Things To Do When Toddler Starts Talking

All parents wait to hear those first words from their child's mouth with baited breath. They all expect it to be something touching like ‘mama' or ‘papa'. But what if your toddler starts talking in a rather uncouth way to begin with. His/ her first words could actually shock you. That is why it is important to be careful around toddlers of talking age.

Your toddler's speech is influenced by you and the environment you give to him/ her. Your toddler is like a sponge, he/ she will absorb whatever they come in contact with. They do not have a sense of judgment yet. So, you need to nurture your toddler's speech perfectly.

Here are some precautions you need to take when your toddler starts talking.

No Abusive Language

It is very common for toddlers to pick up abusive words these days. And do not be surprised if they pick up these abusive words from you. Censor your telephone conversations very carefully. You cannot afford to let down your guard when you have a toddler of talking age at home.

No Baby Talk

Do you know why a majority of toddlers stammer or have a problem with rolling their vowels? It is because their parents and grandparents encourage them to baby talk. You may think baby talk is sweet but for your kid that is encouragement to talk like that. They do not realise that they will have to outgrow baby talk. That is why, your toddler may have many speech problems if you don't talk clearly.

Watch What Toddler Is Watching

You also need to be very careful about what your toddler watches and hears in the media after he or she starts talking. Kids pick up some really inappropriate language from the mass media these days. Do not watch adult Television channels when your toddler is around. You really don't want them humming sleazy songs numbers in a few months.

Start Education Now

Once your kid starts from talking, you need to start teaching him/ her educational stuff. Teach them the basic alphabet orally. Also teach the toddler rhymes and many nursery tales. Good influences take time to take root. But bad influences are much easier to teach.

Language Problem

Most Indian toddlers learn at least 2 languages. You may feel that learning two languages at once may confuse your toddler when he/ she starts talking. But toddlers have an immense capacity for linguistic learning. However, you need to speak to your toddler in one language at once. Never mix up languages when you are talking to your toddler. Speak in one language at a time.

These are some of things you need to be careful about when your toddler starts talking.