Learning to stop talking. 2 minutes. 2 minutes only...

[CanBoo]

OK. dd1 is almost 4 and is a talker.

I understand it is normal, especially with spirited kids, BUT...

it is so much that dh and I cannot have a conversation if she is awake. At all. Unless we sneak out to another room while she is playing. Not always doable.

If she is not talking, she is singing/making animal noises. etc... Literally doesn't stop. I was like that too. And yes, I did call my mom to apologize. Many times now.

Last night we called her Grandpa. She talked non stop for 45 minutes. But at the end she was still not willing to let dh speak with his dad for 5 minutes.

I know she will outgrow it. But by the meantime, how can we help her learn about taking turns talking.

Ideas from someone who's btdt welcome.

[Llyra]

Truthfully-- I do think the only solution is time, and maybe some gentle limits.

My DD1 is a talker.  She's six now, though, and it's getting so much better.  The year she was four, I used to clock her and she'd go four or five hours without. stopping.  once.  It was unbelievable.

What I've done is to cut in, and say to her "DD1, Daddy and I want to talk for awhile now.  You can stay here, if you want, but if you do, you have to be silent.  If you want to talk, you need to go downstairs/upstairs/in another room."  Then I stick to it-- if she stays, and talks, I lifted her up and put her in the alternate room, above all protests.  It does work, if you're consistent.  And if you're genuinely being driven nuts, it may be the way to go.  But it is a method that leads to some crying and protesting.  And it won't work if you do it all the time-- it's important that they have the chance to talk, and be heard, and feel like their ideas are appreciated.  But it is a good thing, I think, for them to learn about sharing the airspace a bit. 

[tjlucca]

My DD is a talker. She can talk.....all.....day.....long, without stopping. We have an hour and a half of quite time after lunch most days. DD plays in her room, on her own and can talk quietly there, quietly means not singing ot talking  loud enough for all three floors of our house to hear it.  We dscribe it to her as "a gentle inside voice".  This gives DP and I a break and, well, DD's vocal cords too! 

[Celtain]

My DD2 is 8, ever since she learned how to talk she has not stopped.  She needs no input from anyone else.  She will monolog for hours on end including singing, chanting, made up voices, making inanimate objects "speak" by the end of the night I swear my ears feel like they are going to bleed.  Now add that to DS1 & DS2 who are here all the time and DD1 who stops by often and a dog that feels he needs his say in this family too, H O L Y  C R A P!!!!!!!!!

Good luck, I hope you find that she grows out of it faster than mine has!