Most people think that it is cute to baby-talk to their children, even up to the age of two. I personally believe that in order for your child to learn how to communicate with you clearly and coherantly, it is important that you start talking to your little one like how you would with an older child.
I’ve actually took notice of how different people talk to their children; I’ve had friends who kept on over-mothering their child and saying that they will learn how to converse later on when they’re older. But even at 3 or 4 years old, the child is still struggling to express what he wants and replaces many words with baby-talk or just plain cooing.
However, I realised there are a few things that can encourage the development of speech in a child.
Speak to your toddler how you would to an older child. A child tend to pick up words from their elders, so if you want your child to be able to communicate what he wants, you need to start by talking to him the same way you want him to talk to you. One thing to note though, if you use profanities, you can be sure he will pick it up in no time too. It doesn’t matter what language you speak to them in; most importantly try to use proper vocabulary. For example, if both of you encounter a dog, you don’t teach him to call it a “woh woh” or “kao kao”, but a “dog”. So avoid baby-talk at much as possible. You can dote on your child with affection without needing to resort to baby-talk.
Send your child to daycare/nursery. When your little one is exposed to other children from different backgrounds chattering away at a centre, he will tend to pick up words too. When I mention daycare, I am not talking about those one-to-one nannies; I am referring to centres that are like pre-school or kindy. That way, your child can interact with other children and learn social skills at the same time.
Watching educational shows. My son loves watching TV programs; which child doesn’t? However, you have to choose what he watches and not just place him in front of the TV just to keep him quiet. He grew up with Barney, then later with most of the shows on Playhouse Disney on Astro. He learnt how to sing and dance, and because of the interactivity of certain programs, he has learnt how to talk like them. It is quite amusing at times when he says things like, “That’s cool guys”.
Of course there are children who are a little slow to pick up on coherent speech, but don’t worry too much about it. Just be patient and keep talking to your child as usual. Well, unless your little one don’t seem to pick up anything at all even after 4 years old, then maybe you should seek out a professional.