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
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 ...
- 965
15
votes
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 ...
- 2,447
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
11
votes
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 ...
- 211
11
votes
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
votes
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 ...
- 17.5k
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, ...
- 1,442
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 ...
- 61.8k
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 ...
- 61.8k
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 ...
- 61.8k
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 ...
- 8,987
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 ...
- 17.5k
6
votes
23-month-old son does not listen or acknowledge
I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist who has specialized in early childhood communication development for 15 years. I have some resources about language development in general and the specific concern ...
6
votes
What benefits does using "baby talk" provide, and how do you maximize those benefits?
As @user25972 pointed out, it's not necessarily "baby talk" that babies prefer, but in one study (cited in the answer) it was positive emotion rather than the higher pitch of baby talk (or infant ...
- 69k
6
votes
My 3-year-old is not speaking but pointing
I used to do this; teach him sign language so that you can communciate better. Make the sounds of the words as you sign.
Signing isnt hard to learn at a basic level - get a book from amazon. My two ...
- 331
6
votes
How to make my 5-year-old speak in first person when she speaks in second person?
It is normal for a 3-4 year old to exhibit 'play talk' when learning pronouns, but at 5 years old it should have started to remediate.
There are several techniques that we use in therapy, including ...
- 539
6
votes
Child Mumbles When Asking Questions
encourage/reward good behavior, ignore bad behavior
Children learn incredibly quickly and learn a lot more than we give them credit for. The main issue is that they often don't learn what we want them ...
- 296
5
votes
How can I help my 9 year old son fall asleep and stop stuttering?
I stutter. I started when I was 5 or 6, around the time my dad became unemployed and we needed to move across the country. I did speech therapy for all of elementary school and part of middle school, ...
- 1,008
5
votes
What age do kids really "master" the conversational basics?
Well, it's a gradual process.
What are the milestones for speech and language development?
The first signs of communication occur when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and ...
- 4,580
5
votes
How to teach your toddler to pronounce old words correctly?
First: Pick your battles wisely. There is no need to train your child to use the proper words in each and every case. (And no, this is not the "Aawww, so cute when he says 'Duper!'" perspective, more ...
- 18.1k
5
votes
How can I make my baby try and talk
I would say that there are a few things you can do that might help. Many children at one are not yet talkers, so please try not to worry. It never hurts to ask your child's doctor or nurse if ...
- 17.5k
4
votes
My son talks way too fast and I need help
It wasn't clear from your question, but I'm going to assume in my answer that your son is able to communicate clearly when he makes a concerted effort, but perhaps makes it through a paragraph or two ...
- 36k
4
votes
Accepted
When do bilingual kids start to talk fluently?
My daughter has recently turned 4 and was raised in somewhat the same way. We speak Dutch to her, but she sees a lot of English videos and stories, so she also picks up some Dutch.
She started making ...
- 8,355
4
votes
Accepted
Should I be concerned that my 2 year-old cannot pronounce sounds like "vee" and "fee"?
This behavior is a normal part of development for a two-year-old.
At 24 months a child should have about 70% accuracy of consonants, and by 36 months about 87% accuracy. Producing "b" instead of "f" ...
- 841
4
votes
Accepted
At what age do trilingual toddlers develop consistent speech?
From the literature I've read, I believe sometimes after 2 or maybe closer to 3 years old.
But don't worry, if the child understands when you talk to him, in any of the languages, that's a good sign ...
- 155
4
votes
How to explain the concept of past / future to a kid?
I've had students who could not get the concept. We played hide the button. "Here is the button (whatever). I will hide the button and then we will look for it."
Show the button. "The button is here ...
- 17.5k
4
votes
Accepted
My 2-year-old son is still not talking. Is this normal?
According to the US CDC, some basic milestones for a two year old include:
Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
Repeats words overheard in conversation
To answer your broad question ("is this normal"), ...
- 61.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible