Toddler Talk
First off, for all of you with toddlers, Godspeed! This is no easy task, and if you have multiples- your trophy is in the mail, oh.my. goodness! Working with toddlers is different then working with infants. They are aware, alert, and always ready to party. An infant’s first year of life is to gain skills that basically teaches them not to die. Once they have ‘mastered’ these skills they get, well… bored. And I don’t blame them. All this freedom, standing on two feet, can actually reach out and grab things, and somehow there are 4 walls surrounded them!? Inconceivable! So as we fill the hours of making sure they are not launching themselves off of coffee tables, sticking peas up their nose and/or figuring out how they get out of their crib each night, it is easy to forget that communication should be a priority.
Speech for toddlers is different for each one. Although, whether your child says ‘monkey’ for everything, or has 3 adjectives for describing their food, every toddler can communicate. This ‘talk’ can look a lot different for a parent when the focus is turned from progression to quality. I always recommend that parents shouldn’t freak out if their toddler isn’t hitting each milestone. Actually, sometimes children hit milestones out of ‘order’ and its totally ok! I have had some parents almost in tears because of this, and it hurts my heart. There are so so many outside opinions out there, and it can be overwhelming for parents. What is right? Are we doing this wrong? Is my child ‘delayed’? When it comes to communication, all you really need to know is ‘this is working for us, sticking with it’.
A few tips I give my toddler parents is to, one: get on their child’s level. Toddler’s focus on what is interesting. If you dangle the shiny, loud/annoying toy in font of them long enough they’ll bite (maybe not just literally -different milestone!). Keep their attention. Some children are food-driven, some are toy-driven, find that drive and stick with it! Your goal is not to re-invent the wheel, but to figure out the best way to get them to tell you what they want. Tip two: be consistent. If a spoken word is the goal just remember it takes a baby 80-100 times hearing a word to repeat it. Also on the topic of consistent, be aware that toddlers are not! It’ll seem some months that you have a different toddler every single day. That’s ok, that’s normal, and absolutely stressful. Mom, dad- you’re doing a great job. Keep up the level of consistency that you can- baby WILL catch up! And lastly, I find rewards work well with many families. Toddlers go through a ‘me’ stage and the world revolves around them. If you can find a healthy way to ‘reward’ your child each time he/she communicates successfully it can go a long way- especially if they are reaching this stage.
Best of luck, and I cant wait to see you all and help you on your communication journeys!
