My 4yr old has started talking like a baby!

[Blocka]

My DD1, who will be 4 in Sept, has gone from a child with a full, advance, vocabulary to regulalry talking like a baby. For example, instead of saying 'Ouch Mammy, my dinner is really hot' she will say 'dinner hot'.

DD2 joined us in January, but being only 5 months, is not talking yet so not sure where she is getting it from.

Is this a normal phase or a reaction to the birth of DD2?? She is starting nursery in September and I really don't want her to talk this way then.

Should I ignore it or chastise her (like I have been doing so far)

Help!

i'd just ignore it

Oh, that old chestnut.

Advice:

DD1: "dinner hot"
Blocka: "I'm sorry, I can't understand you when you talk like a baby. Could you please repeat it in a proper voice?"

She will very soon tired of it.

Quite likely to be reaction to baby: her own position as the family baby has been usurped. But I find children do this anyway, when they feel a bit insecure. Ignore it, be brisk and pleasant, but do try to find some extra time to do big girls things with her.

Thanks ladies!

dgs 3.8 went through a phase of doing this when dgs2 started being a little more active.It was even worse as for a while he went from talking in full sentences to saying lots of,'goo ga goo goo' sounds.It soon stopped when we just said we had no idea what he wanted when he spoke like that.

Snap

DD2 nearly 4

Talks exactly as you describe (with affected 'baby' voice to boot)

I tell her I'll answer her when she talks in her normal voice

Ignoing it wasn't making it go away and it did my head in

DS has been doing this recently. I think it's his reaction to our delight at DD's (22m) language development. I do the 'I can't understand you' thing as well.

ha ha notnowbernard, that is exactly what is happening here! Ignoring it is not working, she just carries on and it winds me up something rotten.

Am going for 'I can't understand you' as well and it is starting to pi** her off now so fingers crossed....