encouraging more vocab from my 20 month daughter

Hayley - posted on 03/29/2010

hey my daughter will be three in a couple of weeks and shes only just starting saying more words if you draw with her draw things like dogs and krrp telling her what it is she will know what shes saying u could also try giving her toddler formula or the kids milk to help with omega 3 she will talk when shes ready my little brother did not talk untill he was 4 he is very smart

Louisa - posted on 03/27/2010

thanks for all the great and interesting suggestions ill be trying them ALL out within the comming year. its very nice to be able to read other womens opinions on the matter and take a steep back to re-evaluate things and to just breath, thank you all very much!!!

LORI - posted on 03/23/2010

My suggestion would be not to force her. I was also given that suggestion when my son was taken for a speech evaluation at CHOP.
We were told not to harp on getting him to say the word correctly either. To say the word and praise when they try.
I would suggest using ASL if there is some frustration. We are so grateful when we were introduced to Siging Time. It helped us a lot and my son and other kids love it.
You can purchase some awesome DVD's and other stuff geared for kids. I am a certified instructor with SIging Time and they are an awesome company
www.SignYourWords.com
use code Save5 when checking out for discount

Big thing! Don't Worry!

Tracy - posted on 03/23/2010

Don't try to compare any of your children - it's like comparing apples to oranges. They all develop at different rates, and a preemie will take longer for sure. Most preemies are caught up to full-term babies by age 5, when they are ready to start Kindergarten. (I work for a pediatric hospital that specializes in developmental delay.) You are doing the right thing by reading, reading, reading. And as another mom said, you can say the name of objects as you see or use them together. Age 2 1/2 is perfectly normal for starting a preschool program. Some other things you can look into for now are Early Childhood PTA's in your area, Mother's Day Out programs at local churches, and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups. These groups can help you with activities for your daughter and also give you support as a mom. Also, consider this: your older children may be a detriment to the development of your 20 month old if they are waiting on her hand and foot. My daughter had an older brother that did the same, and it actually delayed her walking because she didn't have to exert herself to try and get a toy across the room. Let your daughter try to do things for herself. Let her hold the books and turn the pages and point to things. Ask her, "Where's the blue block on this page?" "Can you find the puppy dog on this page?" The more she can be independent, the better she will learn what she needs to do to communicate. In other words, how will she learn to ask for help if everything is done for her?

Hope these ideas are helpful to you!

Jennifer - posted on 03/23/2010

The best suggestion I had was reading to her a lot but seems as though you're already doing that! But plus when you're out and about point out things, like "There's a dog, a dog says woof woof". Also premature babies usually develop at a much slower rate than full-term babies. Just think if she had been born full-term she would be 15.5 weeks younger so around 3 or 4 month younger. It's best to think of how old she would be if she'd been full-term when considering her milestones. Don't worry children develop at different rates. If you are concerned consult your doctor.