MommyGarten Revisited: Language Development
This week, MommyGarten.com is on vacay, yet focused on Mommy’s needs.
We’ll use this week to make sure that all the mommies who come to MommyGarten.com are caught up on the lessons of parenthood. We’re giving new moms a gift unlike any other: Sugar-free peace of mind.
So, please enjoy this look back at excerpts from earlier posts on what Mommies need to know about language development.
Your baby’s first words (from March 2010)
As regular readers of this blog know, the newborn first translates her communiques into the language of the cry. Within weeks after her birth, baby will have organized her cries into different sounding requests. At about 3 months old, your baby will discover the joy of laughing. By 6 months of age, she’s beginning to babble for entertainment, but for a purpose, too.
Scientists have discovered that babies between the age of 6 and 12 months are also ruthless editors — they simply don’t bother with sounds that don’t occur in what will be their native languages. Although babies’ brains are born ready to hear, understand, and produce all sounds of all languages known to humankind, the brain makes choices based on exposure, experiences, and usage.
Talkative toddlers defined (from March 2010)
Toddler
Well, to be precise I’ll define a toddler as someone who might or might not walk alone yet. And if he does walk, he might or might not do it with unsteady steps, hence the word, toddle.
To be imprecise, yet ironically more accurate to the way the word is used, I’ll decree that a toddler is generally considered to be a child between the ages of 12 and 36 months. A child with one or two birthdays behind him.
Talkative
The ability to use, understand, enjoy, practice, or respond to a developmentally-appropriate quantity of spoken language sounds, body language cues, and meanings.
Your 12 to 24 month-old will be talkative when he:
- Uses words and/or body language to express himself.
- Learns enough words to follow simple instructions.
- Has favorite songs, fingerplays, poems, or stories. And enjoys hearing them repeated.
- Speaks baby jargon. This interesting phenomenon sounds like “real” speech because of your baby’s ability to imitate grownup speech rhythms and vocal inflections.
More recaps tomorrow and every day this week. Check back daily for specific, realistic, age-appropriate child development tips.
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Carly Jennings | Language Development | 
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