I am a BIG believer in using words. Real words. I never speak to a baby or young toddler in baby talk. It will never do them any good. Let's face it, they scream at the top of their lungs because they want to communicate. Some kids talk sooner than others and no worries if your child isn't speaking at the rate you want them to. I promise they will talk and then they will never stop :) In a case where I have a child who will just scream at me I will always say to them, "use your words." I will go through their mini vocabulary with them until I can figure out what they are trying to say. You may need to go through a total of 50 words but I look at it as great review.
If you have a child who points to everything and grunts (which, for a bit every child does) never walk them over to everything. They won't learn to talk that way. You can tell them the object they are pointing to and then either take them to it OR you can say, "That is the pantry. You may open it . But first I will put you down and we will walk over there together." Because well, let's face it, they are a big kid. It really helps to promote their independence.
As a nanny I have been lucky to be with my little guy since he was just a little bit :) I believe he was going on four months when I started with my awesome family! Very shortly after I started with him I began teaching him baby sign. By the time he was seven/eight months he began to sign back to me. Baby signing has really helped him through this difficult stage. Even if he can't fully express the word he is looking for, he can surely sign a great deal of words. It has truly helped to lessen his levels of frustration. For some great references for baby sign there's a wonderful program called, "baby signing time" which can be a bit pricey but it's just fabulous! Also, if you check out YouTube you may be able to find some free signing videos!
When your child has a tantrum, there are two ways you can go about dealing with this stage. Everyone has different beliefs so please do what fits your family and your lifestyle. The first thing you can do when your child throws themselves on the ground and begins ther tantrum you can literally just walk away into the other room. Most likely they will follow you however, if you do not feed into them then they tend to give up the charade in a timely fashion. The second approach you may use is to hug it out with them. I used this technique on another child I nannied for. Everytime she went into tantrum mode I would grab her and hug her, hold her and help her to work through it. You can tell your child to take deep breaths. Show them how to breathe properly and do it with them. This approach may work for some and for others it may anger them more. I would try both approaches to see what works best for your child. Last week, Keri had blogged about making "hush bottles." It is a craft that is used when your child begins to get flustered. It grabs their attention and literally calms them down and snaps them out of their funk. Check it out!
Another great approach Ito help extend their vocabulary is to READ, READ, READ!! There is a great starter book called, the "Alpha Block." It's by, Christopher Franceschelli. It's one of the best alphabet books I have seen in awhile. The words are basic and simple, and the illustrations are great! I go through that book with my little guy at least three times a day and he loves it! He has already began to say new words from using that book! Plus it aids to a growing imagination!
I really hope that some of these approaches will work well for you and your family. I am always looking for new approaches to help coach my little ones through their hard times. As a parent what approaches have worked well for you? Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts! It's always wonderful to hear from you all!
Xoxo
-D
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