infant or child.
Regarding the emergent nature of the chaos, I had a sworddwarf in my militia give birth mid-combat (it’s not really clear when they’re pregnant) and drop her shield to pick up the baby and continue fighting, the baby did manage to survive being used as a shield.
BJORN IN BATTLE!