Alcohol dependence is a global public health issue with significant consequences during prenatal and postnatal development. Early exposure to alcohol, even at social levels during pregnancy and lactation, increases vulnerability to later problematic use. Local studies report high prevalence of such exposure and its behavioral effects in newborns, emphasizing the need to investigate underlying mechanisms to strengthen early prevention. This study examined the effects of prenatal and postnatal ethanol exposure on early motivational learning in Wistar rat pups, evaluating different exposure combinations and sex-related differences using a Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) paradigm at postnatal day 9. Results showed that females displayed increased preference after prenatal exposure and reduced preference after postnatal exposure, whereas males exhibited enhanced preference only after combined exposure. These differences were independent of locomotor or exploratory activity, indicating genuine associative learning. Findings reveal early sex-specific effects, possibly mediated by organizational and epigenetic mechanisms. Overall, this work highlights sex as a key biological variable in alcohol’s motivational effects and identifies early exposure as a critical risk factor in fetal programming. Ethically, in line with Argentina’s Mental Health Law No. 26.657, these findings reinforce the need for preventive policies to reduce alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood.