6 Reasons A 4-Year-Old Behaves Like A Baby? (Solution)
There will be a time when your 4-year-old may behave like a baby or appear to be one who cannot do things that he can do for a long time. The prime reason for such behavior is usually because the child craves extra attention from his parents.
Other than attention seeking, some kids show babyish behavior due to developmental delays, unattended feelings, or some kind of displeasure.
There are more reasons as well. So let’s have a look at the reasons why your 4-year-old is behaving like a baby.
6 Reasons for a 4-Year-Old Acting Like A Baby:
The following are the most common reasons a 4-year-old behaves like a baby.
1- Imagination or roleplay:
4-year-olds are very imaginative. One of the most common reasons why kids at this age behave like a baby is their urge to role-play and pretend-play. This behavior is very common and is not something to worry about.
Imaginative play is a part of healthy brain development. So if your 4-year-old changes his role many times, it’s a good sign. You do not need to take any action when your little one is acting like a baby for the sake of “pretend and play.”
2- Attention seeking:
The other most common reason a child behaves like a baby is to get more attention from their parents. They think they look adorable when they behave like a child, and if anyone adores them for such behavior, they tend to do it more frequently.
3- Communicating an unattended feeling by behaving like a baby:
Sometimes 4-year-olds behave like a baby to build a bond with their parents, the element they miss in their life. They indirectly communicate an unattended need or want by trying to be cute.
4- Avoiding the responsibilities:
By age 4, a child usually starts preschool, so his parents want to make him more disciplined and organized. He may miss being a carefree toddler where he had freedom. Now that he has to follow a routine and take on some responsibilities, he might behave like a child to avoid doing his tasks and taking up the responsibilities.
The small tasks we want our 4-year-olds to do, are small for us; your 4-year-old may take them as a lot of work.
5- Insecure by his younger sibling:
The arrival of a new sibling could be a challenge for the older sibling. Some 4-year-olds wholeheartedly accept their new sibling, but most feel insecure after the baby’s birth. Naturally, the new baby gets more attention and love than the older child, which makes them feel neglected.
6- Developmental delays:
When a child does not reach a milestone that he has to be at his age, it is referred to as developmental delay. Due to delays in areas like communication, movement, and cognitive and intellectual skills, the child may behave like a baby. However, this reason is quite rare.
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How to Deal with A 4-Year-Old When They Act Like a Baby?
In most cases, you don’t need to stop a 4-year-old from behaving like a baby; however, it can be annoying sometimes. So you can try a few things to reduce this behavior or cut them altogether. Some strategies that may be helpful include:
1- Providing a consistent and structured daily routine.
The 4-year-old child must follow a consistent and structured routine as he is about to start preschool. This helps him adjust to the upcoming routine, which would be much different from his toddlerhood routine. Also, following a structured routine allows the child to be independent and mature as he grows up.
2- Encouraging age-appropriate play and activities.
4-year-olds love to play, so invest in age-appropriate activities and games. You can get some of his favorite cartoon character coloring books and coloring stuff, so he gets busy with it. Clay and slimes with molds and plastic cutters can be engaging play for him. Once he gets involved in these activities, he forgets to behave like a child.
If your 4-year-old is more into pretend play, get him appropriate role-play toys like a doctor kid, play kitchen, or superhero set, whatever your child likes.
Click here to find the best play kitchens for 4-year-olds.
Say, your little one is interested in babies; get her a baby doll set so she can move from being a baby to having a baby.
Try this Layette Baby Doll Gift Set
3-Teaching the child appropriate ways to express their needs and emotions.
Be a role model to your child. Kids learn by watching people around them. I am sure you don’t behave like a child when you need something or need attention, but your child must have learned it from his younger siblings or friends around him. So it is important to show him how to handle different situations appropriately.
Moreover, if you are still talking “baby” with your 4-year-old, consider stopping this. Instead, start to deal with your child more like a little older child now.
4- Building a strong and trusting relationship with the child.
The best way to build a strong and trusting relationship with the child is to be a friend to him. In this way, he would find it easy to communicate his needs, feelings, and secrets from a very early age, and by the time he gets older, he will fully trust you and share whatever he wants.
5- Provide emotional support and proper guidance.
If you see your child is going through an emotional phase, such as “ arrival of a sibling,” “starting a preschool,” “ separation from a parent or loved one,” or “Shifting to a new home.” etc. it is your duty to provide him emotional support and guide him how to handle his emotions.
6- Provide freedom.
Stopping your 4-year-old from behaving like a baby is not always necessary. Let him be and ignore him. The more you push him towards acting like an older child, the more likely he will do it on purpose, as he can see that you pay attention to such behavior.
7- Do not criticize or mock.
Any negative behavior of a child prolongs if it gets mishandled by the elders. However, sometimes ignoring or listening to a negative behavior does not make it permanent.
So if your 4 -year-old behaves like a child, do not criticize or mock him. Do not mention it in front of other who does not know his behavior. It will only make him either an introvert or loses trust in you.
8- Give undivided attention:
I understand that giving lots of love, affection, and attention all the time is not possible. You also have other responsibilities, but make sure your little one gets your undivided attention at any point of the day.
Fix at least 15-30 minutes that you will only spend with your 4-year-old without any distractions. Your little one should spend quality time with you; it’s their right.
9- Appreciate when he acts mature.
Compliment him when he acts maturely in a situation. Tell him it made you proud when he handled his emotions and acted calmly. Make a chart of happy and sad faces and mark it when he acts mature or like a baby. Count which side has more score and reward accordingly.
10- Consult a doctor if this behavior prolongs.
Suppose you think your 4-year-old is excessively behaving like a child, and his behavior is prolonging and getting stronger by day by day. In that case, it is better to consult a doctor to see if he does it on purpose or if there are any developmental delays he might be facing.
Summary:
4-year-olds mostly behave like a baby as “pretend play,” or they may be trying to seek attention. Usually, it’s not problematic, but it can be annoying. You can do a few things to overcome this behavior. First, have a look at your child’s belongings. Does he have good “pretend play” toys? Get them a baby doll they can play with. Turn their thinking from behaving like a baby to caring for a baby.
If you see other alarming signs like not paying attention to their names or not making eye contact, it’s best to see a doctor.
