Abandoned Baby Candlestick Pattern: What It Looks Like and What It Means
The abandoned baby is a rare three-candle reversal pattern. Its middle candle is a doji (a candle whose open and close are nearly equal) that sits apart from the candles on both sides, so it looks left alone. It has a bullish version at a bottom and a bearish version at a top, and each is a hint that a trend may be turning, not a promise.
How It Forms
Each candle stands for one stretch of trading. Its body runs from open to close, and thin wicks reach out to the highest and lowest prices. Bullish means the close came in above the open; bearish means below it. A gap is blank space between one candle's price range and the next.
In the bullish version, a falling candle comes first, then a doji whose whole range sits below it, then a rising candle whose whole range sits above the doji. The bearish version mirrors this at a top: a rising candle, a doji that gaps up, then a falling candle that gaps back down. The drawing shows the bullish version; candles 2, 3 and 4 are the pattern.
| Candle (made-up prices) | Open | High | Low | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $36 | $39 | $31 | $33 |
| 2 | $32 | $34 | $21 | $23 |
| 3 (doji) | $16 | $19 | $14 | $17 |
| 4 | $24 | $37 | $23 | $35 |
| 5 | $35 | $42 | $33 | $40 |
Measured in made-up dollars, the doji's high of $19 sits $2 below candle 2's low of $21, which is the first gap. Candle 4's low of $23 sits $4 above the doji's high, which is the second. Neither neighbor touches the doji. Candle 5 then closes at $40, above candle 4's $35 close.
How to Read It
Read it through the gaps, the direction and what follows.
- The gaps. The doji shares no prices with its neighbors, so the shift looks sharp rather than gradual.
- The direction. The bullish version hints at a rise after a fall, and the bearish version at a fall after a rise. Both are easier to judge near a price level where earlier moves paused, such as support and resistance.
- The next candle. In the drawing, candle 5 closes at $40, above candle 4's $35 close, which supports the bullish reading.
What to Watch For
Rarity is the catch. True gapped versions are scarce, and near-misses are much weaker. If the doji's range touches either neighbor, the "abandoned" part is gone.
Three nearby patterns differ from it:
- A morning star is a big falling candle, a small indecision candle, then a strong rising one. The abandoned baby is stricter: it needs a doji and gaps on both sides.
- An evening star is a big rising candle, a small one, then a strong falling one. The same doji-and-gaps test separates it from the bearish abandoned baby.
- A lone doji is only indecision. The abandoned baby adds the gaps and a candle on each side.
Free or Premium
Abandoned Baby is an extended pattern, not a core one. Its chart marker is part of Rapunzl Premium, and Rapunzl's Stock Scanner offers it in the pattern filters for free.
Try It in Rapunzl
Pick a stock, set its chart to Candlestick or OHLC, and open Customize Chart → Chart Indicators → Levels, Patterns & AI Charts, then turn on Pattern Markers. Bullish patterns are marked ▲ and bearish ones ▼, with a detected-patterns list below the chart. The opt-in that adds 10 advanced patterns to the 13 core ones, part of Rapunzl Premium, is what brings Abandoned Baby onto the chart.
Because it has two versions, the Stock Scanner lists it in both the Bullish candlestick and Bearish candlestick filters. Its "Bullish candlestick today" idea covers the bullish side and carries the caution that candlestick patterns are hints, not promises.
A 15-Minute Class Activity
Draw the Gap. Pairs work with graph paper, a ruler and a pencil. Let one square equal $1.
- 4 minutes. Pairs draw candles 2, 3 and 4 from the table above and mark both gaps with the ruler. They should find a $2 gap and a $4 gap.
- 5 minutes. Give each pair three made-up candles for the bearish version. First: open $20, high $31, low $19, close $30. Second: open $36, high $38, low $34, close $36. Third: open $29, high $30, low $17, close $18. Pairs draw them and measure both gaps ($3 and $4).
- 3 minutes. Change the second candle's low to $30. Is it still an abandoned baby? (No: its range now overlaps the first candle's high of $31.)
- 3 minutes. Exit ticket: in one sentence, explain how the bullish and bearish versions can look alike yet point opposite ways.
Related Patterns
- Morning Star: the three-candle bottoming pattern with a small middle candle.
- Evening Star: the three-candle topping pattern with a small middle candle.
- Doji: the middle candle on its own.
- How to Read a Candlestick Chart: the basics behind gaps between candles.
Frequently Asked
Questions
The doji is left alone: gaps separate it from the candle before it and the candle after it. That makes it a three-candle reversal pattern.
Yes. The bullish version forms at a bottom and the bearish version at a top.
It needs a gap on each side of the doji, and 24/7 markets such as crypto rarely gap.
Make Chart Reading Concrete With Rapunzl
Teachers can request a demo to see how Rapunzl's charts, simulator and Stock Scanner fit a unit on market analysis. Parents can find the home details on our parents page.
Indicators, patterns and examples in this article are for education and are not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
By Clarissa Collins, Curriculum Designer at Rapunzl.