Talk to your child as if you are having a conversation with anyone else. You do not know when they are going to understand what you are saying. You cannot put a timetable on that. If you talk to them with dialects such as baby talk (Goo Goo, Ga Ga), they will in turn learn to speak that way. Children learn from us and mimic what we do and say. If you speak to them in baby talk, or don’t speak to them often, it should be no surprise if they have a difficult time learning to speak for themselves. You are only hindering their speech progress. This is no laughing matter.

When I say talk as if you are having a conversation with anyone else, I mean in the tone and words you use. Children may not understand larger words, but at one point they did not understand small simple ones. Why not engage them in the everyday terminology an adult uses so when those words are introduced to them, and when they are ready to, they understand them. You will know when they are ready. They will ask, “Dad what does ____________ mean?” Or they will figure it out through contextual clues.

The possible result of speaking baby talk (Goo Goo, Ga Ga), is they may develop a speech impediment. They only mimic what they are taught. If they are taught to speak any certain dialect or tone, that is what they will mimic, especially if they are only around mom or dad who is speaking to them in those tones. Single parents out there, be especially aware so you do not hinder their growth in areas of annunciation, vocabulary, and comprehension.