I need a padded room (for me) to scream very loudly in.

[gess]

DS1 is saying "ayan". It comes from "hands down" (which we say when he pinches us). He is saying it repeatedly- I mean over and over and over again for the last 4 days. Literally at least several times a minsute for days "ayan". As he says it he touches our hands or necks (sometimes uses it to mean that he wants something) and says it over and over again until we say "hand's down" back. He puts his head in the guinea pig hutch and says "ayan", ds3 shoves him out of the way and puts his head in the hutch and says "ayan". I can hear ds1 next door now saying it.

It's a small thing I know but it is driving me up the wall. ayan ayan ay -bloody- an

Have you got a shed at the end of the garden? [wink}
My son (at 13) went througha similar thing with 'izzit' that he'd heard on some TV prog. Then his brother (11) started saying it. Funny for about 4 nanoseconds then I thought I was going to have to strangle the pair of them!
Nearly as annoying as the 'why?' phase and the copying what people are saying phase.
There are times when DD being non-verbal seems like a good thing - I can turn her communication aid off

Yes well ds1 is officially non verbal- so I feel a bit churlish getting pissed off at something he's saying God knows what he would come out with if he could speak.

DS3 is just pre-why phase but copies everything (including ayan )

so annoying, ds2 recites our phone number over & over, if anyone asked him our phone number he wouldn't be able to answer, or recognise the digits so serves no purpose other than to drive the rest of us mad.
I feel like shouting "we've been cut off".

hmm yes that wuld be rather irritating I taught ds1 to say "eye" and "ear" a few days ago (only clear words he has). Just now we were outside and he pointed to his eye and said "eye", then his ear and said "ear". DS2 looked up and said "see Mummy I told you he would be able to talk one day".

This has reminded me that my brother (now 44) used to sing 'M-F-I' to the tune of the jingle over and over again when he was about 7. I ended up throwing a Whizzer and Chips annual at his head and it went through a glass window.

(Gess, make sure DS2 isn't reading this over your shoulder - don't want to give him ideas )

you have my sympathies could you say hands down then add hands up would that then be copied?
if i hear once more that comfort pure is recommended by mothercare i will scream too
Gess do you have a walkman you could use to drown out the background noise

hands up would be pronounced "ayan" as well though.

ayan ayan ayan.

you will have to go with the walkman or loud music, which may mean that DS1 leaves the noisy room

foam earplugs are what i use