Example – “It’s too hot to wear a jumper today, isn’t it?”, said in a normal voice, quickly develops into baby talking – “no, it’s much too hot for a jumper, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Too hot for a jump-jump for widdle wabbits?”.

Gag me with a spoon.

By the way, Em and Lo, I only just discovered you due to the google search term “my boyfriend has started baby talking and it’s freaking me out”.

I can tell that I’m going to spend hours on your site, now. Brilliant article!

When I first saw it I just dismissed it as “weird” and horrible and something I’d never be in to. But actually having read it, I’m surpried to say that I might be one of these people!

Don’t get me wrong, my boyfriend and I have NEVER used baby talk as a sexual thing in any way, shape or form. I just think that over the years, it sort of unconsciously developed. When I look back, the times we used it were either if we wanted something done (not in a sexual way), if we wanted some attention or (especially in my bf’s case), if we had done something wrong.

I guess it just makes you look more vunerable than you are.

Although I must say, I think there was always more emphasis on the way we said words and our body language/facial expressions then actual words.

I think if I had not read this article I wouldn’t have thought twice about it to be honest. It never struck me as “baby talk”. I thought it was more about “being cute”.

I’m sure a lot of people use one or two “baby” phrases. Especially when it comes to pet names and stuff like that.

In my case, It’s a habit I picked up from when I was little. I don’t do it in public, but I used to do it around my family, even when I was supposed to be old enough to know better– about ten or twelve. I realized being the cutest and youngest and only girl, I could get what I wanted by acting younger still, and changing my voice. I suppose it’s the spoiled youngest child in me. Even now, over ten years later, I sometimes take on a cuter persona when I am talking with the brother I am closest to. I don’t really do it around the rest of my family, anymore though, and It’s not constantly ‘on’– I noticed I often do it when I am acting mad, ‘I totally hatings you right now,’ and stuff like that.

I suppose because of this, it was inevitable for me to do it around my boyfriends, and yes, I am guilty of this. I can’t really help it, but even though I don’t start off doing it, it eventually comes out. I’m a childish person, (my current boyfriend would disagree and say I’m just plain weird/adorable), so I guess the baby talk is an extension of that. So far, all my boyfriends have found me and it cute, and they haven’t minded– in fact, they often respond in kind. I don’t do it sexually, however, (maybe once?) because it’s not really a turn on at all, and mostly I do it to tease. Unfortunately, my ex boyfriend (who is 12 years older than me) took my lead and ran with it, to the point where his baby-talk to me overshadowed mine– and it would annoy me that he used it so much. I started seriously curbing mine in an effort to get him to stop. It didn’t work. I think in his case, I unleashed his inner child. Maybe thanks to an emotional problem he had he never felt he had a way to express himself before, or a deep seated desire to not grow up. Unfortunately, he used it so often, that it became a problem in our relationship and a turn off for me– because using it constantly was basically undermining his masculinity. I mentioned it a few times, but he’d still do it. It got to the point where, even in serious emails or chats to me, he’d never say; “I”, rather, it’d be all like: “Me goies to the shop now.” Not even I did it 24/7 like that. And yes, sadly, he still does it if we ever chat online– I cringe when he writes ‘waaaaa’ to me, when I tease him or such– I mean, this guy is in his forties this year! Not even I ever, ever say ‘waaa’ because to me it’s a little too close to ‘goo goo’ and ‘ga ga’ and that might lead to diaper role play which I am definitely NOT into. But he actually never does it in person to me, like I said– he only ever ‘writes’ it to me. It’s weird though, but I blame myself– I suppose I contaminated him by doing it in the first place. However I do feel in his case, it’s kind of bordering on fetishism.

That isn’t to say I hate it when a guy does it, and only think it’s okay for women to do it. I don’t. I agree with the article– in my current relationship it establishes deep intimacy when we use it. My current boyfriend uses it sparingly, and we seem to have a good balance of when to use it versus when not to use it. I like it when he calls me pet names, and sometimes says the dreaded ‘w’ word– wuv. But he’ll never baby talk sexually, because he knows that doesn’t do it for me, at all. He knows that for me, I like it when he’s all commanding and masculine, and to me, masculinity is mutually exclusive with baby-talk.

I’m unsure if that all made sense.

When I have been present when couples baby-talk to each other in public I’ve often found that it often verges on demeaning for one of them- more of a put-down masquerading as cute teasing. That’s kind of embarrassing for everyone involved, I think.

Other than that, we reserve baby talk for when we are pretending we are channeling our dogs. “Mama said you gonna take us for walkies, Daddy!” That’s about it.