Jeff and I have been working with B and his words: lots of dialogue, reading, pointing, singing, etc. Essentially his language is delayed because of his ear issues. He has words: dada, mama, dog, Tack, down, hello, here, and so on. He understands much of what we say to him, but he isn't quick to talk back.
I know kids tend to be stronger in one area of development than others, and my kid is very physical. He is dancing, climbing, running, jumping, etc. But he won't talk. We spent twenty minutes at dinner trying to get him to say "fry" or "want" or "yes". He just had a royal meltdown. He is so frustrated and it hurts to watch.
I'm trying not to get discouraged; a lot of moms have told me that around 18 months they just start talking and don't shut up. Any suggestions, other than being patient?
8 comments:
I don't know if you're into Baby Einstein or not, but Piper loves to watch them because they always have music in them. She picked up a lot of words from them too. I like them because they're educational too.
Lennon also watched a lot of Baby Einstein, and I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but that girl was only 15 months when she was talking about Galileo.
Granted, I believe she was referring to the giraffe character, but the people at the grocery store didn't know that.
Biggest thing? And I know you've heard this a million time, but just read to him, and talk about the pictures before turning the pages. He'll get it. And if he doesn't, get in touch with an Early Intervention program, because that's what it's there for.
I've heard from several women that it's common for boys to start talking later than girls usually do. I have a really good friend who's son sounds a lot like Bradley. He was very physical and really smart. He would do puzzles, respond to requests and commands, but didn't talk a whole lot. His vocabulary was maybe ten words. After he was two years old and still not a lot of vocal progress, they took him to a speech pathologist. He's three now, and he doesn't shut up.
Hang in there, Keiko. You're still communicating with him, and it seems like he can communicate with you, even though it's not always with words. It will come. :)
..this advice was brought to you by a woman who does not have children. :)
Boo to Baby Einstein and having infants watch TV!
All I've ever heard about this is that kids will do things in their own time, no matter what they are "supposed" to be doing. I wouldn't stress about it. He will talk in his own time. I know, you didn't want to hear to be patient, but...I would just say to keep talking to him and pause for him to respond, then keep going like he did. Point at things and say the words, turn his gestures into sentences. Nick's brother/cousin-in-law didn't start talking until after he was two, and now he won't shut up.
Until you're doctor is worried, I wouldn't be.
Oh no she di'int.
Putting your kid in a bouncy seat and turning on the TV so you can surf the net or whatever is one thing, but watching Baby Einstein with your little one and talking about the images, humming the music, and bringing up what you saw later on is a whole other thing entirely, and should not be booed.
I get where you're coming from, Clevergirl, as I've seen plenty of Squared-Eyed Monsters basically unable to concentrate on ANYTHING unless it was displayed onscreen, but there are ways to make TV work for your kids, by exposing them to things they couldn't otherwise see (we don't live by the ocean, near a farm, or in outer space, for example). The key is to watch WITH the baby, and make it part of how the two of your interact.
Granted, two year olds don't need spongebob, but videos like baby einstein or signing time have done nothing but good things for my kid's development. The problem is that most parents don't Use As Directed, and basically make TV their live-in nanny. That is so not where I'm coming from.
I don't think babies HAVE to have TV, and by no means, Keiko, am I saying that Bradley needs to be watching these videos to gain exposure to words. I just think it serves as an effective tool of word recognition and a great jumping off point in seeing what peaks his interest, so that you can go from there.
Suck. There goes anonymity.
I totally gets it.
Last night at a wedding I sat next to an early years speech therapist and I gabbed her ear off about B. She encouraged me to use baby signs and specifically cited BE. I think it goes without saying that you watch with the kid.
Hey Keiko,
Being the mom of 3 boys, it's amazing what differences you see in them. Our first (who's now 17) didn't talk basically at all at 2 but was speaking non-stop at 3 and hasn't quit now! ;o) Our almost 3-year old on the other hand was speaking paragraphs by 2. They all develop at their own pace.
I agree with the others on the Baby Einstein videos - they're great. We watch them with the boys and talk about the pictures, etc. and they love them.
I'm also a HUGE fan of Baby Signs! We've done it with both Drew and Nate and it's worked wonderfully. It allows them to 'talk' to you when they don't have the speech skills to get the word out. It's absolutely amazing and you can start anytime.
Call me if you want! I'd love to chat with ya!
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