Baby Talk / Forced Underbite (5 Year Old)

[PapaCoconut]

Hi Mumsnet, pleased to meet you all. This is my first post on a parenting forum, so please be gentle.

My 5 year old son has started pushing his lower jaw out, forcing an underbite, it usually happens when he's being silly. He never used to do this, so it's quite unusual for him, and it only started about a month or so ago, but we're worried it might become a habit or end up giving him a sore jaw.

He's also started talking like a baby, you know, that cutesy baby voice that's not so cute on a 5 year old? He'll say words rather than sentences, like "Teddy!" instead of "Can I have a teddy please?" or he'll point without speaking at all. When he talks like this, I ask him to repeat himself in a big boy voice, which he does, albeit not always the first time.

I think the baby talk started around the same time as the forced underbite, perhaps a little earlier.

Maybe it's all just a bit of silliness, a phase he's going through, or an attempt to get more attention, but I thought I might check with all you knowledgable parents out there and see if you had any advice on how to curb this behaviour.

Thanks kindly.

[VioletBam]

Has he recently started in Reception? If so this is probably an anxiety thing...he's making it known (inadvertently) that he's feeling the pressure of going to school.

Is he doing ok at school?

[PapaCoconut]

Thanks for the reply VioletBam. He's in Primary 2 now, so school isn't new to him. He's also doing great with his school work, and as far as we know there are no issues with the other kids. Saying that, I guess it could still be pressure of some sort causing him to act this way. He can be pretty anxious at times.

[VioletBam]

Any changes in his life recently? Or perhaps the work level has stepped up a bit?

If I were you I would make an appointment with his teacher and ask her or him if DS is doing ok in his lessons and socially. Tell them about his newly formed habits so they can watch out for it.

You've noticed it's when he's being silly...but what do you mean by silly? Do you mean doing the baby voice?

Can you watch out for what's triggering these moments of silliness? Is it when he's got to do something he doesn't want to? Or perhaps it's when he has to get dressed or do something boring?

If you can work out a pattern to it, then you can change things up a bit...look at ways to make these moments easier for him.

[kiwishev]

My son is in year 1 nad has been doing the same thing with the 'baby talking'. Interesting that your son is also doing it. He seems to have some friends that I notice doing it in the playground before school, amongst other silliness!
Like you, we are having to reinforce talking 'properly'. I guess maybe it's an age thing??

[PapaCoconut]

@VioletBam No recent changes to his life that I'm aware of. He's coping fine with his homework and seems to really enjoy his work at school.

By silly I mean getting over-excited, running around, talking nonsense and such like. I don't think there's a specific trigger for that, I get the feeling he's just letting loose as it mostly happens after school. I don't mind the silliness, being silly is fun and part of being a kid.

The baby talk isn't so much a part of that silliness, as it happens more often, it's perhaps a different kind of silliness though. I'll see if I can work out a pattern to it, although it does feel like it's almost all the time, until I tell him to speak properly. The exception to it is if he's talking about something he's excited about or really interested in he'll talk normally.

The forced underbite feels more like an unconscious thing, like grinding teeth or sticking your tongue out while drawing (he doesn't do that, but I used to).

@Kiwishev Thanks for your reply. Yes, I've often thought that he's copying it from other kids at school, but he tells me otherwise. I really don't know.

[VioletBam]

From your last post I wouldn't worry. But I would consider that he might need more chances to run off his energy outdoors.

[PapaCoconut]

Thanks @VioletBam, that's certainly re-assuring to hear.