Highly verbal toddler immitating other toddlers at daycare

[pranava]

DS 22 months never babytalked, but since he started a new daycare 2 weeks ago he has been pointing and grunting and saying "me want! me want!    I have a strong feeling he is immitating some of the other toddlers at his new daycare.  He never pointed and grunted.  Since 16 months he has said "I want a piece of cheese Mom!" not "Me want!"  Before then he just walked to the cabinet, opened it, and handed me what he wanted to eat.  

I'm trying to encourage his language skills by saying "I don't understand what you want, can you please tell me what you want"  Sometimes he will start talking like himself again, but often times he doesn't. 

Have any of you with verbally advanced toddlers experienced this?  Did it resolve itself?

[MeepyCat]

I don't get things out of cabinets unless I'm asked politely, and I'll often hold out for a full sentence.  "I need you to ask me nicely if you want something."  It seems to do the trick.

[loraxc]

Yes, we definitely experienced this, and in a way we still do. It has been known to drive me crazy, but I try to think of it as a sign that my child is tuned into how other people talk. I think you're handling it fine.

[ellemenope]

Oh, this is really hard. 

Just shortly after DD turned 2 we had her asking us for things with a polite "excuse me, mommy, can I please have..."  It was so nice.  I loved when people would whip their head around to see such the polite little girl.   This lasted for about 6 months, but slowly faded away.  Now she has learned (from her cousin) that all she need do is bark one word at people.  "milk!" or "cracker!" or "read!"  It is super annoying, and has not been something we have been able to curb yet.  But, this is something I am going to focus on in the next few weeks, because it would really help my stress levels.  I honestly don't know what to say other than "little girls don't bark at their mother.  Will you please ask like a little girl." 

As far as baby talk, DD has also just been exposed to it through her cousin.  Again, there has been really nothing I can do.  DD is 2.5, so she is able to explain what she is doing.  She will say, "I am talking like [cousin]." or "These are fake words."  or "what am I saying?"  She thinks it is hilarious.  It hurts my ears.  Also, she has the sweetest voice, but when she talks in 'baby', she does something to it to make it as annoying as possible. Ugh, and the repetition... I just have been telling her I appreciate it when she talks like herself.  FWIW, her verbal skills on the whole have just gotten better and better despite the recreational baby talk.

It is also becoming almost like she is creating her own 'baby' language.  She uses a lot of the same words.  She will tell me what they mean in English.  Or she will ask me what they mean. 

[A-time-to-live]

My DD does this - one or two words over and over again - shouting, whining, screeching.  When I call her on it she used to actually tell me that she was talking like a baby.  Now she tells me it's one of her dolls or stuffed animals, or her coat said it, or her foot?!  It totally makes me crazy but I'm actually just trying not to respond and hoping it goes away? 

[eepster]

Annoying as it can be, it's normal.  It's both normal to pick up on the way people around you speak, and it's normal that kids start getting less polite with their parents when the novelty of politeness wears off and the easiness of barking orders gains appeal.

Just ask you child to speak to you politely and clearly.  

When he is speaking with his/her peers, don't worry about him/her speaking the way they do.  This is actually a valuable social skill and should not be discouraged.

[pranava]

Originally Posted by ellemenope 

FWIW, her verbal skills on the whole have just gotten better and better despite the recreational baby talk.

Good to know! This is actually what I was worrying about. 
 

Originally Posted by eepster 

Annoying as it can be, it's normal.  It's both normal to pick up on the way people around you speak, and it's normal that kids start getting less polite with their parents when the novelty of politeness wears off and the easiness of barking orders gains appeal.

Just ask you child to speak to you politely and clearly.  

When he is speaking with his/her peers, don't worry about him/her speaking the way they do.  This is actually a valuable social skill and should not be discouraged.

Thanks!  I didn't think of this as a valuable social skill, but that does make perfect sense. 

I know that when I type out "I want a piece of cheese, Mom!"  it sounds so civil, but add some WHINE! to that cheese and it's not any more polite than "Me want, me want!"  :)  mostly I was concerned about the progression or regression of language skills.

[Tigerle]

DS started this at FOUR! And he was one of those newly-turned 2yos who would have salespeople melt into warm and fuzzy goo with his correct use of polite subjunctives "could you fetch this toy down for me?"

He never imitated other toddlers at daycare; thinking that he just was not socially clued in enough makes sense to me, actually. Now he's started to repeat baby talk over and over, make goofy noises, weird movements and screws up his face in a grimace, and I have this hunch that he is imitating a specific kid in preschool that started a little later than him, looks just like the grimace and appears to be on the slow side of milestones, if not actually delayed (like most in this board, I wouldn't dare make a call on that - he might be perfectly normal and my expectations skewed). I is embarrassing as heck actually.

i am trying to think of it as a stage he is going through - social learning. I do think he is on the slow side there.