Some tips for encouraging language development in babies and toddlers. A thread: 1/

Talk to them as often as you can stand the sound of your own voice. Narrate their life. Tell them about how you’re pulling their arm through their sleeve or how their breakfast is warm and sweet or how they’re gross for puking all over you. 2/

Sing to them. Baby’s and tots love singing for a reason. It holds their attention. It calms them. It doesn’t matter if you “can’t sing”. They don’t care. Sing anyway. Make up stupid little rhymes. Pause for dramatic effect at the end of twinkle twinkle. Have fun with it 3/

Pay attention when they talk to you, even if they can’t use words yet. Pretend you know what they’re trying to say. Give them the words you THINK they might be trying to say. Even if it’s total nonsense 4/

Repeat their own babbles back to them, and pause, giving them time to respond. Add to their sounds: if they say “dada” you say “dabadaba”. Make it tuneful. Make stupid noises. Blow raspberries on their cheeks. Have fun. 5/

Pay attention to what your baby is looking at. Name it for them. Talk about it in a variety of ways. For example:
“Ball! You see the ball. That looks like fun to play with! I’ll roll the ball to you. Get ready to catch!”

Use complete sentences and clear speech. Change your tone of voice up a lot, but don’t use ‘baby’ words like “wabbit” or “widdle baby waby”.

You are showing baby how to talk. Be a good model! 7/

Vary the inflection of your voice. You’re probably doing this naturally without noticing! Babies find it easier to listen when our voices are very animated 8/

Repetition repetition repetition. Sing the same silly songs and read the same books over and over again. This is how kids learn. Bonus: when you’ve read the same story enough times, you can practically read it in your sleep! 9/

Encourage eye contact by doing horsey rides on your lap or swinging baby in the air. Don’t start the movement until baby looks into your eyes. “Horsey goooooooeeeees............ walk, walk, walk...”

If talking to your baby feels uncomfortable to you, you aren’t alone! Try starting with just nappy changes - narrate everything that happens from the time you notice the need for a change until baby is fully dressed again. Then when that’s comfortable, add feed times. 11/

Read to them. This is another great way of getting that talking time up if narrating their life feels uncomfortable to you. Talk about the pictures. Do funny voices. Have fun with it, but try to read it in the same way each time - (there’s that repetition thing again) 12/

Ask them questions, but for every question you ask, try to make at least four comments:
“Wow, the sky is so blue! Listen to the birds chirping. Cheep cheep cheep. Oh! They flew away. Bye birds! Can you wave bye-bye?” 13/

Give baby (and yourself) breaks. Let them explore their own fingers or a toy while you have a hot cuppa. You’ll be a better parent if you take a minute for yourself every so often.

Ok so that’s more of a sanity-saving tip than a language development one. Important tho! 14/

Know that you are enough. Exactly as you are.

Know that your little one loves you, exactly as you are.

Know that this is tough for EVERY parent, and also joyful, and exhausting and fun and boring. It is all the things.

15/END. For now.