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Baby words passing into everyday family parlance?

(126 Posts)
ixion Mon 28-Dec-20 10:18:59

To kick off, in our family we have, routinely and without batting an eyelid? -

Andleblance/Ambulance (DB)
Amblublance/Ambulance (DD1)
Blomblons/Pylons (DB)
Klabibs/Traffic lights (DS3)

Surely, we are not alone??

FannyCornforth Mon 28-Dec-20 10:52:11

Dogsmother
Children also make up their own words too (like my Bang Bangs for penguins. I was a tiny baby).
It's quite fascinating.
I don't think that it's got anything to do with 'being taught properly,'.

Calendargirl Mon 28-Dec-20 10:54:11

Tok tik- clock.

Ned-a-bob-a-gee-gee....Horse.

Nic-pic......Picnic.

GrauntyHelen Mon 28-Dec-20 10:54:15

Banga what my sis called my Grandfather

LadyStardust Mon 28-Dec-20 10:54:40

Dalek bread and sausage bowls, both used by my now 30 year old son in his childhood and still used by the rest of us! Another of his mispronunciations was Dave Benson Firrips, (Dave Benson Phillips, the children's entertainer) who will always be known as such in our family!

EllanVannin Mon 28-Dec-20 10:55:38

I used to say " guggins " for dinner----apparently.

Lexisgranny Mon 28-Dec-20 10:59:09

My all time favourite from our grandchildren has to be flutterby instead of butterfly, it’s just so expressive. Just recently it seems to be quite popular, but not so much twenty odd years ago.

V3ra Mon 28-Dec-20 11:07:10

"Tatios" for potatoes and "washer sheen" for washing machine were two of my daughter's early attempts.

dogsmother you're quite right to speak correctly to small children and I'm sure most people would agree with you and do the same.

Small children's mouths and tongues are a different shape and proportion to those of older children and adults, and they physically cannot say certain letter sounds until they are about eight years old.
That's where these amusing little words come from: the child can't actually say what they're trying to.
This is the reason why we don't wear a face mask working in Early Years, as the children need to be able to see our mouth move as we speak to them.

They do literally grow out of it, though some words become part of our family folklore ?

Mamardoit Mon 28-Dec-20 11:10:36

Mamar for grandma. The eldest granddaughter called me mamar and now it's what they all call me.

A coachie pulled behind a brio engine. Well the plural is coaches so it sort of makes sense.

A notlikeitamower, notlikeitadrill. Anything that makes a sudden loud noise is a notlikeita.....

Horesbox is a horse caravan.

Mollygo Mon 28-Dec-20 11:11:22

Bedclo. If DD only had a duvet she wouldn’t say bedclothes. We still say it now when it’s hot in summer and just need a sheet. Also lickstick when I used to put lipsalve on.

GrannySomerset Mon 28-Dec-20 11:16:17

Beeblebumble for bumblebee (DS) is still used in our family. DGD1 couldn’t say grandpa and he has been Barbar ever since.
DD would refuse something with a vigourous shake of the head and “no please,” also still in use. And DS, who I fear thought his name was Hurry Up, said “I am be quick if”, also still occasionally used.

GrannySomerset Mon 28-Dec-20 11:17:28

Wretched predictive text - “I am be quicking”!

threexnanny Mon 28-Dec-20 11:18:00

Not a baby word but my gt. grandmother (who wasn't English) referred to nutmegs as megnuts and we copied it. Her reasoning was that all other nuts have the name first followed by 'nut' so why should nutmegs be any different!

PollyDolly Mon 28-Dec-20 11:18:29

Oh, I'm loving this thread......thank you all for sharing!

Gubba was chewing gum
Polliops were lollipops
Billage was village
Tukkatee was cup of tea

crazyH Mon 28-Dec-20 11:19:20

Guess what my then 2 year old used to call a “truck” - rather embarrassing, especially when the parish priest came over for his annual visit (they used to, at one time) and stepped over one of the baby’s trucks - don’t break my “fxxk”, he screamed ?

grannysyb Mon 28-Dec-20 11:19:28

DS full handed for my hands are full. DGS mumberella for umbrella

Oopsadaisy1 Mon 28-Dec-20 11:22:21

Cobwobs for cobwebs, DD2 showed me how many we had in the house yesterday, after handing her the feather duster she said that she probably wouldn’t mention them again.

Roses Mon 28-Dec-20 11:26:20

Screepers. Windscreen wipers
Tesher nape. Tape measure
Dressingdown. Dressing gown
Pascetti. Spaghetti
Bees. As in he bees very good

ixion Mon 28-Dec-20 11:30:21

Drain pipers. (Kerb side Council drain maintenance vehicles)

gillyknits Mon 28-Dec-20 11:37:44

My son came out with a few descriptive names;
Hedgehouses were thatched houses and foot nails were toe nails. Oh and a crutch became a clutch . There was complete logic in his little mind!

rubysong Mon 28-Dec-20 11:43:39

Little DGD always asks to look through my 'binocliars' (binoculars) when she comes here.
We still serve our soup using a 'soup manager' (ladle) as named by her father when he was little.

ixion Mon 28-Dec-20 11:46:38

Oh yes, now I remember - binoculars to our DD were 'knockers' (as in 'have you got your knockers out?'?).

Mamissimo Mon 28-Dec-20 11:47:18

Tree rabbit = squirrel
Bus hutch - wooden bus shelter
Belly popper - helicopter
Giffy - any savoury nibble
Robotics - medicine that makes you strong again
Holy fire engine .....me aged 5 describing Jesus' mother - the Holy Fire Engine she remains to this day.

grandtanteJE65 Mon 28-Dec-20 11:55:15

Glubber rubs = rubber gloves
oosher = sugar
whirrligig - helicopter (probably RAF slag)
dropped a clanger =said something you shouldn't have (definity RAF slang)

and of course words like taties (pototatoes) and potty for the pot used by small children that are now part of everyday language. Btm for your bottom probably belongs here too, plus in the category of Services slang.

tiredoldwoman Mon 28-Dec-20 12:05:13

glubs- gloves
Slippets - slippers
Umbalella - Umbrella
cowona viwus - corona virus
helecopella - helicopter
toca tola - coca cola

NannyJan53 Mon 28-Dec-20 12:11:34

I used to call Alsations 'Old Stations' when I was younger, and that has stuck.

We had an infestation of Earwigs when my DS was a toddler, he couldn't say Earwig, so called them winkawinks. Thereafter any insects was called that!

My DD when a toddler, she used to call gloves glubaglubs tiredoldwoman