Talking

Your child’s ability to speak is directly link to their ability to listen. So now is the time to watch what you say, no one want their child’s first real word to be a swear word. By listening to others, your child learns what words sound like and how to put a sentence together. As a baby, they discovered first how to make sounds, then how to make those sounds into real words, hearing the word mummy or daddy for the first time is an amazing feeling it makes such difference from the noise and the conversations in their own language that only they understand. Once they master the first few words there then follows a period of extraordinary growth, as you watch your toddler go from speaking a few simple words to asking questions, giving directions, to saying no and why and then to regaling you with stories they have made up, watch out for that it is not so much lying as it is experimenting but they can be very convincing, I recall a story of a child drawing a visit to a hospital to see an uncle that had been in a car crash only to find that it was completely made up the child loved the fact that he had been believed and try may different stories for the fun of it. Remember that all though they may be quiet they are taking in every word many parents have been caught out by their child repeating a sentence that was not meant for the persons ears, e.g. “Grandma mummy said that you were a can tant us old moo” “what does can tant us, mean?”. If you are a saint and never say a bitchy word then good for you but for the rest of us mere mortals who do on the odd occasion say things that we may not want the person to hear about make sure they are not listening before you open your mouth.

For the developmental milestone and problems talking try www.lavenmedia.co.uk/talkingtips.html