12/07/2025
TODDLER SPEECH
A few weeks ago, I had a problem with my website. I couldn't figure out what had happened. I made some calls, but I wasn't able to explain my problem. Either it was the wrong person to talk with, or they didn't understand what I was trying to say, or I didn't know the right terms. Eventually, after quite a bit of frustration, I finally got it worked out- got a new domain, transferred the website and I was back on track.
The whole situation made me think about toddler's trying to speak. When babies start exploring making sounds, they start with cooing. Those are vowel sounds like “ooh” and “aah”. Next, they move to babbling which is a string of consonants with some vowels thrown in, such as “baba”, “gaga”, and “dada”. “Ah” sounds are still common, but they may start to use other vowels. They respond happily when their family reacts to their sounds.
Imitation is necessary for babies to move to more complex speech. They need to hear other people, not speaking “baby talk” but clear speech. They will understand what you say long before they can say it. At some point, when you say “Where is Daddy?”, they will start looking around. As they hear more speech, they move to jargoning. Jargoning is when the child uses sounds with inflections (the ups and downs) of speech. I describe it as sounding like they are talking, but in a language no one else understands! If you get the idea of what they want (in spite of it being in a different language!), say something back like “Oh, do you want your blue bunny now? Here's the blue bunny.” If that's not what they want, they will surely let you know!
Eventually, they start picking up understandable words. Usually, by 12-18 months, they will use single words, often pointing as well. They may start with only a couple of words, but they rapidly increase to 10-50 words. By 2 years old, they may start putting words together such as “More milk” or “Go bye-bye”.
During this whole process, it's critical for parents, guardians, siblings, everyone to talk to the child clearly, repeating words that the baby is trying to say. Describe what you are doing - “We are going to go pick up Daddy at work”, “We are putting on your shirt now. It's a green shirt”. Talk about anything and everything. I think my father read to me from his textbook when he was in graduate school.
Reading is fantastic for speech development (as well as social skills). Read aloud to your child every day. If they are not very interested in the story, point to pictures and name them. Describe what they are doing. Your child will gain far more vocabulary than from what you ordinarily talk about. Sing songs, especially with hand motions. When you learn something in a song, it stays with you for a long time. When I started singing to my babies, the first songs I remembered were the Sunday School songs I had learned ages ago.
Learning to speak is hard work for your child. They may get frustrated at times when you aren't understanding what they mean (like me with the website support people!). Be patient and work with them to find what they are trying to say. Listen and repeat more clearly, if you think you have an idea. It takes time.
If you have any concerns about your child's speech development, be sure to mention it to your child's provider. If there is a problem, it's always best to treat it early.
Contact Dr. Cheryl Coldwater at Big Sky Pediatrics for more information about your child's development.
Big Sky Pediatrics Dr. Cheryl Coldwater, MD A new kind of Pediatric Practice. Do you want care for your child or adolescent that works *with* you? Big Sky Pediatrics is a unique practice. I am a board-certified Pediatrician with 39 years of experience. I see patients in my office in Marble Falls by....
