63
votes
Accepted
My toddler calls me "Mommy", but I'm his father
My son (similar age) calls both me and his mum "Daddy". He also has a habit of calling all animals Cows or Sheep. Like Erica says in the comment, it's pretty standard. They've learnt a single word ...
- 933
22
votes
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Our babygirl doesn't say mommy
Usually children learn the words they need to know to get particular types of attention first, and use them most frequently.
So while there may be many reasons for her to choose saying "baba" and "...
- 6,533
20
votes
2-year-old does not speak
I'm married to a Speech Therapist who owns her own clinic, so while she's really the best to answer your question, I can tell you from my observations and discussions with my wife that your child ...
- 539
15
votes
What benefits does using "baby talk" provide, and how do you maximize those benefits?
While there have been studies comparing infant preferences between "baby talk" and "regular talk", finding that "baby talk" was preferred, I'd probably lean more towards the results presented in this ...
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14
votes
How to know if 12 month old is talking
If you say dadadadada and she repeats it, she is parroting. If she sees her dada and says "dada", then she is talking. Basically, talking is saying something that reflects a shared reality. Children ...
- 66.9k
13
votes
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Cause and cure of silly behavior in children
Ignore it. Your child will most likely outgrow it if you ignore it. It sounds like a submissive behavior -- a way to say "I'm just a little child" without saying so out loud. You might reflect on ...
- 352
13
votes
2-year-old does not speak
If you want to encourage his development, spend time with him and talk to him like you would an adult. Speak to him as though he can understand everything you are saying. If you need to go to the gas ...
- 831
13
votes
How can I help my 9 year old son fall asleep and stop stuttering?
You need to have your son assessed by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. It is important that your son gets treatment for his stuttering before the age of 11, regardless of the cause. Studies ...
- 539
12
votes
Our babygirl doesn't say mommy
The saying I heard since I was a child was "walking by one, talking by two." She'll get there! My son called me 'ball' for quite a while after he could say 'Daddy,' but who gets the lion's share of ...
- 12.2k
12
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My son has not started speaking properly, now he is 1 yr and 10 months
Please see this PDF called the Denver Developmental II. It represents normal milestones in development and is used around the world. The white area in each rectangle are the normals; the blue areas ...
- 66.9k
12
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Accepted
My 3-year-old is not speaking but pointing
As I'm sure your OT and SLP have told you, there's a lot of natural variability in when kids hit language milestones, and late language emergence is not always cause for concern.
Your child --- with ...
- 2,417
11
votes
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How to get your toddler to ask nicely for things when they're grumpy?
This is the sort of issue that happens all the time with toddlers and preschoolers: when sufficiently well rested and fed, they're polite and well behaved, but when something's amiss things go poorly.
...
- 58.3k
11
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My toddler calls me "Mommy", but I'm his father
This is no big deal, and you shouldn't sweat it. My daughter is almost 2 1/2 and calls her aunt "Uncle Meghan," and everyone thinks it's hilarious.
Both of my kids have gone through the same as ...
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11
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My toddler calls me "Mommy", but I'm his father
Some answers are suggesting to correct thus: "Dada not Mama!". For an infant it is much better to correct more simply, without the negative: "Dada!"
The negative is an advanced mental construct that ...
- 221
11
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What to do about a 19-month-old not talking?
Hi and welcome to Parenting SE! Many children do not start forming sentences until 18-24 months.LINK
If you have been to your doctor (and you should if you are concerned), then probably it is still ...
- 17.4k
11
votes
Accepted
How to make my 5-year-old speak in first person when she speaks in second person?
As of now, there's no indication of a larger problem. You haven't been correcting her so looks like she's just continuing it out of a habit.
Start responding to the questions in the correct manner, ...
- 1,422
9
votes
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How to know if 12 month old is talking
Anongoodnurse's answer is spot on, but I wanted to add a couple of things.
First off, don't forget we as humans are amazing at pattern recognition, to the point that we see it where it doesn't belong....
- 58.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Getting real answers from a 3 year old
To some extent: yes, the questions may well be too open-ended. Not even exactly too open ended, just asking for information that he doesn't necessarily have. Better is to ask for more specific ...
- 58.3k
8
votes
Our babygirl doesn't say mommy
My niece used to say "mommy", "daddy" and the name of her older brother. The dog was "puppy". She took a long time to say "grandma" but they all were suspicious that "grandpa" was actually referring ...
- 414
8
votes
2-year-old does not speak
If you are worried, you should have his hearing checked first. It is not uncommon for Small children to develop a hearing impediment caused by ear infections, which will have an impact on their speech ...
8
votes
How to discourage verbal use of "like" with 4 year-old?
For the most part, kids learn what they hear. They're not literally parrots, but it helps me to think of them that way sometimes.
So, the best way to "train" them out of speech patterns is ...
- 58.3k
7
votes
My two year old has a lisp. Should I try to correct her now?
When raising our baby, the changing table was one good place for practicing sound mimicry. I would make a sound, and she would try to imitate. We started with vowel sounds, then work on consonant ...
7
votes
Is it normal for a 2-year-old boy to show no interest in social interaction and talking?
That's consistent with my experience as well. If you're comparing him to the kids at preschool/daycare, if he's only been there a month he's going to have a hard time fitting in right away - that's ...
- 58.3k
7
votes
Complete or not complete the child's sentences
What I’ve been taught is to let the child try, so long as it isn’t frustrating them unduly. As with any skill, language recall comes with practice, and shortcutting that is not helpful. However, if ...
- 58.3k
6
votes
Accepted
What to do about a 3-year-old child not speaking and not interacting with people around him?
Our son did not use whole sentences till the age of two. He said only the last syllable of particular word. We noticed that he is lagging behind in speaking as soon as he was one year old. I took him ...
- 76
6
votes
How to get help for my non-verbal toddler who can get screamig fits?
You're not losing your "one remaining brain cell". You are absolutely right in wanting the child tested for anything and everything, and with the signs you discuss, I have no idea why your requests ...
- 66.9k
6
votes
Accepted
My 16 month old son knows only a couple of words
Children develop at their own speed. Especially language shows a lot of variation. Some start early and form complex sentences soon, others start early, stay at the one- or two-word stage for a looong ...
- 17.6k
6
votes
Accepted
15 month old girl hasn't learned any new words in months
You should get your child in to be evaluated by her pediatrician. There are a number of syndromes that could explain what you are perceiving, some of which are speech related, while others are ...
- 8,937
6
votes
Can you tell if toddler speech is delayed at 15 months?
IMO, you don't worry unless the doctor has specifically said there is a delay. Many kids do not choose to talk until after two. My hub who has a very high IQ, did not talk until 3 and his first words ...
- 17.4k
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