No

I am no expert on this but I know there’s been a lot of research on this topic. Look up "attachment theory" for example.

Oh, it's this user. Alright.

I don't think it was in response to - but perhaps cuter babies got slightly better care than less-cute ones. It's not the same thing as "in response to parental neglect".

Did coolness evolve as a response to parental neglect? I think this is mostly what it is, a general slang for approval, awe, etc, which is deeply tied into the zeitgeist. Cuteness was a very different and far more specific thing when I was growing up, but maybe I am just old.