Why do I find my 5-yr-old’s affected baby voice so annoying? And anyone else been through this?

[Manukahoney]

Five-year-old DS has been affecting the world’s most irritating baby voice for the past six months (not all the time, just occasionally throughout the day). It drives me BANANAS! I’ve been trying to analyse why it winds me up so much, but I don’t know.

Anyone else’s kid do it? Does it annoy you up? How can I get him to stop without being accidentally mean to him?!

Yep I am afraid I'd have to be a bit mean. Does he want to be grown up in others ways or is he wanting to behave like a baby all the time.
If it's just his voice, when he wants something and asks for it, I'd have to correct him and ask him to repeat it, can you say it in your big boy voice please?
Does he save it for you or does he do it at school too.
I'm sure there'll be lots who disagree but if you've ignored it for a while I'd have to sort it.

YES!!! And I know at least one other person with a 5 year old who does the same. It pushes ALL of my buttons. Like nails on a chalk board, chewing cotton wool etc. I have asked her not to do it (can you talk like a big girl? Use your normal voice) but she still slips into it now and then. I think it is a phase and they grow out of it because if they don't I will have to find her somewhere else to live.

I know a ten year old who still talks like a baby, drives me mad but the parents never say anything to her

'Only big boys/ girls can have those so ask properly please' - every time!

I remember one of mine doing this for a short time. I was very firm about it and flatly refused to answer him until he used his big boy voice. I managed to nip it in the bud fairly quickly.

My 7 year old dd does this. I can’t stand it. I have been known to mash up her food, and take her to her old nursery rather than school whendfenisvtsljing like a baby.

It could be that he’s just wanting some extra and attention and comfort at that time.
He’ll probably grow of it soon.

it's even more annoying in a pre-teen ...
sorry, no help.

Ignore it. They will stop eventually. Kids don’t think like adults do!

My 7 yr old does this sometimes.

He has ASD and most often tends to slip into the baby voice when he’s being clingier than usual and demanding more reassurance than usual, so for him I think it’s usually linked to anxiety.

I tend to ignore it if he’s showing other signs of anxiety. If he seems fine I’ll remind him to talk properly in a big boy voice.

My oldest (9) still does this sometimes. He stops when I ask him to. I'm quite intolerant of it. I just say "use your proper voice"

I think they do it when they're feeling a bit self conscious about something.

Or sometimes mine does it when he's about to ask me for something but thinks I'm going to say "no"

I'm sure they'll grow out if it OP

My nearly 3 year old does this. I am mean and say I can’t understand what she is saying in a baby voice which about 70% if the time is true.

Haha yup. She’s 6 now but it still comes out on the odd occasion. Doesn’t help there’s a couple of her friends at school who pretty much get away with it all the time. I usually give a ‘pardon? Could you speak to me properly please?’ Or a ‘why are you talking like that?’. It passes...mostly!

‘I can’t hear/understand you in that voice’ or totally ignore. Every single time.

Omg yes, my 6yo does this. I pretend I can’t understand. Drives us bats. 🤷‍♀️🙇‍♀️

My 6 yr old does this a lot. But they all do it in her little group of friends when playing so I dont think she even realises sometimes when talking to adults. We are currently persevering with the "use your proper voice please". She also talks like she has false teeth and sticks "sh" sounds everywhere. Drives me bonkers!!

My DS does this sometimes and it is SO annoying. One thing that has helped is sometimes he will ask ‘can I be a baby?’ And comes and has a cuddle, pretends to breastfeed and chats in a baby voice. After a few minutes I say, are you ready to be a big boy again? And he snaps out of it. Having that dedicated time makes it feel more manageable for me, and seems to scratch an itch for him - I think it’s linked to becoming a big brother as he’s only done it since DS2 has been on the scene.

I was thinking of starting this exact thread the other day! So glad it's not just because I'm intolerant (which I know I can be at times). As well as the baby voice, DS7 does a fake American accent and occasionally makes up nonsense words. He does know he's on thin ice whenever he does it though. If I've had anything less than a full 8 hrs sleep the night before, he gets his head bitten off.

My 6 year old does this. I think they miss being told they're cute and so are trying to recreate that time.

I spent a lot of time saying 'not the baby voice' until they started talking normally. Very boring.

What zigzag said ^ they only get what they want if they ask in their real voice.

I think the only thing worse than ‘Baby Voice’ is ‘Strange Fake American Voice’. Does anybody else’s kid do that? Is it a girl thing? It drives me round the bend!

My sister's kid does this, she seems to think it's cute... He is 13 ffs drives me potty

Yes, my DD has a friend aged 15 who still does the whiny baby voice. Drives me mad

DDs friend around Y3-4 did this and DD copied. I refused to listen. Told her I’d listen and respond only to her normal voice. She soon stopped.