Sound Words and Substitute Pronunciation in Toddlers

It’s definitely a moment of joy when your little one starts communicating with you through speech. However, substitute pronunciation in toddlers can often leave the adults confused. Understanding what the baby wants to convey can take some time. So, how should you go about it?

The cooing sounds your baby makes are music to your ears and you eagerly wait for the day when your little one would start speaking. But when this happens, you might find that the baby’s words just don’t make any sense. Well, most toddlers start speaking in a language that seems alien to their parents. However, with time and some practice this can improve. Simplify the babble by learning how.

Hard Words for Kids to Say

Do you know why your munchkin’s words don’t make any sense to you? It’s just because babies generally prefer to leave out certain words and consonants that they find difficult to pronounce. Sometimes they might substitute some similar sounding consonant in the word for easier pronunciation. This is one of the main reasons for toddlers mixing up words while speaking.

Reason Behind Toddler Speech Difficulty

Speaking comes easily to you. But this isn’t as easy for your little one. Your child’s discovery of speech is relatively new and he might take some time to get acquainted to using his mouth, tongue and throat to speak properly. Second, the tongue movement for difficult to pronounce words doesn’t come easily to little ones. Words where two consonants blend together to form a word, like flower, slow, fly, spray etc. might pose a challenge for your child. However, this is nothing to worry about. With time, your darling will learn the right way to pronounce these words too.

Pronunciation of Words With Sounds by Toddlers- What you Should Know

Most toddlers start speaking a word or two by the time they turn one. You can see an improvement in their speaking skills as they grow older. Generally, toddlers can converse quite effectively by the time they turn four. In case, your little one doesn’t show any improvement in his speaking skills, you might want to consult a doctor. This delay can be easily rectified with speech therapy sessions.

What You Can Do To Improve Speaking Skills in Your Little One

1. Filling in the missing sound

Whenever you notice that your child has missed out on a consonant while pronouncing a word, make sure that you repeat the word to let your toddler know the right way to say it. Remember that your child might not correct himself the very first time. This is an exercise that you need to follow till your child learns the right pronunciation of words.

2. Patience is the key

You might sometimes find it annoying that your little one commits the same mistake in spite of repeated correction. However, it’s important that you keep your cool. Let your toddler take his own time to learn the difficult to pronounce words. Losing your cool might scare the little one and your child might try to avoid speaking that word.

3. Enhancing speech skills with practice

Practice makes a man perfect and this holds true for your toddler too. The best way to enhance the language skills of your baby is to encourage him to speak. `Ask him to repeat the words that he finds hard to speak. You can also read some story books to your child to help him understand the right way to speak different words. Make sure you pay special attention to the words that your child finds difficult to pronounce.

4. Learn your baby’s language

In order to enhance your child’s language skills, it’s important that you understand the little one’s language. Remember that most kids substitute ‘R’ with ‘W’, ‘P’ with ‘B’ or ‘H’, ‘TH’ with ‘F’ and ‘SC’ with ‘K’. Of course, your child might have his own version of the language. So, find out what he means so that you can communicate with him effectively.

Proper communication with your little one is the best way to enhance his speaking skills. So, keep talking to your child and encourage him to speak more.