Becoming a new parent is the most exciting time of your life. While the majority of time you will be enthralled with this little miracle, there will also be a few times of discouragement and bewilderment. Communication is one example in that while your child might know what he or she is saying, you may not.
From the time you are pregnant, we recommend you spend quality time reading, talking, or singing to your baby. To get your child’s own skills off to the best possible start, you want to speak clearly and slowly, making sure each word is pronounced properly. Although your baby will not understand or even try to repeat any of these words for quite some time, you can be sure everything you say is being absorbed for another day.
Keep in mind that many babies and toddlers will ramble on with poor articulation. Generally, speech is not very clear until your child is at least two years of age. Even then, experts say that if you can understand 50% of what your child is saying, you are doing great. Sometimes, a child will get overly excited, talking so fast or mumbled that you cannot understand. In this case, get down to your child’s level and gently ask him/her to slow down so you can better understand.
Children do not articulate well at first but as they age, this will become better and better. However, to encourage your child, you too want to speak to him or her in a clear voice. What you want to avoid doing is frustrating your baby or toddler. Remember, this learning curve is huge, taking time to perfect so you need to be very patient. If you see your child babbling on while pointing to something, repeat the name of the object several times so the child can begin to understand.
On occasion, a child may have trouble due to underlying problems such as hearing. Therefore, if you have any concerns whatsoever, you should have your baby or toddler checked by a pediatrician. However, in most cases, patience and clear speaking will do wonders for helping your child grow developmentally sound.