My youngest son (of 3) is 3 years old and is very articulate. In the past month, along with a phase of testing every limit we've got, he has suddenly begun to use silly words almost constantly while he's happy and playing. It's not baby talk... it's clearly just random nonsense. Sometimes he even laughs at himself after he says something where the sounds just amuse him. And he just keeps saying "Mama... mama" in between other things, as if it's just the default thing that comes out of his mouth. There are no obvious stressors in his life and there's no baby to be imitating or vying for attention. I'm pretty sure it's just a normal developmental stage, so I'm actually not even feeling worried about it, but I'm SO curious to know whether anyone can explain why kids do this. Important to note that he reverts to normal speech instantly whenever it suits him, so it's not as if something happened to cause a regression in language ability. I joked with my husband that he's just making up his own language now that he's mastered English! Seems like the other 2 boys did this, too, (they both talked early) but we have enough space in between that I can't remember.
Hi B.! My 3 year old daughter does the exact same thing. It's a normal developmental stage (as you expected). I think it's cute - they're expressing their creativity with their new mastery of the English language! Just enjoy!
My 4 1/2 year old daughter still does this all the time! It is rare that one of her dolls/stuffed animals ends up with a name that actually makes sense... I attribute it to her active and healthy imagination and the fact that as kids are learning to master language, they enjoy discovering that they can make up their own words too! I actually sometimes keep a list of the words/names to share with her when she is older... Have fun!
I would say you are right and its just a phase. I have no first hand experience with my own child, but have seen it in other kids your sons age. I wouldnt worry.
This is very normal at his age. He is experimenting with sounds and developing vocabulary. It's a good thing!
My daughter is the same way. She is getting ready to turn 3 and says mama or blankie all the time. She is also very articulate most of the time. I think that repeating the same word is more of a comfort thing than anything else. She does it more when she is tired or has just woke up. Don't worry about it and just be glad that he says mama instead of something else because I really think it is just that you are so important to him and you give him comfort.
Hi B.,
I recently read that sometimes they do this and sometimes they say things backwards cos they think its funny, like calling his brother his sister.
Is he around younger kids?
I have an 8 month old who like blwoing bubbles and a 3 y/o the other day kept immitating him. By the end of the morning, they both sounded like 8 month olds ;)
Hi, B. --
I laughed as I read this aloud to my husband! Our daughter, who's 3, too, is a TALKER. She started "late" around 15 months but by 18 months, she already had a vocab in the 300s of words. And she has NEVER stopped talking since!
Just in the past few weeks, she's been having a ball, making up her own words, renaming her favorite dolls, and generally experimenting with sounds and "language" of her own. So, I guess this is a common thing :)!
She'd had a baby whom she'd named "Fred" who is now "Baby Kushlaeh, and she's got another one she calls "Baby Shooshli"(or something to that effect). She went on a little pony ride the other day and came up with a very unusual name for her horse, too. Usually, it's really interesting to hear what she comes up with.
The down side has been that she's also been using some baby talk now and then, which is exasperating to me because she never spoke in baby talk even when she was a baby! I guess it's part of the experimentation, but I've told her I'm not going to respond to it because I don't like it, and she snaps back into her usual conversant self.
Enjoy, and get plenty of audio/video for posterity!
H.
My 3-yr-old daughter does the same thing! She's in daycare full time, so I thought it was just something she picked up there. I'm wondering though if it's something that all toddlers do at this age! It's funny when she starts babbling in her own language, and she thinks it's funny, too. She's pretty good at talking in English when we ask her to revert back! I'm chalking it all up to a great imagination!
My son went through a phase at age 3 where he liked the sound of "berrr" and made new beginnings to certain words, like "berchelle" "bersghetti", and my favorite "berfused". 13 years later, and I still use "berfused" tho he does not. He is bright, well spoken and creative. I'm sure you son is as well!
Hi, I was wondering what ever happened with your son? My daughter is going through the same thing and I was very worried until I read the responses to your question. At first I thought it was some kind of regression but it is more like silly talk.
I would say it is just a phase. My children say some of the strangest things sometimes too. It is probably just his creativity peaking through.
Little about me:
30yr old SAHM; 3 beautiful daughters ages 6y,4y,4mo and 1 handsome son age 2 today!!
Glad to hear that my son's not the only one :0)
Our boy just turned 3 this weekend, and he's been making up words for about a month now.
I'm not sure if you can relate with this, but I noticed that he began doing this after learning about 'potty talk' (meaning that he's not allowed to use the words 'pee' and 'poop' out of context...these were his favorite words until I took them away. What makes little boys enjoy talking about waste with such giggles and enunciation?!)
So once that was outlawed, he began making up words that gratified him, but kept him out of trouble. Words like "ponked" and others that I probably couldn't even spell.
SO I'm right there with you; my son spoke early and speaks like a little adult, other than his little language that he gets such a kick out of!
