How can I help my 20m daughter talk?

Question

She's an only child and she's not in daycare-says maybe 10 words, but not very often. Her doctor said she's ok, but I'd like to know if anyone has any tips on how I can help her to say more. Obviously I can't push her, but maybe some other moms out there have had similar situations.

Answer 1

When you and your husband talk use one-two worded sentences like:

Before you pick her up say "Up"
Before you put her down say "Down"
When you giver her a sippy say "Cup"? Pointing at it
Kids pick up words more quickly if they are interested in it or like it so when notice her looking at something tell her what it is or what it does.

like when you see a Dog say Dog and point.

My daughter is saying all sorts of words and I know it's b/c from the moment she was born we always talked to her using 1-2 words and pointed to numerous things saying what it was. Always use simple words to. When you vacuum tell her why, when you two are heading to grocery shopping or just shopping tell her what you are doing.

When you dress her name her body parts as you put her clothes on......basically always talk to her and explain why you are doing what you are doing.

Answer 2

My middle guy was speech delayed and my gut told me by 23 months that he had speech issues. Watch it and if she or he is not speaking right to you call the school district by age three and they have to evaluate and if there is a speech delay that child is entitled to early intervention, preschool with speech, transportation. My child now speaks beautifully and he is four. He still has a bit of a delay but it is fading fast. So go for it. don't worry too much it is all about development and some go into it faster than others doesn't mean anything is wrong with the baby or that you should be upset it just means the baby needs a helping hand. Good Luck

Answer 3

Both of my children (one is almost 4 and never shuts up now! and the other is 20 months) have had speech "delays". With my first child, the arrival of her baby sister is what pushed her to speak more. With the baby, we are discovering that repetition repetition repetition is the key. Everytime we open the refrigerator we point out her favorite things and name them (now she says juice and "sauce" for applesauce). When we dress her we point out body parts and clothing names, etc.

A lot of people say to make sure you read to your kids every day to encourage vocabulary. My children are both "on the go" way too much to sit with me and read, or even to have the patience to hear my voice rambling in the background as they are trying to play!

Every child's way of learning is different so you need to find out what works for your little one. If she's not talking more or not using words that she has used in the past in a couple months, I might have her checked out by the doctor again and if doctor says she's still ok then have her checked by a speech evaluator.

Good luck!

Answer 4

My daughter is almost 22 months and only says a handful of words. Every child develops differently. I just repeat words over again so she can hear them and learn. She can copy actions really well, so with constant repetition, she will say what she hears. Make sure you say the right words to her, not baby jibberish, like bottle instead of baba. Don't worry, and don't push. If you push, she may get frustrated too. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Make sure she's exposed to kids her own age, as kids often become parrots, she might pick up some words from others.
Try a community centre that has classes for moms and toddlers, or try places like the park, where theres lots of other kids.
Continue to dialogue everything you do, and don't get too stressed, she will talk when she's ready!!

Answer 6

I would contact you school district and ask them about early intervention services and seek a speech evaluation. She maybe eligible for some speech and language services and this should be free. In the meantime, talk to her throughout the day, name things around the house as you use them, repeat them a couple times as you point to each item (one item at a time). Do the same as you read to her, name things in the pictures as you point to them. When you shop at the grocery store you can name things that you put in your cart. Make flashcards - Cut simple things out of magazines and glue to index cards and then name them as you show the cards to her. Start with 5 cards at first, as she responds, add more cards every couple of days or so.
Hope this helps...good luck.

Answer 7

Read to her a lot. Repeat common words. Talk to her while looking at her and while she is looking at you. carry on a constant conversation with her...this is a red apple, this is a big chair, do you want some cold water, etc. Never use baby talk. And don't correct her when she is trying as that can damage her self confidence (yes, even at 20 mo.) this can lead to even more delays or even stuttering.

Answer 8

dont push them too much
all i can recommend is read read read
2 or 3 books a day
point things out and say words aloud
dont make it annoying otherwise they will lose interest
ask them what pictures are in books but dont nag them to repeat after you... maybe role play with your husband and poin things out to him... if she doesnt get involved or doesnt copy she might just not be ready
your daughter is fine and will blossom when she is ready
she may even be a little shy...

Answer 9

Just talk to her normally, no baby talk. Pointing at an object and saying what it is, is generally very helpful. Before long, you'll be wishing she didn't talk so much.

Answer 10

constant repetition of words with related objects. our son has speech delays, too, and this has helped a lot. also, we will hold an object to our chin then say the word that describes it. this also helps to identify things.