Hellobee Boards Topic: Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:35:19 +0000 sera_87 on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892247 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:18:31 +0000 sera_87 1892247@https://boards.hellobee.com/ He only has 3 words that he 'misprounouces' - shoe-shoes, baba (bottle) and l'eau-l'eau (lo-lo), which means bath/body of water (if he wants to drink water it's just l'eau). I don't bother correcting him for those. Beehive on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892114 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:06:03 +0000 Beehive 1892114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Depends on how cute the mispronunciation is... ; ) DS is almost 2, and he says things like "baby-c's" instead of ABCs"... he has even started singing the alphabet song "his way" - "Baby-c d e f g..." I will be sad when he stops saying that!! JerricaBenton on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892083 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:50:40 +0000 JerricaBenton 1892083@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I always respond with the correct pronunciation but I don't tell her she's wrong. It's hard with grandparents because the words she uses for some things are so adorable they start using them too! looch on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892045 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:24:35 +0000 looch 1892045@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I did, and still do. It's important for us because he has a speech issue. Mrs. High Heels on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892021 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:06:45 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1892021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Not really when they're younger. I'll just repeat it back to him with the correct pronunciation. "Oh! You want water? Here's some water!" MrsMccarthy on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892020 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:04:24 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1892020@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've heard that it can hurt confidence to correct them but you should always pronounce it correctly yourself. So if he says "wawa" I say "oh you want some water?" And I enunciate hard. redeyedtreefr0g on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892014 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:00:50 +0000 redeyedtreefr0g 1892014@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My niece mumbles and talks softly at the same time that she is probably using baby-words. It drives me BANANAS because I can't tell what the child is saying. Ironically, Mr. Frog is much better at piecing together what she is trying to say, and getting her to speak clearer without sounding like an a-hole, than I am. I feel like I just sound like a witch when I try. The child we lived with for a year before she actually started speaking can hold a perfectly understandable conversation over the telephone. I have no real idea why they are so different, but Mr. Frog and I, plus her mother, speak pretty clearly. My mother, who lived with LilSis and is a prominent figure in my niece's life, talks baby talk all the time. ValentineMommy on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892006 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:55:25 +0000 ValentineMommy 1892006@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Bao: I do exactly the same thing. I repeat it correctly. Freckles on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1892002 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:54:18 +0000 Freckles 1892002@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I usually do, but when she says "tato tatos" i don't correct her because it's too cute. Jess1483 on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891992 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:50:32 +0000 Jess1483 1891992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I just repeat it back correctly. DS is a really slow talker (though he's catching up), so I've always wanted to reward any attempt at speech. Now occasionally if I KNOW he can say it correctly I'll have him repeat it, but usually I let it go. When he's more confident and a bit older, I may correct. autumnlove on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891991 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:50:32 +0000 autumnlove 1891991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Adira: I probably should do it too since LO 2 tunes big sister out a lot! Adira on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891983 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:47:51 +0000 Adira 1891983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @autumnlove: haha, maybe you don't need to since LO1 is on the job?? autumnlove on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891977 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:46:39 +0000 autumnlove 1891977@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Adira: LO 1 corrects her! She is super naggy about it... It isn't wa-wa! ELMO, not Melmo! hilsy85 on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891974 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:46:16 +0000 hilsy85 1891974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I don't correct him, but I will repeat the word correctly, so he says "wa wa" and I say, "Oh would you like some water? Water?". LuLu Mom on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891972 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:45:55 +0000 LuLu Mom 1891972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes, I correct her if I know she knows the right word. She only "baby" talks anymore when she's tired. californiadreams on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891971 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:45:42 +0000 californiadreams 1891971@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Bao: i think that is the perfect thing to do! Adira on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891969 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:44:41 +0000 Adira 1891969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Bao: That's basically exactly what I do. mrsjazz on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891963 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:43:14 +0000 mrsjazz 1891963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Sometimes we correct her. Sometimes we don't. I think it depends on the situation. In your case, I'd correct LO. My LO is 2.5 and will say wa-wa sometimes because the other child in our nanny share says wa-wa. I will correct LO because she knows how to say it and is just mimicking her friend. I usually say, "Oh, OtherBaby says wa-wa, right? And how do you say water?" And then she'll say it correctly. If it's a word with lots of syllables and she is still learning, like "deodorant" (she says odorant) we don't specifically correct her, we'll just repeat the word in the correct way. She will learn! Other times we don't correct her. LO is in a phase where she thinks it's funny to play with language or mispronounce something so we let her play. Bao on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891960 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:41:24 +0000 Bao 1891960@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I always just repeat the word correctly. She says "awa" for water, so I just say "you would like water?" Probably should be doing something more though. Mrs. Bee on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891952 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:38:31 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1891952@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't when they were younger because it was just so cute. Now that Olive is 3 I do correct her. Adira on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891948 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:37:39 +0000 Adira 1891948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes, I almost always correct him. Partly because I'm not always entirely sure what he's saying and I want to repeat the correct word to make sure he knows it and I understood him correctly (he'll say no and shake his head at me if I guessed wrong). But the other reason is so that he knows how to say it correctly and will hopefully eventually learn to enunciate! autumnlove on "Do you correct your LO when they use terms like wa-wa for water?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-correct-your-lo-when-they-use-terms-like-wa-wa-for-water#post-1891937 Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:32:09 +0000 autumnlove 1891937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ LO 2 (17 months) knows how to say water and Elmo but sometimes she says wa-wa or Melmo. Her EI teacher wants us to consistently correct her and get her to repeat the right word. Do you make corrections?