Does anyone elses 4 year old keep repeating the same phrases ??

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my 4.5 year old daughter says "I'm not a baby I'm a big girl" about 100 times a day.
It seems to be her favourate saying.
Is this just her age, or do you think she's trying to tell be I baby her a bit?
I always say "I know you are" but she keeps on saying it.

[completelyshotpelvicfloor]

Mine did the same. I made the mistake of ending a sentence with "baby" (as in sweetheart) in front of her friends and she kept this up for ages. I never made the same mistake again! I did wonder if she was just trying to persuade herself that she was a big girl though!

[mrsgboring]

my 3.9 yo ds asks the same questions all day long for the pleasure of hearing the same answer over and over and over again. he changes them every few days. also spouts random nonsensical catchphrases repeatedly. infuriating.

i would mstly consider it a tic

[pagwatch]

mummy
rote phrasing can be common with children with speech delay and any level of ASD symptoms.
Your DD has speech delay doesn't she? Forgive me if that is not right.

It sounds like a verbal stimm - comforting and calming. If she is litterally saying it 100 x or more and saying it too herself then it is probably a verbal stim. My sons is 'nobody must say stop'. He says it when he is anxious or over stimulated in order to calm himself
Don't 'reward' it by answering or repeating it and try to distract her into something else.

If you ask on SN lots of parents may have helpful advice ideas

[mummyloveslucy]

Thanks everyone, I think it might be as Pagwatch has described. She has verbal dyspraxia and is soon to be acessed due to developmental concernes.
She gets very set in her ways and wants things repeated exactly the same way every time. She dosn't like supprises, even nice supprises. I do wonder if she might have Asburgers, but she is not at all withdrawn. She is often the other way and too friendly, eg kissing strangers.
She also askes shop keepers their names over and over again. They tell her their name and she'll repeat it, then ask them again and again what their name is. (This is so irritating).
The "I am not a baby" thing is what she says most and she does say it to herself when she's on her own too.

Thanks everyone.