How to Get My Toddler to Talk: 5 Expert Tips and Insights

Navigating the exciting journey of your child’s development, especially when it comes to milestones like walking and talking, can be both thrilling and anxiety-inducing.

“How can I get my toddler to talk?” is a question we frequently hear from concerned parents. Trust that you’re not alone in this process.

Drawing from comprehensive clinical research, connecting with language experts, and years of hands-on experience, we’re here to guide and reassure you. We’ll discuss evidence-based strategies on how to help your child learn to talk and when you should be concerned.

Let’s take the worry out of this early milestone as we anticipate that first precious word.

How to Get My Toddler to Talk

What to Expect

Getting your little one to talk is a process that requires patience and consistency. By their first birthday, most one-year-olds can say two words consistently. Usually, these words are “mama” and “dada.”

At 15 months, another word or two is added. There should also be lots of proto-declarative pointing: pointing at an object and vocalizing a sound. Most 18-month-olds can say at least six words and will begin to repeat others.

They may also be able to recognize and point to a few body parts. Language skills really advance between 18 months and 2 years of age. By age two, a toddler should be able to say several two-word phrases and about 50 individual words.

Your child will probably make lots of sounds that seem like conversations but are unintelligible. This is called jargoning. By age 3, your toddler should begin to say 3-word sentences and have short conversations. Speech clarity should progress from 70% at age 3 to 100% by age 5 ⁽¹⁾.

1. Create Talking Opportunities

You have countless ways to create talking opportunities that will encourage your toddler to begin speaking. These opportunities usually arise when your child wants something.

To get the ball rolling, you could place a favorite toy out of reach. Wait for your child to see it, and then let them ask for it.

If your toddler begins to point rather than talk, say, “Do you want the red car? Here is the red car.” This will help them understand how to use their communication and speaking skills to ask for help.

Another way is to predict what your toddler is looking for and then place it out of reach. If it’s snack time, and they generally want yogurt, wait until they ask for it.

Try rearranging some of your toddler’s toys when walking around your home. Place the items on the table or shelves — keep them within toddler eye level so they can spot them. Then, wait for your little one to ask for it.

If you have puzzles or a Mr. Potato Head, which is excellent for teaching body parts, you should wait to hand them the pieces until they ask. Repeat what your toddler says or is trying to say.

One of our favorite games is to play the forgetful parent. This works wonders at subtly engaging toddlers while boosting their confidence when they remember something.

During a routine, such as getting dressed, do something out of order or feign forgetfulness. Forget to put on their pants and go straight to socks and shoes.

Let your toddler catch your mistake, then offer praise like, “Yes, pants do come before shoes. Good job.”

If your toddler doesn’t catch it, you can subtly point out your mistake. Say something like, “Oh, where are your pants? Did Mommy forget?” Your toddler will love playing this game.

2. Work to Expand Language Skills

When trying to expand your toddler’s language skills, you should always focus on reaching the next level. Don’t try to skip ahead and teach your little one something that’s too complicated, but also avoid going backward.

Many toddlers talk or communicate using only a few words. Your goal should be to gradually increase their vocabulary.

While doing this, always listen to your child and follow their lead. Skipping to something too complicated will not keep them engaged or encouraged even to try. Remember, fun is the best way to learn.

Language comes naturally to almost all children, but you can help them progress if you utilize topics they’re interested in. If your child loves animals, discuss the ones you encounter in real life or those you spot in books.

Listen and observe as your little one is trying to communicate. We’ve included a few strategies you can follow:

Make Words Bigger

As a toddler, your child will probably be able to say a few words. So, an excellent place to start is by adding more words to what they say.

Let’s say they hand you a toy car and say the word “car.” Then give it back and say, “Yes, a car, a big, blue car. It goes vroom vroom.”

Take whatever your child is giving you, and increase it slightly before returning it. You can use this strategy from an early age, even if your little one isn’t talking yet.

If they point to a ball, say, “Ball! That is a big ball.” Use small words that can be understood and imitated.

Imitate

When your toddler is trying to say a word, use what they’re giving you and imitate it. It’s similar to what you do when babies babble. You imitate their sounds and words, showing them they’re being heard.

In turn, your toddler will begin to imitate you and your words, thus expanding their language skills.

Describe and Comment

Be the sportscaster during playtime — narrate and describe what your toddler is doing. If they are playing with a ball, say, “You are bouncing the ball — up and down it goes.” Stress determiners and pronouns to help with grammar.

Help your child by making suggestions. If your child likes playing with farm animals, suggest placing the sheep in the barn.

This will kickstart their thinking, giving them a new perspective to consider. But remember to follow their cues. Don’t become the director of the play.

Eliminate Negativity and Testing

Toddlers are still learning, so if you continue to meet their efforts with negativity, they’ll eventually stop trying. Expand their words instead of saying that it’s wrong.

If your toddler pronounces the word “elephant” wrong, turn it around and repeat in the affirmative, “Yes, elephant.” That’s more helpful than saying negatively, “No, elephant.”

By doing this, you’re correcting gently.

You should also try to limit testing. If you and your toddler are playing, avoid continuously asking what the different toys are called. Repeatedly testing them, particularly during play, can get annoying and disturb the fun.

Label Your Praise

“Good job” is easy to say, but it’s best to be specific. Label your praise, saying things like, “Good job packing all your toys away.” This reinforces the good things they do, encouraging good behavior.

As your toddler expands their vocabulary, expand your praise. Instead of saying, “Good job,” use “Nice job saying please” or “Nice job saying thank you.” You’re also helping to create a positive feeling surrounding communication, motivating them to keep trying and adding more words.

Remember Turn-Taking

Many of us tend to always take charge when it comes to our toddlers. However, it’s essential to give them a turn whenever possible. It’s a fantastic way to exercise communication skills, even if it doesn’t involve talking.

Let’s say your little one looks to you if they need help with something, like opening a juice box. Ask your child, “Do you need help opening the box?” Then, wait until they hand it to you, thus taking a turn.

Be Quick to Respond

While your toddler is learning to talk, it’s essential to show the importance of communication. Being quick to respond is a great way to do that.

Responding immediately to words and gestures can help your child develop and model more advanced language skills.

3. Keep a Diary

A fantastic way to track progress is by keeping a diary. Take note of words or gestures your child uses to communicate. For instance, they might move away from things they don’t want or shake their head in response.

Communicative gestures are a crucial part of learning how to talk. Your toddler needs to connect words with their corresponding actions. For example, help them recognize that when we greet people or say goodbye, we wave or shake hands.

Continue writing down what they accomplish, and build on that. Having a diary is also helpful if your toddler needs to see a specialist.

4. Do 30 Minutes Every Day

Although your toddler will build on their language skills throughout the day, find 30 minutes where you both can concentrate on word-building play.

5. Read Together

Reading with toddlers to get them to talk is different than reading a story at bedtime. Encourage them to actively engage with the book alongside you. On each page, point to the pictures, ask questions, and help them describe.

Although it may seem odd to read books to an infant or toddler at such a young age, it stimulates the understanding of language. Research shows that the speech and language skills of children who are read to far exceed those of children with limited exposure ⁽²⁾.

Editor's Note:

Dr. Leah Alexander, MD, FAAP

What Is a Late Talker?

Children between 18 and 35 months, who can comprehend language but have a limited expressive vocabulary, are considered late talkers ⁽³⁾.

A child’s expressive vocabulary is based on the words they use, not the way they pronounce them. They may say words or phrases like “birdie,” “look, mama,” “mama gone,” and so on ⁽⁴⁾.

This is different from comprehension, which indicates what your child understands. Your child may not be able to say the word “shoes,” but if you ask them to get their shoes without pointing or gesturing, they understand what you mean.

Another factor determining if a child is a late talker is the presence of delays in other developmental areas, such as walking and playing.

If a toddler also shows delayed development in these areas, a pediatrician will look for conditions like hearing issues or autism ⁽⁵⁾.

When I see patients with speech delay, my first recommendation is to have a hearing evaluation. If hearing is impaired, toddlers cannot properly learn and imitate language sounds. Because most toddlers are developmentally unable to do the same hearing tests as older children, I typically refer them to an audiologist or otolaryngologist for a more age-appropriate test. Depending on the test results, hearing devices and/or speech therapy may be necessary.

As for signs of autism, I typically see more than just delayed speech. There are often repetitive behaviors, or the child is easily upset by very minor things. If autism is suspected, an evaluation by a developmental pediatrician is helpful ⁽⁶⁾.

Editor's Note:

Dr. Leah Alexander, MD, FAAP

When Should Babies Talk?

Babies usually express their first word any time between 8 and 15 months of age. It depends significantly on what you do to expand their language and how often you do it.

Children will probably make slow progress at first. Once they reach 18 months, they should learn approximately ten new words every month going forward ⁽⁷⁾.

The expansion of their vocabulary speeds up around 17 to 20 months of age. They should be approaching the 50-word mark, and you can expect new words daily.

However, remember that milestones are just guidelines — every child is different and learns at their own pace. Focus on how the words are used. Communication is the key skill to look for.

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How Common Are Late Talkers?

It’s important to note that being a late talker is relatively common. Estimations suggest that approximately one out of five children are late talkers ⁽⁸⁾. Interestingly, another study showed that boys are more likely to experience delays than girls ⁽⁹⁾.

Don’t worry — many children are late bloomers and will catch up ⁽¹⁰⁾.

Still, avoid brushing their delays off and crossing your fingers that they’ll outgrow it. If you have any concerns, seek help.

When to See a Specialist

You should consult a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in the following cases:

• Your toddler is 20 months old and uses fewer than 20 words, like nouns or names, verbs, adjectives, describing words, or social words.
• At 24 months, your toddler isn’t using at least 50 words and combining two or more.
• If you’re feeling worried, it’s best to identify a problem early on.

What About Bilingual Toddlers?

Bilingual refers to someone who speaks two languages fluently. It’s becoming more common for parents to introduce several languages to their children from a young age. Although there isn’t much research on the topic, speaking more than one language won’t cause delays ⁽¹¹⁾.

Some of the parents I see in my practice who have bilingual toddlers express concern about delayed speech. I reassure them that the “total number of words” at their developmental stage is more important than which words are spoken in each language. Most toddlers adapt well to learning more than one language. They even seem to know the correct language to speak for different people. For example, if the parents speak English and a grandparent speaks Spanish, the child will only speak Spanish to this grandparent ⁽¹²⁾.

Editor's Note:

Dr. Leah Alexander, MD, FAAP

What does affect your child’s language skills? The amount of input and the opportunities to use their vocabulary. It’s essential to be aware of the languages your child is exposed to and who they interact with in each language.

Don’t compare yourself or your toddler to other bilingual families. Everyone is different, and your child may not get enough exposure to your minority language. Your child will get there, but if you’re worried, seek help.

FAQs

What Can Cause Toddlers Not to Talk?

Delays in talking can be due to a variety of reasons, including developmental delays, hearing issues, or simply being a late talker.

What Words Should a 2-Year-Old Be Saying?

A two-year-old should typically be able to say simple words and phrases, and begin to put two words together, like “more juice.”

How Do Speech Therapists Teach Toddlers to Talk?

Speech therapists use various techniques, including play-based therapy and specific exercises, to encourage language development.

Can ADHD Toddlers Have Speech Delays?

It’s not a direct symptom of ADHD, but toddlers with ADHD may experience speech delays due to difficulties with focus and attention.

Can a Pacifier Delay Speech?

Excessive pacifier use can potentially delay speech and language development, as it might limit opportunities for babbling and speaking.

What Kinds of Toys Encourage Language?

Toys that encourage interaction and mimicry, such as dolls, action figures, and pretend playsets, are great for language development. Interactive books, musical instruments, and puzzles also stimulate verbal engagement.

Do Toddlers Need Toys that Talk or Sing?

While toys that talk or sing can be engaging, they’re not a necessity for language development. Children often benefit more from direct interaction with caregivers and open-ended play with non-electronic toys.

How Can I Encourage My Toddler to Speak More?

Engage in regular conversation, read together, and narrate your activities throughout the day. Respond to their attempts to communicate and give them time to form words and phrases.

What Are Signs of a Speech Delay in Toddlers?

Signs of a speech delay include not using gestures like pointing by 12 months, preferring gestures over vocalizations, having trouble imitating sounds or having a limited vocabulary for their age group.

Can Screen Time Affect a Toddler’s Speech?

Excessive screen time can impact a toddler’s speech development as it reduces opportunities for interaction and communication with others.

How Often Should a Toddler Talk?

There’s no set rule for how often a toddler should talk. Each child develops at their own pace. However, consistent and daily verbal engagement is key for healthy speech and language development.

What Should You Do If Your Toddler Isn’t Talking Yet?

If your toddler isn’t talking yet, observe if they communicate in other ways, like gestures or facial expressions. Schedule a sit-down with a pediatrician or a speech therapist for a professional evaluation.

Are Bilingual Homes More Likely to Have Late Talkers?

While bilingual homes might see a slight delay in the onset of speech, being raised in a bilingual environment doesn’t cause language disorders. Bilingual children often catch up to their monolingual peers in language skills.