Baby's First Words

Children are exposed to human speech patterns before they are even born. By the time they are a year old, their baby babble becomes more distinguishable as simple words, like “mama” and “dada”; by the second year they are able to string together two-word sentences.  By age three they are able to make most consonant sounds and be understood most of the time; by age four, children are quite talkative and able to be understood. 

By the time a child turns five, he or she is capable of making all vowel and consonant sounds, complex sentences, proper uses of personal pronouns (I, we, them) and plural words (bird vs. birds). Sometimes though, children have a hard time making certain letter sounds, such as R, L and S and have what is considered a speech impediment that may or may not require the help of a speech therapist. 

Misunderstandings and Meltdowns

Everyone knows that the toddler years are some of the most frustrating years for children. They are learning how to experience different emotions and assert their independence, but a lot of the frustration comes from being misunderstood. When an adult hears something that sounds like “duck”, they assume their toddler wants their toy duck; however, the toddler may have been trying to say the word “cup” and is frustrated over the adult’s inability to understand. Frustration leads to meltdowns, which leads to stress on everyone. 

What can you do?

Parents can help their children learn to correctly make sounds by practicing the sound over and over slowly, since small children will mimic their parents. Reading out loud to children and speaking to them in regular conversational tones can also help them recognize speech patterns. However, if your toddler has a hard time being understood and is often frustrated by it, a Baltic Amber and Crysocolla necklace from BalticEssentials.com may help him or her talk more plainly. Energizing Crysocolla is known as the Stone of Communication; it stimulates the Throat Chakra, lending itself to better communication with others and imparts a sense of patience while talking and listening.  Baltic Amber is a natural anti-inflammatory and is helpful for soothing toddlers’ sore gums that may impede speech. 

So for less frustration and stress all the way around, give Crysocolla the chance to open the lines of communication and help your little one hit their speech milestones.