https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:09:37 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524599 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:23:09 +0000 singingbee 1524599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All. The. Time. Unless she is sleeping or in the process. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524589 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:14:59 +0000 Corduroy 1524589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I felt really awkward coming up with things to say to LO. I found taking her to the dog park regularly helped me come out of my shell. Big vs small, slow vs fast, colors, noises, people, etc. After a few trips I got more comfortable narrating things at home. Now when I feel like I've run out of things to say I start a new activity. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524566 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:02:32 +0000 Mrs. Tiger 1524566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: with DS1 I did the whole conversation thing (ask questions, wait for a response even before he could talk, etc) and I think it helped. I also struggled with just talking to him (especially now DS2 when its just me and him!) but it gets SO much easier when they start talking/babbling back! I will also ask them questions, like what I should do next, where something is, I guess like narrating your thoughts as you said previously. I think it's ok to have time for quiet reflection though, but if he shows interest in something then try to chat about it (as you probably already do!). </p> <p>DS1 is a huge talker so either the stuff I did helped or he was going to be like that no matter what, who knows :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524530 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 21:40:29 +0000 Purpledaisy 1524530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is something I'm always working on. I think I do pretty good bit I could still be better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524492 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 21:22:34 +0000 808love 1524492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought I talked a lot. Then I was on a flight and overheard a father (his wife was across the aisle) talking to his 3 year old non-stop. I felt she was being overtalked (again, what do I know??) and didn't have a chance to get a word in edgewise. So definitely there's a balance to be had! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1524407 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:40:13 +0000 daniellemybelle 1524407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 5 months &amp; I try to talk to her a lot but it's often baby talk. So I will consciously start narrating - "I'm changing your diaper. Let's unbutton your pink onesie. Oops, your purple sock came off your foot! Socks keep your toes warm. Mommy is putting your purple sock back on my girl's little foot."</p> <p>I usually feel kind of dumb so I can't go for that long! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523738 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:21:57 +0000 luckypenny 1523738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Constantly. Especially now that she's a toddler and more verbal. She won't let me NOT talk to her lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523733 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:20:31 +0000 autumnlove 1523733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I talk to the toddler a lot but I worry that I'm not talking to the baby (one on one) enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523722 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:17:45 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1523722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePeony: my dh just says "dada" constantly every single day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523702 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:12:18 +0000 blackbird 1523702@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Constantly. In fact, I catch myself talking to myself at work sometimes out of habit </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523696 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:10:50 +0000 hilsy85 1523696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that as they get older and learn more words it's easier...I used to worry about this when LO was an infant, but as he grew, it became easier and I worried less. I think those studies can drive anyone crazy....of course, we should talk a lot to our kids, but then you read stuff about letting them be on their own and not hovering and letting them explore and have independent time, and so I feel like there has to be a middle ground, where you're letting them be by themselves/independent, thinking their own thoughts and doing their own thing, and just making sure when you do interact it's meaningful a majority of the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523683 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:05:53 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1523683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: That's great news. I wouldn't sweat the weight too much. I'm sure adjusted he's just fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523682 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:05:14 +0000 Pumuckl 1523682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: this </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523670 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:02:55 +0000 PurplePeony 1523670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I try, but I sometimes have trouble figuring out what to say. DH is really great at this, though, and will chat to her for hours. She spends more time with him than with me, and he also talks to her in his native language (we want her to be bilingual). It's funny, already we can tell she totally prefers that to English! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523658 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:59:44 +0000 mrs. tictactoe 1523658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are twinsies!!</p> <p>I also think about this a lot. I'm not a big talker usually and I talk so much at work all day that I am pretty quiet when I get home. I have worried about it affecting Liam's language acquisition, but so far it hadn't seemed to make a difference. He's not the biggest talker, but he is definitely not delayed. I also try to make more of an effort to talk to him as much as I can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523655 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:59:03 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1523655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Great! Not walking yet, but getting closer all the time. A few simple words and lots of babble. He's still stuck at a little under 18 lbs though. But it's ok. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523649 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:54:47 +0000 fancyfunction 1523649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I talk to her a lot and also narrate things. A lot of it is just going through the day, telling her the things I have to do, etc. I make it like we're having an actual conversation and I also ask her questions - do you want your milk? What does a cow say? And stuff like that. I talk to myself a lot so now I'm talking to her instead - ha ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523620 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:45:30 +0000 Running Elley 1523620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found it easier once DS got older- it was hard for me to find things to say as a newborn. I think I started talking a lot after about 6-8 months. Since then I feel like I talk to him CONSTANTLY. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523613 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:43:44 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1523613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: How's your little guy doing btw?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523567 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:32:19 +0000 winniebee 1523567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: In the car we usually sing or count or I tell him what we are going to do next. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523562 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:31:35 +0000 winniebee 1523562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oliviaoblivia: I do a lot of the same things. mostly asking questions.</p> <p>I talk a lot, but still worry it's not enough. I get tired since I'm with him all day and then suddenly will realize we are eating our lunch in silence. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1/page/2#post-1523473 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:07:34 +0000 deerylou 1523473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a SAHM, I talk to her, a great deal. I narrate parts of our day, and label things she becomes interested in. I also echo her sounds and approximations, to reinforce language. She's only eight moths, so we're not exactly conversing, but she's recently become very vocal so I like to encourage that. I do appreciate some quiet time, so there are parts of our day that are relatively silent, or just filled with softer, background music. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523453 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:03:04 +0000 Rockies11 1523453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I worry all the time I don't talk to her enough - I am pretty quiet when we are at home just the two of us. I imitate her sounds and tell her I love and stuff, but I am not a narrator. Makes me feel lilke a monster, but I just can't do it. My MIL can talk to her literally from when she wakes up in the morning until she goes to bed at night. I find that stressful to listen to though, so maybe the baby does too ha ha ha? But seriously, I feel like I am not hitting on the correct amount of speech per day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523440 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:59:38 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1523440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Good to hear from you! : ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523431 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:57:06 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1523431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I felt self-conscious talking all the time, so I started just narrating our lives together. It seemed to help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523397 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:46:28 +0000 Caly 1523397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All the time! They're constantly being talked to &amp; interacted with at 5mo. I'd read the article (and other similar) @freckles: linked and was happy that perhaps all my constant chatter is somewhat helping their development. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523395 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:45:47 +0000 Mrs. Twine 1523395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yep-- one of the things that babies learn is that conversation is a back-and-forth exchange, so when you play that way you are teaching her some language rules about turn-taking. You are also going to be primed to use phonetic sounds from your primary language, so even the "nonsense" she hears from you is phonetically based in English or whatever language you speak to her in primarily. It's pretty cool.</p> <p>And when I said, "empoverished," I really meant empoverished. It would be hard for someone who has a SES that enables them to live comfortably to have an environment that did not meet those basic needs. Another thing we sometimes lose sight of in wanting the best for our children is that we don't want them all to be the same anyway. So if your child has an acceptable vocabulary but turns out to be a math genius? Still very awesome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523373 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:39:29 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1523373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I talk to him enough? It helps that at 2 years old, we have conversations, it never feels like I'm just "talking to myself" - which I'm not but sometimes he would be pretty unresponsive as a baby. </p> <p>I try not to use any baby talk/baby speak and use normal vocabulary since I read that also is supposed to help? And of course we try to read everyday. So I think I talk to him enough? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523362 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:37:34 +0000 Jenn23 1523362@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I talk to J almost all day long, but when I'm in the car I don't. That is ME time and for those 10 or 20 minute car rides he plays with toys in his car seat and I listen to music. I just need that break! But almost all of the rest of the day I'm talking to him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-much-do-you-talk-to-your-lo-1#post-1523296 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:25:06 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1523296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Twine: Thanks! I've heard that too and definitely "play" talk with him. </p>