Talking Properly

Don't panic! My son does the same exact thing with his speech. He is getting better as he practices. We repeat words to help him, and we over annunciate the words and each syllable of the word. This has helped him some. We also realized that he was blending words because we say them so fast sometimes... so we slow down and put a deliberate space in between phrases that have two or more words. This helped too.

And the advice my pediatrician gave us on vegetables was this ... "it is your job to offer the vegetables. you can't make them eat it. but just offering gets the point across. Some kids go through hot dog phases, or potato phases, but eventually watching you eat them, and you offering it to them will get it done."... he's right. (he has 4 kids of his own, so he walks the walk)

If her nutrition worries you, you might start her on flintstones (if you don't already)... they contains a good bit of what they need daily. Just make sure she eats something before you give it to her. My niece has taken them on an empty stomach and the results weren't pretty.

She is two so her speech does not have to be the greatest. I would just reinforce the correct saying of the word when she says it wrong. She will catch on with time.

Hi, I am going through the same thing with my 32 month old boy. Evan was a late talker, but he now speaks in 4-5 word sentences. The problem is that it is very hard for most people to understand him. He cannot make hard "c" sounds, "f" sounds, "k" sounds, "h" sounds, "r" or "l" sounds, and cannot even say his name properly- he says "Enan" instead of "Evan." He also will mix up "b" and "d", for instance saying "bady" instead of "baby."

I asked my ped. about it and she recommended I go ahead and take him to a speech therapist. I did, but the speech therapist told me it was too early and to come back when he is 3 if he isn't speaking any clearer. I do believe that habit is part of the problem, because if I make him repeat a word slowly he can say it clearer than he usually does. I have a fairly strong southern accent and my husband is English, so I have wondered if that is part of the problem, but I kind of doubt it. I am going to take him back to the speech therapist in the next several months if his pronunciation does not improve.

With regard to the veggie issue, I have the same problem to some extent with Evan. Evan loves pickles, so I found pickled brussel sprouts at Kroger and he ate them! I think you can also buy pickled carrots and cauliflower so if your daughter likes pickles, you might try that. Also you can buy something called veggie booty at Wild oats (in the chips aisle) that contains spinach and kale, but looks like a rice puff snack. Evan likes those too. Also, you might try making a veggie drink, with carrots and apple juice.

Hope that helps, L.

My niece went through the same thing. It was something with her tongue and the way it grew, the attaching skin underneath was to close to the tip. Get her tongue checked out. Just a thought.

K.,
I think it has got to be very common, all of my kids went through it at that age and I can't think of one toddler off the top of my head who doesn't confuse their sounds most of the time. My youngest is the same age and I tend to think her speech is quite advanced for her age, but she still can't pronounce certain sounds. My advice is to just repeat the proper way to say it when you think of it. She will catch on before you know it! :)

About her speech--I would talk to your pediatrician and see about having her evaluated for speech therapy. At age 2 and even 3, this is the best time for intervention. Wait any longer and it'll be too late. My daughter had problems with certain letters and we went thru speech therapy. My sister is going thru the same thing with my nephew. I keep telling her that he is in definite need of speech, but she just doesn't seem to think its an issue. There are only a few words of his that are understandable. And at age 2, he isn't even speaking 2-5 words sentences. I have a schedule that tells at what age children should master certain letter sounds. Send me your personal email address and I will email it to you.
About the vegetable issue--I can't help you there. My 9 yr. old doesn't like veggies either. He will only eat lettuce and raw carrots. No cooked veggies. My 6 yr. old is the total opposite. She loves veggies. My only suggestion is to have your daughter drink Pedia-sure to make sure she gets all the daily vitamins and nutrients that she needs.
Hope this has been some help to you!

I am a speech therapist. At age 2, you should be able to understand about half of what she says. That said, you need to look at her speech overall. For example, does she say b words incorrectly all the time or just the word "bird"? How about "baby" and "ball"? Does she say "p" words correctly? The "h" sound can be hard because it is made in the throat and does not use the lips or tongue.

You may want to have her evaluated by a speeech therapist just to be sure. Tennessee Early Intervention Services sees kids up until their 3rd birthday for little or no cost and may even come to your home to do therapy. Talk to your pediatrician about a referral. Hopoe this helps. Let me know how it goes.

K.,

My advice to you is that you keep emphasizing the correct pronunciation. Do not correct her when she makes a mistake, but when you repeat her question in answer form say the word correctly. Cut her some slack - she is after all just 2. If she's trying to say heaven at the age of 2, she's one smart cookie and she'll pick up the correct pronunciation with out being made to feel badly for saying it incorrectly.

K.