First Words?
Posted December 17, 2013 - 4:49pm
I'm super paranoid about making sure my baby girl gets the right developmental tools and language tools to help her speech. Does anyone have any toys they recommend for these types of things?
JamieWalker
Barbara Schacter, LCSW, has a lot of good info!
SuperDuperMom
I feel ya! This was a huge concern for me about my 23 month old. She has a pretty good vocabulary now (for an almost two year old). I can't really say what I would attribute that to besides my husdband and I just talking with her and reading to her. Wesley and I are both avid readers and we want to share this passion with our kids, Clare and John.
DanaP
I had a really similar experience with my two kids. My husband and I read a lot, so from the very beginning we wanted to share that love with our babies. We read to them from the beginning and when they were in elementary school we read longer chapter books like the Harry Potter series together. They ended up growing a similar interest in reading, and their vocabulary blossomed as a result. In my experience, reading was the best way to help my children learn from a young age.
sunnykathleen
I agree - read, read and read some more. Also, listen to her speech to see if you notice anything that doesn't seem quite right. Also, talk to her like a preschooler - enrich her vocabulary through your own conversations with her!
MommyUnwired
I have always read to my kids, too, and they are now great readers (and budding writers, I hope.)
Frugal Minded M...
3 of my 5 have had to go through speech. I did read to them when they were young, but there was still a delay. I've been told by the speech therapists that many times other areas are progressing faster in them and that can lead to a speech delay. For example my youngest had great gross motor skills and was pedaling a tricycle before she was 2 word sentences.
jonbonjovious
Reading to chidren and talking to them like adults (not baby talk) helps build speech. I have had a child who was speaking incredibly clear at 10 months and I have a child in speech therapy. I have had a child who didn't say anything until he was almost two and then spoke in clear, sentences. Each child develops differently and for some, speech isn't their priority. Engage in conversation with your child, read to them, and it will all come together.
Momofboys
Reading and talking to them properly helps a lot. My younger two talk super clear. However, some words my oldest says he has to work on. The teachers didn’t say anything about speech classes with him though, so I just continue to work with him on sounds and words when we do activities.
Frugal Minded M...
I think it's important to note that you can have kids with speech delays even if you do everything you are told. I know I read to my kids as babies and talked to them like a grown up when they were newborns and 4 of the 5 had speech delays. Don't think you have done something wrong! Some kids just advance in other areas first. For instance, my youngest is very advanced in gross motor skills, but was very delayed in speech.
Your Kid's Table
As an OT I've worked with a lot of speech therapists and one toy they like are those cheap microphones that echo when you talk into them, or just using a bowl/cup that causes an echo. Singing simple nursery songs is also really good!