5 Tips to Get Your Toddler Talking

Every child is different.  They all learn at their own pace, and some achieve certain milestones before others.  But when you start noticing that your child seems way behind others their age, you can't help but to worry.  That's what happened with my little guy.  He had great motor skills; he was walking, climbing, and running early according to all of the milestone charts.  At two years old though, he still wasn't talking.

Sure, he said the usual words like mama, dada, ball, and up, but at his age he should have had a vocabulary of at least fifty words. There were no sentences, no stringing words together... I started to get worried.  I checked in with his pediatrician and she referred us to Child Development Services.  That's when we first knew there was a problem.

Dealing with developmental delays is more like trying to get your little one back on track and up to par with his peers.  Since we got my little guy talking as much (if not more) than kids his age, I thought I'd share some tips with you all on how to help get your little one talking.

1.  Read, read, read.
One of the most important things you can do with your child to help build their vocabulary is to read with them.  Set aside a special time each day and read an age-appropriate book.  Even if your kid doesn't seem to be paying attention, they're still absorbing those words and phrases.  Reading helps to build their idea of sentence structure and how to relate pictures to communication.


2.  Sing silly little songs.
Singing nursery rhymes and lullabies is a great way to bond with your baby, but its also a way to help them recognize words.  Little songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" help them identify the names of body parts, while "Old MacDonald" teaches animal sounds.  Even making up songs about everyday things will bring out the fun side of learning for your toddler.

3.  Narrate everything
Your child doesn't have to participate or even seem to be paying attention to you, but if they are within hearing range and you are talking about everything that you do, they will pick up words and phrases.

4. Delay Responses
One of the biggest things that caused my little guy's speech delay was my own fault.  He would make a sound, or point, and I would hop right up and get what he was wanting.  I had to break that habit when we learned that he was behind other children with speaking.  Instead, when he would point or grunt, I would pretend I had no idea what he was wanting.  This isn't saying to ignore their wants or needs, but make it more of a guessing game for a minute so they realize that by asking for things directly, they get them quicker.
For example, if Sammy would point toward his cup, I would refill it for him.  With delayed response, I would ask him if he wanted his cup.  I would hand it to him empty, and he would fuss.  I would say, "oh do you want 'more'?"  This helped him figure out which words were appropriate for certain situations.

5.  Reinforcement
Any time your child attempts new words, praise them!  Let them know that you like when they talk, and they'll be sure to try harder to impress you.

As with any concerns you may have - if you suspect your child isn't hitting milestones when they should be, be sure to speak with their pediatrician.