My 13 Year Old Daughter Acts Like a Baby

Information technology can exist super abrasive when your v twelvemonth sometime, or even six or seven twelvemonth former child talks like a babe. How can you reply to baby talk in an older child? Here'due south why kids sometimes resort to talking like a infant too as tips and ideas about how to handle it when your big kid goes back to baby talk.

First – Why do older kids backslide to using baby talk?

Why does your half-dozen year one-time (or fifty-fifty 10 year old) talk like a baby? It could be a number of reasons, and more often than not it'due south annoying, only not a huge business concern.

Beginning off, dominion out health issues:

If this is a regression in the sense that it's non that your child is choosing to talk similar a baby, just instead your child was speaking clearly a few months earlier simply their speach is condign harder to empathise, you may wish to bank check with your doctor to rule out a hearing outcome or another crusade.

If the baby talk is accompanied by other regression behavior like bed wetting or other signs of anxiety you also may wish to talk to a professional in case the baby talk is a sign of trauma or mental health issues.

Baby talk for attention:

Kids may use infant talk to get attention they need but are unskilled at asking for. Kids (and adults for that matter) don't ever know how to say, "Hey, I'one thousand feeling kind of lonely lately and I'd certain like some extra time with yous." Instead some kids effort using baby talk to be 'beautiful and innocent' and garner the positive attending they acquaintance with information technology.

While the baby talk itself might be abrasive, the ask for attention is real. You don't have to reinforce the baby talk past responding to it with praise and snuggles, merely look for other times when you can add together in that actress hug or a few more than minutes to talk. You can find many ideas for adding loving moments to your days in Becky Bailey's I Love You Rituals.

Baby talk during times of change or transition

Sometimes kids start baby talk when they have a life change going on – maybe a new sibling, the first of a school year, or fifty-fifty but a growth phase when they tin sense that they're getting bigger and learning more skills for independence. It can be a manner to 'impact base' and bank check, "Am I still loved? Am I still allowed to be little?"

If y'all experience similar this is what's happening a few ideas to help the transition are:

• Talk about what's going on. For some children drawing a story about the events can really help (fifty-fifty stick figures are fine).
• Reminisce together, looking at photos, telling stories. This is particularly effective when the change is the introduction of a new baby to the family. Older siblings bask hearing well-nigh what they were like as a baby and hearing you talk about how they were snuggled and cared for like their new sibling.
• Instead of asking for a "big kid vocalization" you lot can say, "We can talk about this when y'all use your vi twelvemonth old vocalization." (or vii year old, 8 year onetime etc.)

Answering a Reader Question – How to Answer to Babe Talk in Older Kid?

My son and his cousin are all-time friends (he'south 7, she'south viii). When they get together they get into this really abrasive baby talk that they talk in. It seems to fuel them existence rude to others effectually them and they kind of get stuck in the babe talk mode once apart too and volition try talking in that voice to u.s.a. equally parents. It drives us all nuts.

Is there anything I can exercise aside from merely keep asking them to speak to me in a normal vocalization?

Here are some answers about infant talk from Bounceback Parents – please add your own in the comments!

• Recognize when they apply their normal voice. In our family aside from asking for a normal vox from the kids when they're talking to us, something that'south been key is to recognize when they ARE using that normal voice, especially when they use it without prompting, "Hey, thank you, your phonation is then much easier for me to understand when you talk to me in this nice normal tone." ~Alissa

• Decide what to make an issue of. Kids using baby talk to play together? Not an result. Beingness rude? Issue. Make certain they know the difference. All my kids are either going through or accept been through the "playing babies" phase – its a real favorite game around that age. Drives adults crazy but the kids dear it. Draw attention to the fact that "real" babies are cute and affectionate, non rude. As far as carrying it on afterward goes, I'd attempt, "you're in a shared room now, so utilize proper voice. Yous want to keep playing babies, I'm happy for you lot to do that in your room." ~Sarah

• The more it gets a rise out of you the more he'll exercise it. Exist unaffected and firm in only responding to a respectful vocalism. State your limit : "I tin come across yous're having fun with that vocalization. When yous use your normal voice I'thou happy to talk with you." No shaming or threats. Then stick to it. He's old plenty to only need the limit stated once. Any clue that he is getting under your skin and he has the power; you lot're back to square ane. Exist unaffected and unconcerned, kind but business firm in your limit. ~Shana

• Ignore the annoying behavior and praise the heck out of desired behavior! ~Jessica

Join the Conversation

If you accept experience or helpful ideas on what to do to proceed yourself from going batty when your kid talks in a baby vocalism, please leave your comments or links to ideas!

Desire more help fighting parenting supervillians? Join u.s.a. in the Bounceback Parenting League.

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