"Doggie Go Bye-Bye" He's 4 Years Old!

[permanentvacation]

This one child I watch acts so immature that he drives me crazy! He is not special needs. He just talks and plays in unbelievably immature ways. He and another child are at the table playing with little people, animals, and Legos. He started saying repeatedly, "Doggie go bye-bye, doggie go bye-bye" He is 4 years old! He should not be talking like an 18 month old! I constantly correct his speech and behavior. I constantly refer to the other child here who is exactly his age (actually have the same birthday) who acts his age. But I can't get him to stop acting and talking like a baby.

He doesn't do this all the time. He will speak correctly and act his age, some times, but probably 95 % of the time he talks and acts very immature.

[hope]

Do his parents speak to him this way? Or do they think it's cute when he talks like this? They need to get on board and start expecting him to speak more maturely.

[permanentvacation]

Every time I've asked the child or his mother about what they do, where he plays, who he plays with, etc. at home, all I'm ever told is that he plays by himself. His mother doesn't play with/interact with him and he does not have friends to play with. His parents don't live together and he very rarely sees his father. When he does, the mother seems to think that all they do is play violent video games like Grand Theft Auto. His uncle recently got out of jail and is living with him and his mother. He says they play Teenage Ninja Turtles. But when I asked him to show me how to play Ninja Turtles, he just said that they get out of the car and go in the house. It sounds like he really doesn't interact much with anyone except when he's here at daycare.

I have talked to the mother a couple of times after finding out that his father isn't really in the picture. I told her that she needs to fill that void by interacting with him more and being a 'dad' and mother to him. I suggested different activities and places they can do/go together. She didn't seem interested and told me he plays in his room or in the living room and she makes dinner or does whatever she needs to do in the house. She had no interest in interacting with him.

[Meyou]

I have one who only uses a lispy baby voice with her parents and is only allowed to use her big girl voice in my home. She has perfect pronunciation and I refuse to listen to a baby voice. We had a talk about it and she knows she plays alone with baby toys each time she uses a baby voice instead of a big girl one. No baby voice for several months now. She starts it up as soon as she's out the door though every single day.

[cheerfuldom]

I am guessing the baby talk does get some attention from his mother which he is clearly desperate for. I would do what you can to work with him but ignore the rest of it. There is only so much you can do!

[permanentvacation]

I have corrected his behavior and speech constantly all day every day for months now. He won't stop! I offer a really good preschool program here and typically convince my parents not to enroll in the free preschool program at the local school. His mother mentioned thinking about enrolling him in that program and I am actually enticing her to get him into it! I can't begin to afford to lose him, but I can't stand him acting like a baby all day.

His mother doesn't say much when she's here. She comes off as kind of snooty. When she does talk to him, she talks like an adult to him. She'll tell him to have a good day in the morning and in the afternoon asks him how his day was. He does not respond to her in the morning, just keeps walking into the playroom. He doesn't even tell her goodbye, love you, or anything. He just walks in and goes to the playroom. In the afternoon, they are heading out the door while she asks him how his day was, so I can't hear whether he responds to him or not or how he speaks when he talks to her. Now that I think about it, I don't know if I've ever heard him talk to her. That's weird! I've watched him since October 28, 2013 and I don't remember ever hearing him say one word to his mother! Yeah, that's weird.

[AmyKidsCo]

"I can't understand you, can you say that again like a big kid?"

It works wonders. Also effective as "My ears don't hear whining voices." "I can't understand you when you talk with food in your mouth." "I can't understand you when you're yelling." etc.