Sometimes, being babied and pampered feels really nice as you know that there’s a whole person out there who cares for you. However, when a full-grown adult starts acting like a baby constantly, it can get on anyone’s nerves because, let’s admit, it’s really annoying.
If you agree with me, then you will definitely be able to relate to the original poster’s (OP) frustration when her 27-year-old sister permanently adopted “baby talk” in her communication. Irked by it, the poster finally snapped and told her to talk like a normal person!
More info: Reddit
When adults start acting like babies, it might be cute for a while, but it can get frustrating quite quickly
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster’s 27-year-old sister, Alana, has always been infantile, but she has recently started using “baby talk” for most of her communication
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster and her other sister, Este, find this very annoying, so they pretend they don’t understand what she says—but their mom is on Alana’s side
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: KamranAydinov / Freepik (not the actual photo)
On the poster’s birthday, when Alana simply refused to talk normally, she withheld the cake from her until Alana asked for it like an adult
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Their mom always backed Alana, so the poster wondered whether she was wrong for calling her out and withholding the cake
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster and Este have addressed this with Alana before, but she has always pulled the “but you do it with your kids” card
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: shurkin_son / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After advice from Redditors, the poster decided to talk to Alana kindly, like an adult—meanwhile, her mom also finally agreed that the baby talk was annoying
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: stefamerpik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So, when faced with Alana’s “baby talk,” she pretended to be concerned, asking her whether she did it because she was no longer the youngest in the family
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Alana was annoyed by this and said she had been doing it before the kids came into the picture, but this time, their mom sided with the poster
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Image credits: gpointstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster also asked her whether she was doing it because she had anxiety, which further angered Alana
Image credits: AITAThrow_sisteract
Finally, when the poster and their mom told her to stop, she begrudgingly agreed and the poster hoped that would be the end of it
In today’s story, Reddit user AITAThrow_sisteract tells us how she is completely irritated by her 27-year-old younger sister, dubbed Alana, as she keeps using “baby talk” instead of talking like an adult. Apparently, a guy she dated liked it, which might be why she does it, but it’s getting on OP’s nerves as it’s so constant now.
To gain deeper insight into her behavior, Bored Panda reached out to Muskan Sharma—who has previous experience working as a counselor—for an interview. She said that an adult might use baby talk for attention, to appear playful, or because it became a habit after being encouraged in the past.
She added that it could be a way to deal with stress or insecurity, giving them a sense of comfort. The poster also mentioned how Alana has always been infantile, and even their mother takes her side, so she might not feel like she’s doing anything wrong.
However, the poster and their other sister, dubbed Este, find it really annoying and they have called her out on her behavior multiple times, but Alana finds it “cute” and refuses to stop.
As per Muskan, depending on personality, past experiences, and what they expect from adult communication, some people view baby talk as sweet and playful, while others find it annoying because it feels childish or out of place. It looks like OP and Este belong to the latter category, but their mom always backs Alana up.
When the poster and Este pretend not to understand her “baby talk,” their mother actually translates it for them, which could be enabling Alana’s behavior.
Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Muskan explained, “When parents take sides, it often creates bitterness and tension. It can make one sibling feel unsupported and make conflicts worse. Staying neutral and helping siblings talk things through is usually the better approach.”
Maybe Alana would hesitate if her mom stayed neutral in the situation—she actually listens later when the poster and their mother both tell her to stop. However, before that, when Este and OP told her to quit it, she used some lame excuse that they had used it with their kids, making many Redditors question her maturity, and wondering why she saw herself like the kids.
Our expert claimed that families play a big role in shaping adults. She narrated that if someone was always treated as the “baby” or had their behavior excused, they might hold on to immature habits. Seeing as how Alana is the youngest, this might be what happened in her case.
However, the poster was sick of her behavior, so on her birthday, when Alana asked for the cake in her annoying manner, OP snapped and withheld the cake from her until she asked for it normally. However, after considering all of the suggestions on Reddit, the next time she met Alana and encountered her “baby talk,” she asked her whether she was doing it because she was no longer the youngest.
She even went on to ask Alana whether anxiety was causing her to do it, but Alana was offended that OP would diagnose her with something. However, at the end of that conversation, she listened to OP and their mom (who was surprisingly on the poster’s side, finally) and said she would stop.
When we asked Muskan whether using baby talk excessively was a sign of unmet emotional needs or a coping mechanism, she noted that it could be. “It might signal a need for attention or comfort, or it could be a way to handle stress. Family members should be kind but set clear boundaries, and if it’s a big issue, gently ask what’s behind the behavior,” Muskan concluded.
Well, the poster did establish her boundaries when she asked Alana to quit her baby talk, and we hope it worked for her. If you were in her shoes, what would you have done? Feel free to jot down your thoughts in the comments!
Folks online were also annoyed and cringed at Alana’s baby talk—some even said that she was doing it all for attention
