8 year old talks with a baby voice

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children

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amother

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 2:43 pm

8 year old DD frequently uses a baby voice to talk and it drives me crazy. She's an intelligent girl and I can't understand why she wants to sound like a baby. She has no answer when I ask her. I have tried ignoring it. I have tried telling her I don't understand her when she speaks like that. I have outright told her that it's not cute and makes her sound stupid when I know she is smart. She persists on doing it. In general she is a very stubborn child. She's also a middle child but we have no babies in the house. The youngest is 5. I really don't understand where this baby voice is coming from or how to get her to stop.

Ideas?

amother

Emerald

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 2:47 pm

When I was a child, I engaged in such behavior. I experienced a lack of affection and desired to be loved. Older children who speak in baby voices often do so with the hope of being adored.

This desire for love and acceptance is a natural. Your daughter is just demonstrating it in an unusual way. Children who feel a deficit in affection may resort to imitating younger children or using baby voices as a means to attract attention and nurture. It becomes their way of seeking the love and care they long for.

It is important to approach such behavior with understanding and empathy. Rather than dismissing it as mere attention-seeking, we should recognize the underlying emotional needs that drive this behavior. By acknowledging their desire for affection, we can offer them the support and validation they seek.

amother

Alyssum

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 2:48 pm

When my son was doing that, he was looking for attention. Any attention, even negative attention was better than nothing to him. My DH and I worked on this together with a therapist. We made sure to give him more positive attention and BH he stopped with the baby voice and all the other abnormal behavior that went along with it. He sometimes relapses and we know it's our cue to focus more on him.

amother

Aubergine

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 2:57 pm

My kids do this when they have strep or there is some other illness going around. As much as it seems behavioral and intentional, I know they can't help it. I use it as a cue to get out the anti inflammatories and figure out what's ailing them.

amother

Plum

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 3:03 pm

My 7 year old kind of does this but more as a cave man talk and it drives me crazy too. “Me want cereal” “Me take bath”
I’m wondering if she’s doing it for more attention too since we do have a baby and I tend to be more affectionate with the baby since it’s more natural for me. This was helpful for me to realize maybe she needs more positive attention so thank you!

amother

Beige

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 4:01 pm

my 5 year old does it whenever she becomes disregulated. my first clue is baby talk before things spiral.

Golde

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 4:16 pm

It's quite common. My DD talks like this with her friends - they often talk baby talk between them. Beats me. But apparently it's a thing with the girls.

(And yes it drives me nuts too!)

todahrabba

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 5:41 pm

Catch her whenever she talks nicely and overpraise her. Eventually, it will stop.

amother

Jetblack

Tue, Jun 13 2023, 6:50 pm

My 8 yr old does and I finally got her to share why she does it. she feels safer this way because babies aren’t disciplined and babies are loved and babies arent ever yelled at so she feels love and safe to speak that way.

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