Baby Talk Advice?

[daycarediva]

This started last week, with a very advanced 4.5 yo dcg. She is reading, can do everything independently pretty much, but started talking in a baby voice, using baby words, and it's CONSTANT. ALL of my kids speak better than she is. Even the almost 2yo. There are NO changes at home, no changes here. The kids were getting frustrated with her last week. No other baby behaviors.

I tried ignoring it all last week. The parents came in this morning concerned (not blaming concerned, but worried as she did this ALL holiday break with ALL relatives.) Dcm said she told her to use big girl words, because she doesn't understand baby talk. I tried that today. She just didn't ask me anything and continued to baby talk.

Ideas? It's SOOOOOO annoying.

[Cat Herder]

"DCG, I find it really annoying when you talk to me like that. Do you think there is any reason you are doing that, now?"
"Have you ever felt like you needed more attention?" "How does it feel when everyone seems too busy to spend time with you?" " How do you feel when you are busy and others want your time?" "How do you tell others you would like some of their time to just sit and visit?" "What are your favorite ways to spend time together with others?"

Book: Needing Attention; Joy Berry, Scholastic

"Dcg, have you ever felt this way. What are some better ways that Casey could have used to get attention?" "Do you think you could come up with a code phrase for when you need a special visit?" "Have you practiced being patient and keeping yourself busy until visit times? What activities can you do to pass the time?" etc....

Ah, the holiday season. :hug:

[happymom]

Yes! I would straight up ask her.
Although it might not help. I've asked adults to stop baby talking to my children countless times and they still do it.....

[Silly Songs]

She may have been around younger relatives who were speaking that way. Ignore, ignore, ignore. It will go away.

[daycarediva]

That was the first thing I did, asked her. She just shrugged and continued.

ARGH!!! I'm hoping it goes away soon. It's even bothering the 2yo's who are correcting her speech.

4.5yo "wide a bike"

2.5yo "RIDE. RIDE A BIKE DCG"

another dcg asked her if she was playing baby yesterday. She said no, but the dcg continued to treat her as if she was. I was cracking up. ::

[Mom2Two]

Hard to say, but "ignore" is my first thought (ha, I know it's easy for us to say since we don't have to listen to it).

My daughter does some stuff that I have had to ignore over the years, some of which she can't help (stutter) and other stuff which I don't really get but seems a teeny bit OCD (walks on the linoleum stepping on each small square pattern when she goes upstairs sometimes). She doesn't know that she's doing it and honestly I don't think she even fully realizes that she's doing it. It's all real in her mind. But she has some learning disability.

Maybe try some extinction (ignore) along with responding cheerfully when she asks in normal voice (positive reinforcement).

Or if you think that dcg knows what she's doing and can pull out of it, maybe respond to her requests with, "It's hard to understand you when you talk that way. Can you ask me in your big-girl voice?" And then don't give what she wants until she calms down and speaks normally.

That's how I handle impolite requests to me. I say stuff like, "How do you ask?" or "My ears only hear polite talk."